. Goncalo Gregorio squandered the golden opening, lashing the ball directly at Filip Jorgensen.
Perhaps it would have finished 8-1, but the Chelsea goalkeeper was not a passive spectator despite the one-sided scoreline. Noah rattled off 15 shots, seven of which were on target – registering more efforts on goal than Manchester United, Liverpool or Manchester City managed against the Blues this season.
Jorgensen stood firm and was not alone in shining on a night which saw Chelsea record the largest win in the Conference League’s short history.
The relief washing over Marc Guiu was palpable. There was no sense of restrained celebration for the 18-year-old given the level of opposition he was up against after stuffing in Chelsea’s second goal of the night.
Guiu’s jubilation was understandable. The Barcelona academy graduate has been firmly locked in Chelsea’s second team setup since his summer arrival and marked his debut in this European competition with a calamitous open-goal miss. Guiu never stopped hassling and harrying on Thursday, winning the ball to slot in his maiden goal for the club before chasing back to spark the move which led to Joao Felix’s first strike of the night.
Ahead of Noah’s visit on Thursday night, Enzo Maresca revealed the sense of “shame” that envelops him each time he leaves Joao Felix out of Chelsea’s starting lineup for a Premier League fixture.
The £42m summer arrival has amassed a grand total of 122 top-flight minutes and is yet to start a league game this season. Felix did nothing to harm his case for more game time in midweek, scoring Chelsea’s fourth and sixth goals on a night where he perhaps should have left with the match ball given the number of opportunities his craft …
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