Chelsea came away with a 5-1 win over Shamrock Rovers at Stamford Bridge in the UECL group phase to seal top spot, making it six wins from six.
The visitors had a golden chance early on, but Johnny Kenny’s miscue kept the game level. Chelsea capitalized midway through the half when Darragh Burns’ defensive miscommunication gifted Marc Guiu an easy header into an empty net. Shamrock responded through Markus Poom’s deflected volley, yet another defensive blunder saw Daniel Cleary’s underhit pass allow Guiu to round the goalkeeper and restore Chelsea’s lead.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall extended the advantage with a clinical finish, and Guiu completed his hat-trick before halftime, heading in Noni Madueke’s cross. With the game effectively settled, Chelsea rotated in the second half but continued to dominate. Marc Cucurella added a stunning fifth, firing in off the post from the edge of the box. Substitute João Félix came close to adding more, but his missed opportunities mattered little as Chelsea comfortably saw out the game
That emphatic victory capped an incredible run for Chelsea, now unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, while Shamrock Rovers, although beaten, also go through to the playoff round, with their fate to be decided on Friday.
