Marc Guiu set for bigger role at Chelsea after opportunistic hat-trick in Shamrock Rovers rout

The Conference League group stage is over, and no one will miss it more than Marc Guiu.

Chelsea began their almost three-month European break with a flawless sixth win in a row, a 5-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers thanks to an opportunistic first-half hat-trick by the young Spanish attacker.

Marc Guiu.

Zac Goodwin/PA Wire

Guiu has ended this round of the campaign on a high note, scoring five goals in a week following his brace in Kazakhstan on Thursday. Throw in one of the eight from FC Noah's previous mauling, and the 18-year-old is now the competition's leading scorer. Not bad for a youngster who couldn't even make a start on Chelsea's 'B' squad when it first debuted.

The inclusion of two other 18-year-olds in Chelsea's starting lineup, freshly promoted academy graduates Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong, emphasised the summer signing's rapid progression.

While that combo has precocious skill but a youthful physique, Guiu, who was signed from Barcelona, already looks like a man, and his disruptive presence contributed to some disastrous visiting defense.

Renato Veiga's nothing pass in behind provided the first goal. The pursuing George had given up, but Darragh Burns and Leon Pohls decided they couldn't, with the former nodding past his astonished goalkeeper and allowing Guiu to happily head home.

The second was similarly awful, but this time Dan Cleary made the mistake and Guiu had a bit more work to do, skipping around Pohls and steering in at a sharp angle. Chelsea's hat-trick goal, at the very least, was all their own creation, with Noni Madueke's cross finishing with a forceful, looping header.

Chelsea's eighth successive victory in all competitions caps up a table-topping season in which they had already secured a spot in the last 16 as direct qualifiers. (No other team ended with a perfect record, but in any event, a goal difference of 21 would have likely decided the tie).

As a result, Maresca's team will not play another European game until early March, and it will be interesting to see how the Italian handles Guiu's growth.

There will undoubtedly be loan interest in January as a result of this strong winter run, but Maresca's preference for the best young players appears to be to keep them close, with Acheampong's temporary departure ruled out as soon as he signed a new long-term deal this week.

Guiu will almost certainly start in the FA Cup third round against Morecambe next month, but he remains behind Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in the Premier League, where he has not appeared since a cameo against Manchester City on the season's opening day.

All indications, however, are that the adolescent has gone a long way since then, and that, physically as well as mentally, he is prepared to play a role if necessary.