Saturday, September 23, 2017

Nottingham Forest 5-1



Telegraph:

Chelsea 5 Nottingham Forest 1: Kenedy returns to Chelsea ranks to set up Carabao Cup romp

Matt Law

 Social media and diplomatic relations might not be his thing, but Kenedy offered encouragement that he still might have a career as a Chelsea footballer.

The last time Kenedy did anything of note, Chelsea were forced to issue a grovelling apology in both English and Mandarin after the Brazilian had posted a video on Instagram of a sleeping security guard with the message: “Wake up China. You idiot.”

It was roughly 3am on Thursday morning in China when Kenedy marked his first Chelsea appearance, in the competition sponsored by an energy drink, since being sent home from the pre-season tour in disgrace with a goal against Nottingham Forest.

Quite what Chinese football fans and the newspaper that wrote ‘China does not welcome a player like this; nor does China welcome a team like this’ will make of the fact Kenedy was among Chelsea’s Carabao Cup goalscorers remains to be seen.

But head coach Antonio Conte was delighted with Kenedy’s comeback in the thrashing of Forest that also saw Charly Musonda score on his full debut and Michy Batshuayi net a hat-trick. Chelsea will now face Everton at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round.

 “Kenedy played very well,” said Conte. “He’s working very well, working a lot. He is improving. He has to continue. When there will be the opportunity or any chance, he must exploit it.”

Ethan Ampadu, who turned 17 last week, became the ninth youngest player in Chelsea’s history when he replaced Cesc Fabregas in the second half.

The first contribution of Ampadu was to foul Daniel Fox, who had to be replaced by Tendayi Darikwa and it was the Forest substitute who grabbed the away side’s consolation goal on the final whistle.

Chelsea finished the game with Ampadu, 19-year-old Jake Clarke-Salter and 17-year-old Dejan Sterling all on the pitch as Conte had a look into the club’s future.

“I gave a chance to the young players from our academy and this is very positive,” said Conte. “Ethan has the potential to become a good player. He must continue to work with humility and improve, but we must be pleased for tonight.”

Central defender Luiz had fractured a bone in his wrist when he collided with an advertising hoarding during the Arsenal clash. The Brazilian is now training with a cast on and the injury will not prevent him facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week.

It was Musonda who jinked his way out of trouble to help set up Kenedy’s opener. The Belgian sprayed the ball to Antonio Rudiger, whose cross was coolly cushioned into the net by the Brazilian.

In a lively first-half performance, Kenedy also sent in a low cross from the left that either Batshuayi or Musonda should have converted and smashed a 25-yard drive just over the bar.

Kenedy’s goal had been slightly harsh on Forest, who had started brightly on the 13th anniversary of the great Brian Clough’s death, but the visitors were two down in just the 19th minute.

Eden Hazard, making his first start of the season since undergoing ankle surgery, sent through Batshuayi and the Belgian striker beat Forest goalkeeper Stephen Henderson with a deflected shot.

Forest almost managed a quick reply to reduce Chelsea’s advantage. Cesc Fabregas gave away a free-kick on the edge of his own penalty area and Kieran Dowell was unlucky to see his effort rebound off the crossbar.

But the tie was effectively killed five minutes before the break, when Musonda marked his full debut with a goal. Fabregas laid off the ball to the 20-year-old, who sent an angled effort past the diving Henderson.

Hazard hit the inside of the post just four minutes into the second half and then did brilliantly to hand Batshuayi his second goal of the night on a plate.

Batshuayi completed his hat-trick after Kenedy had struck the Forest bar, before Darikwa pulled a late goal back for the Championship club.


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Independent:

Chelsea 5 Nottingham Forest 1: Michy Batshuayi hat-trick seals victory for rampant Blues

Goals from Kenedy and the impressive Charly Musonda add to rout of Championship side who score late consolation through Tendayi Darikwa

Matt McGeehan

Michy Batshuayi scored a hat-trick as Chelsea provided a glimpse of the future with a 5-1 Carabao Cup rout of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.

Kenedy and the impressive Charly Musonda were also on target and Tendayi Darikwa scored a late consolation for Forest as the Premier League champions advanced to the fourth round with ease.

Ethan Ampadu became the first Chelsea player born this millennium, a week after his 17th birthday, on a night when Eden Hazard delighted on his first start of the season after his broken ankle.

A week after the 6-0 Champions League win over Qarabag and following Sunday's goalless draw with Arsenal, Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte rotated his options once again ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Stoke.

Nine Chelsea changes and eight for Championship Forest, who lost to Wolves last Saturday and next play John Terry's Aston Villa, showed where the teams' priorities lie.

Michael Mancienne's place in the centre of the Forest defence was a reminder of the Chelsea academy products who have not make the grade. He made six appearances for the Blues between 2006 and 2009.

Musonda and Andreas Christensen were the academy graduates given chances to impress on Wednesday night. Both did so, while Jake Clarke-Salter, Dujon Sterling and Ampadu came off the bench.

Hazard, Batshuayi and Musonda formed an all-Belgium attacking triumvirate which was too much for opponents who also had defensive lapses.

After some early defensive jitters of their own from Kenedy and Willy Caballero, the goalkeeper who was making his debut a week prior to his 36th birthday, Chelsea took the lead.

Kenedy's Blues career looked like it could be coming to an end when he was sent home from the pre-season tour to Asia following some ill-advised social media posts on China. He apologised and has been reintegrated into the squad.

The Brazilian scored his first goal since March 2016 when he ghosted behind the Forest defence to meet Antonio Rudiger's cross with a side-footed shot that beat goalkeeper Stephen Henderson.

Next came some good fortune as Hazard's through ball took a deflection off Jack Hobbs and Batshuayi showed composure to finish.

Kieran Dowell curled a free-kick onto the crossbar for Forest, who, having come close to halving it, saw their deficit increase.

Cesc Fabregas found Musonda inside the right edge of the area and the Belgian fired the ball under Henderson for his first Chelsea goal.

Musonda prodded wide from another Fabregas pass before half-time and Hazard struck a post soon after the restart after making space for himself on the left edge of the area.

Hazard then raced on to a long Fabregas pass and deceived Henderson. He might have scored himself but instead passed for Batshuayi to roll the ball in.

Dowell shot narrowly over before Fabregas was replaced by Ampadu, who signed from Exeter in the summer with a fee still to be settled with the Devon club. Ampadu did not look out of place.

Chelsea scored a fifth when Kenedy's shot from a tight angle bounced back off the bar and in off Batshuayi's lap for his third.

There was still time for Forest to score, as Darikwa netted with the final kick of the game.

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Guardian:

Batshuayi hits treble and Musonda excels as Chelsea silence Forest

Chelsea 5 - 1 Nottm Forest

Ed Aarons at Stamford Bridge

Charly Musonda Jr had waited five years for his opportunity and even on his compatriot Eden Hazard’s long-awaited return to the starting line-up, he was not to be upstaged.

The baby-faced forward spent last season on loan at Real Betis but has been forced to sit by patiently for a Chelsea debut ever since arriving at the club as a 15-year-old in 2012. A brilliant performance capped by the third goal as Michy Batshuayi also scored a hat-trick in this thrashing of a poor visiting side ensured it was worth the wait.

“I think Charly played very well,” the Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, said. “He’s trying to work a lot to improve his physical impact with this league. Don’t forget this league is very strong in the physical aspect. We are working a lot with Charly in this aspect to be ready to play in this league. For sure, he’s a talented player, and he has to continue in this way. When there is the opportunity, the chance, to help us, he must do this.”

On the 13th anniversary of Brian Clough’s death, the Chelsea pitch announcer had paid tribute to the man who led Forest to two successive European Cups before the match. But this powderpuff display in a competition Clough won four times was a reminder of how far they have fallen, having now failed to reach the fourth round since the year Old Big ’Ead passed away.

Watched from the stands by their owner, Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest manager, Mark Warburton, made eight changes from the side that lost at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday to leave them 10th in the Championship. Conte went one better, as only Gary Cahill and Cesc Fàbregas retained their places after the stalemate against Arsenal at the weekend.

Hazard formed an all-Belgian frontline alongside Batshuayi and the 20-year-old Musonda, one of four brothers to have passed through Chelsea’s academy and the son of a former Zambia midfielder, also called Charly. But it was one of Chelsea’s less vaunted prospects who opened the scoring in the 12th minute, as Kenedy – making his first appearance since being sent home from the pre-season tour to China – timed his run perfectly to meet Antonio Rüdiger’s deep cross at the back post to volley home.

Batshuayi made it 2-0 six minutes later when Hazard’s clever through ball from the edge of the area found its way to his feet via a deflection. A curling free-kick from the impressive Everton loanee Kieran Dowell that cannoned off the bar was the best Forest could muster in response, before Musonda effectively ended the tie five minutes before half-time as he drilled home Fàbregas’s pass from a tight angle before celebrating his goal with a full swan dive in front of the West stand.

Chelsea picked up where they had left off after the break, with Hazard setting up Batshuayi for his second of the evening after a glorious long pass from Fàbregas. The Spaniard then made way for the 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu, who joined from Exeter City in the summer having broken Cliff Bastin’s record as the youngest player in the club’s history, to make his debut.

Another versatile teenager, Dujon Sterling, was also handed a late cameo at right wing-back for Chelsea as Forest attempted to salvage some pride, which eventually came via the last kick of the game from the substitute Tendayi Darikwa after Batshuayi had completed his hat-trick. But the night belonged to Musonda.


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Mail:

Chelsea 5-1 Nottingham Forest: Michy Batshuayi hat-trick helps Blues earn victory in Carabao Cup as Eden Hazard gets full run-out at Stamford Bridge

By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail

Little has been seen of Kenedy since the Brazilian was sent home in disgrace from Chelsea's pre-season tour in China after insulting the world's most populous nation.

He has been lying low since offensive posts on social media which included a photograph of a sleeping security guard tagged with the message: 'Wake up China you idiot.'

On Wednesday night, the idiot stirred and caught Nottingham Forest napping, opened the scoring on his first appearance of the season and set Chelsea on an course for a date with Everton in the last-16 of the Carabao Cup.

Charly Musonda also celebrated his full debut with a goal and Michy Batshuayi claimed the match-ball home after a hat-trick which owed much to the skill of others.

Two of Batshuayi's goals were created by the outstanding Eden Hazard and his third was a fierce Kenedy shot which rebounded off the bar and hit the striker in the chest before bouncing into the goal.

Forest pulled one back with the last kick of the tie, an untidy goal converted by substitute Tendayi Darikwa, but this was every bit as comfortable as the result might suggest for the Premier League champions and another triumph for the squad rotation policy of Antonio Conte.

The Chelsea boss made nine changes from Sunday's goalless draw against Arsenal, and sent on three teenagers from the bench when the game was already won.

Among them was Ethan Ampadu, a midfielder who moved from Exeter in the summer and signed his first professional contract after turning 17, last week.

Ampadu became the ninth youngster Chelsea player and the first player born in this millennium to represent the club. His first contribution was an over-enthusiastic tackle which forced Danny Fox off.

'It is very positive for us,' said Conte. 'I gave the chance to the young players from our academy and the answer was very good. I hope this can improve their confidence.'

Chelsea were in control from the 13th minute when Kenedy scored his first goal for 18 months, tucking away a deep cross by Antonio Rudiger.

'Kenedy played very well,' said Conte, but the manager failed to acknowledge questions about the pre-season episode in China. 'He's working very well, improving. He has to continue. When there is the opportunity he must exploit it.'

Forest flickered briefly after Batshuayi stabbed in the second. Kieran Dowell hit the bar with a free-kick but the visitors from the Championship slipped three behind when Musonda drove a shot low under goalkeeper Stephen Henderson.

Hazard hit a post, early in the second-half, and created the fourth for Batshuayi with a burst clear onto a ball from Cesc Fabregas and a dummy which took the 'keeper out of the game.

Chelsea eased through to the final whistle and Batshauyi seemed slightly embarrassed to complete his treble in bizarre style.

'You can't concede soft goals,' said Forest boss Mark Warburton. 'Against really good players we were too soft at times. We took liberties on the edge of our own box. Against that level of play you will be punished.'


CHELSEA (3-4-3): Caballero 6; Rudiger 6, Christensen 6 (Clarke-Salter 70, 6), Cahill 6; Zappacosta 6 (Sterling 76, 6), Fabregas 7 (Ampadu 56, 6), Bakayoko 6, Kenedy 7; Hazard 7.5, Batshuayi 6.5, Musonda 6.5.

GOALS: Kenedy 13, Batshuayi 19, 53, 86, Musonda 40

BOOKINGS: Fabregas

SUBS: Eduardo, Willian, Moses, Morata.

MANAGER: Antonio Conte 7

FOREST (3-5-2): Henderson 5; Worrall 5, Hobbs 5, Mancienne 5; Lichaj 5, Dowell 5.5 (Clough 74, 5), Bouchalakis 5, Osborn 5.5, Fox 5 (Darikwa 60, 5); Walker 5 (Brereton 65, 5), Cummings 5.

GOALS: Darikwa 90+1

BOOKINGS: Hobbs

SUBS: Smith, McKay, Carayol, Vellios

MANAGER: Mark Warburton 5


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