Michy Batshuayi hat-trick helps to dispatch Forest as Chelsea ease through

Charly Musonda Jr had waited five years for his opportunity and even on his compatriot Eden Hazard’s long-awaited return to the starting lineup, he was not to be upstaged. The baby-faced forward spent last season on loan at Real Betis but has been forced to wait patiently for his Chelsea debut ever since arriving at the club as a 15-year-old in 2012. A brilliant performance capped by the second goal as Michy Batshuayi also scored a hat-trick in this thrashing of a below-strength visiting side ensured it was worth the wait.
On the 13th anniversary of Brian Clough’s death, the Chelsea pitch announcer had paid tribute to the man who led Forest to two successive European Cups before the match. But this powder-puff display in a competition Clough won four times was a reminder of how far they have fallen, having failed to reach the fourth round since the year Old Big ‘Ead passed away.
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