Chelsea 5-0 Barrow: The Great, the Good and the Bad

Chelsea blasted League Two club Barrow in the third round of the EFL Cup at Stamford Bridge. It was a complete annihilation, and the scoreline could have been much worse for the visiting side. The difference in quality between the two teams was stark, as it should have been given the circumstances.

Chelsea beat the League Two side 5-0 in a game that couldn't have gone any other way. It was a complete performance, with the Blues allowing only five shots while creating 20, eight of which were big chances. Maresca's men finished just three of the eight big chances they had, highlighting a finishing problem that may continue to plague the West London club.

Here are the great, the good, and the bad parts about Tuesday's performance.

The Great: Christopher Nkunku and Shot Creation

Chelsea's excellence in this game was embodied by hat-trick hero Christopher Nkunku, who may have redefined the definition of clinical, scoring three goals from three shots on target. His third goal was particularly enjoyable to watch; he single-handedly pressured the goalkeeper, won the ball back, and then scored all in three touches.

Chelsea's attack was very good, though it must be noted that it was against a League Two side. Eight big chances created clearly indicates that the Blues put their foot on Barrow's throat from the first whistle. In fact, the home side was so dominant that they were 3-0 up after their first three shots on target. The Blues split the Barrow defense open with through balls four times, which is impressive for a single game.

Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, and Carney Chukwuemeka all had strong performances though, though it would have been concerning if they hadn't. Mudryk is under pressure to impress Maresca and give him a selection headache, and his performance means he’ll earn more opportunities in easier games like this.

The Good: Benoit Badiashile and Chelsea's Defending

Chelsea defended well, and this is worth mentioning because of the players that will be discussed in "The Bad" section. Badiashile was Chelsea's best defender on the night, though all the defenders performed admirably. The Blues restricted their opponents to just five shots, with only one on target.

The centerback partnership of Disasi and Badiashile was effective, with the former winning 5 of 7 duels and completing 94% of his passes. Badiashile won all 5 aerial duels and completed 96% of his 119 attempted passes. He attempted 24 more passes and completed 29 more than the next-highest player.

Badiashile also made the highest volume of defensive actions (11) and the second-highest number of interceptions (2), behind Cesare Casadei (3). Ben Chilwell made his first appearance since being exiled to train with the U21s due to his "crime" of being unwanted by the club.

Filip Jorgensen was also solid between the sticks.

The Bad: The Midfield

Chelsea's midfield pivot of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadei was not convincing, which is concerning given the level of opposition. Casadei was poor; while he has had little game time this season, this was an opportunity to showcase his abilities in a competitive match.

The 21-year-old completed 90% of his passes, but he attempted no long balls, making that percentage less impressive. His dribbling was subpar, completing just 1 of 4 attempts. He excelled in the air (5 of 6) but struggled in ground duels (2 of 10), indicating that opponents had little trouble winning battles against him.

As poor as Casadei was, Dewsbury-Hall was worse—on many levels. The No. 22 was one of the best players in England's second division last season, so to deliver such a performance against League Two opposition was simply unacceptable. Like his midfield partner, he completed 90% of his passes but also did not attempt a long pass.

He was lackluster in other areas: dribbling (0 of 1), ground duels (0 of 3), and aerial duels (0 of 3). He also made no defensive actions, which likely explains why Badiashile made as many as 8 clearances against a League Two side.

In conclusion, Chelsea performed as expected against Barrow, but the central midfielders fell short. They need to improve their performances to put themselves in contention for even dead rubber UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) games.