Nkunku nets hat trick in Chelsea Carabao Cup rout

Christopher Nkunku scored his first hat trick for Chelsea to help his side ease into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a a 5-0 thrashing of League Two’s Barrow at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Nkunku scored the opening two goals by the 15th minute and rounded off the scoring in the 75th. In between was an own-goal by Barrow’s Paul Farman and a tap-in by Pedro Neto for his first Chelsea goal.

Chelsea also rotated their lineup, with manager Enzo Maresca making 11 changes from the team that started the 3-0 win at West Ham on Saturday.

The last 32 of the competition is being spread over two midweeks to accommodate the expanded Champions League and Europa League. Manchester United and Tottenham were among those to advance last week, while Liverpool and Arsenal play their games on Wednesday.

The fourth round draw will follow Wednesday’s matchups.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.