Hat trick for Havertz as Chelsea strolls in League Cup

Posted September 23, 2020 7:00 am

By STEVE DOUGLAS

Chelsea's Kai Havertz, right, celebrates with his teammate Tammy Abraham, after scoring his team's second goal during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Chelsea and Barnsley at Stamford Bridge in London, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Neil Hall) The Associated Press

Three goals for Kai Havertz. A debut for Thiago Silva.

Things are slowly falling into place for Chelsea after its offseason spending spree.

After two underwhelming appearances in the Premier League, Havertz - signed for $92 million from German club Bayer Leverkusen - announced himself in English soccer by scoring a first career hat trick in Chelsea's 6-0 win over second-tier Barnsley in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old Germany international played in his favored position behind the striker after being tried in various roles in the forward line so far against Brighton and Liverpool by manager Frank Lampard. He looked more at home as a 'œNo. 10'ť and his finishing was assured, albeit against modest opposition.

'œIt was a great night for Kai," Lampard said, "and the first of many for him."

Thiago Silva, meanwhile, lasted 61 minutes before being withdrawn by Lampard as the Brazil center back looks to build up match sharpness before a league debut, which could come at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Chelsea has spent more than $250 million on new players ahead of this season, with Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell also joining for big fees. Chilwell came on as a 66th-minute substitute against Barnsley for his debut, replacing Havertz, and set up the sixth goal scored by Olivier Giroud.

Chelsea will next play Tottenham or fourth-tier Leyton Orient, whose third-round fixture on Tuesday was postponed after some Orient players contracted the coronavirus.

___

NKETIAH THE POACHER

Eddie Nketiah is fast becoming the ultimate poacher for Arsenal.

The England under-21 striker bundled in a 90th-minute goal from close range to seal a 2-0 win at Leicester in the only all-Premier League matchup of the night. Both teams rested their key players.

The average distance from goal for Nketiah's six strikes for Arsenal across this season and last has been measured at less than 5 yards (meters), according to the Premier League's official stats supplier Opta. He is battling with Alexandre Lacazette for the central-striker berth this season, with the Frenchman currently starting in the league.

Christian Fuchs' own goal in the 57th had gifted the lead for Arsenal, which will play either Liverpool or Lincoln in the next round.

BIG WINS

Brazilians got their share of goals in big wins for Newcastle and Everton.

Oft-criticized striker Joelinton scored twice in Newcastle's 7-0 win at fourth-tier Morecambe, which had a man sent off in the 33rd minute - by which time the hosts were trailing 4-0.

Richarlison was the star player for Everton, also scoring twice in a 5-2 win at Fleetwood. Fellow Brazilian Bernard also netted, while the other goals came from Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean as Everton won a fourth straight game in all competitions to open the season.

There were no big upsets on the night, with Premier League teams Brighton, Burnley and Fulham all winning 2-0 against lower-league opposition in Preston, Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday, respectively.

Brighton set up a fourth-round match next week against Manchester United, which was among the teams to advance on Tuesday.

United also visits Brighton in the league this weekend.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

Chelsea's Kai Havertz, left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his teams fifth goal, during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Chelsea and Barnsley at Stamford Bridge in London, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Neil Hall) The Associated Press

Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe runs with the ball during the English League Cup 3rd round soccer match between Leicester City and Arsenal at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (Tim Keeton/Pool via AP) The Associated Press

Everton's Richarlison, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Fleetwood Town and Everton at the Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood, England, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (Alex Livesey/Pool via AP) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.