Chelsea 4-0 Preston North End
Cole Palmer, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling & Enzo Fernandez score as the Blues Advance in the FA Cup
A commanding second half display was all Chelsea required to book a spot in the fourth round of the 2023/2024 FA Cup, seeing off lower-league opposition Preston North End 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in their third-round tie on Saturday.
The closest Chelsea got to finding the breakthrough in the first period came in the 22nd minute, when Enzo Fernandez looped a ball through to teammate Cole Palmer, whose dink over the Preston North End goalkeeper went agonizingly wide.
The second half produced a totally different outcome as the Blues scored thrice in the space of ten minutes.
First, it was Armando Broja who headed home a delightful cross from Malo Gusto to give Chelsea the lead in the 58th minute. Then, defender Thiago Silva powered home another header off a corner-kick from Cole Palmer to double the lead.
The result was sealed in the 69th minute when a Raheem Sterling free-kick beat the wall and the goalkeeper to extend the lead of the hosts.
There was still time for a fourth as club-record acquisition Enzo Fernandez put the icing on the cake to send the Blues marching into Round Four, and puts them in fine stead ahead of their EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) fixture next week.
There was a high point for the Blues late on, as 17 year-old teen Michael Golding made his debut for the club.FULL-TIME AT STAMFORD BRIDGE: Chelsea 4-0 Preston North End
GOOOAAALLL!!! Chelsea 4-0 Preston North End (E. Fernandez)
The magic of the FA Cup will be brought to play at Stamford Bridge this evening as the visitors eye what could be a huge upset, while the Blues will be hoping to begin their campaign on a bright note, in what might be their only chance of silverware in an otherwise torrid season.