Chelsea 5 Shamrock Rovers 1: Marc Guiu bags first-half hat-trick as Blues make light work of Irish
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CHELSEA were pelted with toilet paper but are on a roll with their best run for eight years. Play was halted for a few minutes in the first half when Christopher Nkunku came under attack from a hail of Kleenex three-ply launched from the away end as he tried to take a corner.
![[Chelsea ace Marc Guiu scored a hat-trick against Shamrock Rovers]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/marc-guiu-chelsea-goal-celebration-958589329_7df816.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But the diversion tactics backfired as boss Enzo Maresca rounded off the first phase of the Conference League with his 100 percent record intact and an eighth successive win in all competitions. That hasn’t been seen since 2016 and is a sign of the marked upturn under the Italian this season.
![[Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added to Chelsea's Conference League triumph]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kiernan-dewsbury-hall-chelsea-goal-958589372.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Striker Marc Guiu clinched a hat-trick by half time to add to two he scored against Kazakhstanis Astana last week. The Spaniard put his team in front on 22 minutes when Rovers full back Darragh Burns and keeper Leon Pohls got in a muddle with a cushioned back header.
Premier League Chelsea were pegged back briefly when Markus Poom - son of former Derby keeper Mart - scored with a heavily deflected shot four minutes later to level. The wild scenes among the Irish contingent in the Shed End were quickly quelled though as Chelsea regained their lead from another cock up in defence when Dan Clearly underhit a back pass and Guiu nipped in to round the keeper and score.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made it 3-1 five minutes before the break and Guiu wrapped up a memorable first half for himself by heading home a cross from Noni Madueke. Maresca included teenage centre back Josh Acheampong in the starting line up just a few days after the 18-year-old signed a new five year contract.
