Marc Guiu scored a first-half hat-trick as Chelsea finished top of the Conference League table with a flawless record after a 5-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers.
Enzo Maresca’s young second-string side breezed through the league phase and into the last 16, winning all six of their matches by scoring 26 goals and conceding five as Guiu increased the hype around him being one of the club’s future stars.
The 18-year-old striker, signed from Barcelona in the summer, capitalised on two errors on either side of the visitors’ memorable equaliser. Guiu applied the finishing touch on the opener after Darragh Burns misplaced his backward header before Rovers stunned Stamford Bridge when Markus Poom fired home at a corner.
Markus Poom stunned Chelsea with a first-half equaliser for Rovers
The visitors undid themselves again when Guiu intercepted Daniel Cleary’s back pass and slotted home with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall quickly adding a third with a cool finish from inside the box.
Guiu, though, made sure he was the star of an entertaining first period, rising to glance home Noni Madueke’s right-wing cross for his hat-trick.
Marc Cucurella added a fifth just before the hour mark with a low strike at the end of a lovely move, but Shamrock managed to limit the damage in the second half although dropped out of the automatic places and had to settle for a play-off spot.
‘I have never seen anyone press like Guiu’
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall hailed youngster Guiu after his hat-trick moved him top of the Conference League scoring charts.
“I like Marc, he’s an honest lad,” said Dewsbury-Hall. “He has just come from Spain and I have never seen anyone press like him.
“He never slows down, he is only 18 and I am happy he got his hat-trick.”
Conference League key dates
Knockout phase play-off draw: December 20
Knockout phase play-offs: February 13 & 20
Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final draws: February 21
Round of 16: March 6 & 13
Quarter-finals: April 10 & 17
Semi-finals: May 1 & 8
Final: May 28 (Wroclaw)
