Chelsea break record with 8 goals to sink Noah​

Chelsea set a UEFA Conference League record with an emphatic 8-0 win over Armenian side FC Noah at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

João Félix and Christopher Nkunku each scored twice for the Premier League club, who were six goals to the good by half-time. Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and Mykhailo Mudryk scored the other goals as Chelsea recorded the biggest win in the competition’s history.

The previous largest margin of victory in the Conference League, which began in 2021, was six goals.

The result also equals the second-biggest win in Chelsea’s history. The club’s largest victory remains a 13-0 triumph over Luxembourgian side Jeunesse Hautcharage in 1971.

Chelsea sit top of the Conference League standings during the league phase with a maximum nine points from three games.

“The players once again showed how professional and serious they are,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca told reporters.

“It’s easy to sleep or fall down in this type of game. Football is full of surprises. What I asked them before the game was to show how serious we are, how professional, and they showed that.”

The home crowd had to wait only until the 12th minute for the opening goal, when Adarabioyo headed in a corner kick before the second came a minute later with Guiu intercepting a poor defensive pass before slotting home.

Another headed goal from a corner came through Disasi after 18 minutes, and in the 21st Félix gathered a pass from Enzo Fernández and slipped his shot under the keeper.

Mudryk curled a beautiful shot into the top corner six minutes before the break to make it five, and Félix netted his second two minutes later.

After six goals in the opening half, Chelsea took their foot off the gas, but Frenchman Nkunku did manage a brace, knocking in a rebound after his initial shot was saved in the 69th minute and then converting a penalty seven minutes later.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.