Chelsea continued their impressive run in the Conference League group stage, dismantling Armenian Premier League side Noah with a resounding 8-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. This dominant performance not only secured their top spot in the group but also etched itself into the history books as the biggest win in the competition’s short history, surpassing Nordsjaelland’s 7-1 triumph over Ludogorets in last season’s group stage.
The Blues, who had already overcome Gent and Panathinaikos in their opening European encounters this season, faced an early scare when Noah’s Goncalo Gregorio almost found the net within the first three minutes. However, Chelsea quickly recovered from this early scare and proceeded to dismantle their opponents with a relentless display of attacking prowess.
The floodgates opened in the 11th minute when Tosin Adeyemi easily headed in Enzo Fernandez’s corner. Just seconds after the restart, Noah’s careless giveaway gifted Marc Guiu the opportunity to double Chelsea’s lead. Axel Disasi, a towering presence in the box, added a third with another well-placed header from a corner. Joao Felix, who had earlier missed an open goal, made amends by calmly slotting the ball over Noah goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich for the fourth goal. Mykhailo Mudryk then showcased his skill with a curling finish for Chelsea’s fifth goal.
An incredible display of offensive power continued throughout the first half, culminating in a sixth goal before the whistle. Felix, receiving the ball from Disasi, cut inside his defender and unleashed a shot that deflected past Chancharevich. The first half concluded with Chelsea holding a staggering 6-0 lead, demonstrating their sheer dominance over the Armenian side.
While the game was already a foregone conclusion, Chelsea didn’t let up their intensity. Christopher Nkunku, after striking the crossbar with a powerful shot, finally found the back of the net in the 69th minute, firing home from a tight angle after his initial effort was saved. The relentless Blues added insult to injury in the 88th minute when Nkunku converted a penalty, following a VAR review that confirmed a foul on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall inside the box. This final goal capped off a truly unforgettable night for Chelsea and their fans at Stamford Bridge.
Noah manager Rui Mota acknowledged Chelsea’s superiority, stating, “We didn’t start as good as we wanted to, then we conceded two very quick goals and, after this, we started losing control, leaving too many spaces. We made many mistakes, which is not normal for our team and when you are playing against such good players that just need one chance to score one goal, we started to concede a lot of goals and completely lost control of the game in the first half. It is not easy to come back in the second half when you are losing 6-0, but the boys had character, they tried to make something out of the game. We had a couple of chances to score and this is the thing I’m most sad about, that with what we created offensively, maybe we could score one or two goals. Congratulations to Chelsea. They were very strong, now we just need to move on.”
The 8-0 victory highlighted Chelsea’s attacking potency and their ability to dominate opponents at will. As they move forward in the Conference League, their confidence will undoubtedly be sky-high, and they will be looking to continue their impressive form in the competition.
