Chelsea second strings put on a show
Chelsea's head coach made wholesale changes in this encounter, fielding an entirely different XI from the side that cruised past West Ham in their last Premier League outing at the London stadium. Despite the rotation, Chelsea displayed the depth of their squad, a testament to what the team is capable of once everything clicks into gear.
Barrow's manager, Stephen Clemence, was full of admiration for his side’s effort but couldn’t help but praised Chelsea’s squad strength:
"I'm really proud of the boys. It's tough coming to the home of a top six Premier League team. Even within that league, those teams operate in a class of their own, with world-class players. If that was their second-string team, then wow."
Sky Sports' Simeon Gholam echoed a similar sentiment:
"It was a complete change of XI for Chelsea, but you would barely know it from the quality on display. And many of those players won’t even feature when Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday. Some may not even make the matchday squad."
Chelsea's dominance throughout the game, with 73 percent possession, was a testament of the embarrassment of riches at Maresca’s disposal at Stamford Bridge. Watching the fluidity and control of this 'second-string' team, it was easy to forget these weren’t the regular starters for Chelsea this season.