EFL Cup: Kai Havertz scores hat-trick as Chelsea thrashes Barnsley

Chelsea defeated Barnsley 6-0 in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday. Kai Havertz scored a hat-trick. Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard is delighted by the way his boys played. He even said that Havertz enjoyed "first of many great nights" for him in the Blue outfit.

The 21-year-old German international arrived at Stamford Bridge earlier this month from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee worth £71 million.

Tammy Abraham was the first player to score in the 19th minute, but Abraham didn't stop there. He played instrumental roles in all the goals that Havertz scored. The newcomer scored in the 28th, 55th, and 65th minutes.

Besides Abraham and Havertz, Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud also contributed one goal each to ensure the hosts' fourth-round qualification. Havertz happened to be among the only three players who were included in the team following the Blues' 0-2 defeat against Liverpool over the weekend.

Thiago Silva was also brought in by Lampard. The Brazilian played comfortably, but eventually, all the limelight ended up on Havertz.

After the game, according to BBC, Lampard said, "I'm delighted with Kai. Tonight was a great exercise for him to see how we want to work off the ball, for him to be a part of that. He made a great recovery tackle for Ross' goal, and then to also just have some freedom on the ball and roam in more central areas. I thought it was a great combination with Tammy and I was pleased with the way he grew into the game in terms of confidence. It was a great night for Kai, and the first of many for him."

Havertz's hat-trick on Wednesday was the first of his senior club career. As it stands, he has now been involved in 26 goals across all competitions this year. So far in 2020, he scored 18 goals and made eight assists. Only Robert Lewandowski (35), Lionel Messi (32), and Cristiano Ronaldo (31) are involved in more goals than Havertz across the top five European football leagues.

The Blues will now face either Tottenham Hotspur or Leyton Orient in the fourth round. Earlier on Tuesday, Tottenham's match against Leyton Orient was called off as several players of the League Two side's squad tested positive for novel coronavirus.