Frank Lampard secured his first-ever win at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea manager when the Blues thrashed Grimsby Town 7-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Goals from Ross Barkley, a brace from Michy Batshuayi, Pedro, Kurt Zouma, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi ensured that Chelsea has a comfortable passage into the fourth round of the competition.
Lampard once again proved his trust in youngsters and handed debuts to four academy graduates as well as the first start for Billy Gilmour.
The 18-year-old Scotsman was arguably the stand-out performer in midfield and fellow rookies James and Marc Guehi also impressed. Another big moment was the welcome return for England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi as he made his first appearance for the club since picking up an Achilles injury in April.
With just four minutes after the star, Barkley collected Pedro’s pass 25 yards out and powered past Grimsby midfielder Harry Clifton in the area before firing his shot in the near post to give the hosts a dream start.
Only three minutes later Batshuayi spun in the area before lashing the ball home to double Chelsea’s lead. To the visitor’s credit, Grimsby more than held their own for the remainder of the first half and even got a goal back to instill a comeback until the 43rd minute when Green tugged Zouma to the ground at a corner to concede a penalty.
Barkley had previously insisted that he would take Chelsea’s next spot-kick despite his miss against Valencia in the Champions League, but evidently not. There were no arguments this time on the field as Pedro confidently stepped up to roll the ball into the net. French defender Zouma was at it again as he tapped in the fourth from a fine cross from James 11 minutes after the break.
With the win all but done and dusted, Lampard had the opportunity to throw in two more debutants, Tino Anjorin, and Ian Maatsen, as the west London side finished the night with six academy starlets on the pitch.
James curled in a fine debut goal and even Hudson-Odoi got on the scoresheet after Batshuayi’s second to offer yet more hope of a bright future at the club.
