Chelsea moved to the top of the Conference League table after dismantling Noah at Stamford Bridge tonight.
The Armenian minnows were hopelessly overwhelmed as, despite making 11 changes, Chelsea were far too strong with several fringe players standing out.
Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku both scored twice and Enzo Fernandez made three assists before being withdrawn at half-time.
Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and Mykhailo Mudryk were also on target as the disparity between the haves and the have-nots in European football was ruthlessly exposed.
EIGHT GOALS.
Chelsea set a UEFA Conference League record for the largest margin of victory in the competitions history 📈 pic.twitter.com/VX7dPp5ACm
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 7, 2024
Strangely, it was Noah who created the first chance of the evening, Goncalo Gregorio capitalising on a mistake from Adarabioyo and hammering in a shot that hit goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen in the chest.
It only served to poke the bear as Chelsea swarmed over their opponents for the remainder of the half.
Felix ought to have scored after seven minutes but somehow failed to turn home Tyrique George’s cross.
📰 Table Of Contents
Noah concede the first of many
It mattered not as Adarabioyo nodded home Fernandez’s corner six minutes later to open the floodgates.
Eighty-four seconds later, Guiu capitalised on some sloppy defending to tuck the ball into the corner.
Another Fernandez corner created the third for Disasi and it was 4-0 after 22 minutes as more panicked defending enabled Guiu to pinch the ball off Goncalo Silva and Fernandez then played it through for Felix to clip over Noah goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic.
The fifth had nothing to do with the overworked Noah defence and everything to do with the brilliance of Mudryk, the Ukraine winger cutting inside and drilling a superb shot into the top right-hand corner.
What a finish from Mykhailo Mudryk to make it 5-0 to Chelsea 💫
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/f80VsSai7R
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 7, 2024
Chelsea weren’t done in a remarkable opening 45 minutes and, after Disasi led a swift counter-attack, Felix notched his second with a shot that deflected in off the hapless Silva.
Fernandez and Guiu were withdrawn at the break, perhaps with the weekend clash against Arsenal in the back of Enzo Maresca’s mind.
Onslaught continues after the break
It did little to alter the course of the game. Cancarevic had had no chance with any of the goals but he excelled after 54 minutes with a double save to keep out efforts from Nkunku and Felix.
Nkunku had yet to get in on the act but he came close after 59 minutes with a shot that rattled the bar.
He did get his goal with 20 minutes to go, though, firing in a volleyed rebound from a tight angle after his initial effort had been blocked by the unfortunate Cancarevic.
And the France international added Chelsea’s eighth from the spot after substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was felled inside the area.
The crowd were chanting “we want 10” but the closest Chelsea came to another goal was an effort from debutant Samuel Rak-Sakyi that sailed over the bar.
