A burst of goals in the second half saw the Blues shake off a bad start and overpower the Championship team to reach the fourth round.
Three goals in just 11 minutes got Chelsea up and running and into the fourth round of the FA Cup as they beat Preston 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Armando Broja, Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling struck as the Blues recovered from an underwhelming start to blow the visitors out of the water, and the cup, before Enzo Fernandez rounded things off late on.
Mauricio Pochettino's team had struggled to get going against a Championship side that defended well in a deep block, keeping Broja quiet for most of the game and limiting the danger posed by Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk.
The visitors could not keep it up, however, and Mudryk helped kick things off by winning the ball high up and sending it to Malo Gusto, who whipped in a great cross for Broja to head in the first goal after 58 minutes. Their lead was doubled soon after when Thiago Silva had a free header from a corner just five minutes after he came on before Sterling added a third with an excellent free-kick. Fernandez would complete the scoring with a fourth after a lengthy VAR check to cap off a comfortable evening's work for the hosts.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Dorde Petrovic (6/10):
Not under immense pressure but pulled off two comfortable saves.
Alfie Gilchrist (7/10):
Looked really good in one-on-ones on what was his first Chelsea start, with the homegrown talent totally deserving of the big cheers as he went off on the hour mark.
Axel Disasi (5/10):
Looked a bit vulnerable throughout. Bizarre decision to leave him on and take off Gilchrist.
Levi Colwill (6/10):
Swept up well at centre-back but looked more comfortable when moved to the left for the last 30 minutes.
Malo Gusto (7/10):
Pushed high up the pitch in an unfamiliar left-back role and put in a great cross to set up Broja's opener.
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Moises Caicedo (5/10):
Not at his best on the ball but his passes were rather tidy at least.
Enzo Fernandez (7/10):
A couple of lovely passes and had a good headed opportunity saved in the first half before he got his goal.
Cole Palmer (7/10):
Had a great chance midway through the first half but chipped wide. Whipped in an excellent cross for Thiago Silva's goal.
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Raheem Sterling (8/10):
Came up against a tough defence but did well to create danger throughout and arrowed in a terrific free-kick to cap a solid performance. Chelsea's best player on the night.
Armando Broja (7/10):
Had been terribly quiet until he got into space, rose and directed a fantastic header into the net to break the deadlock. Had another good chance shortly afterwards but glanced onto the bar.
Mykhailo Mudryk (6/10):
Rather quiet for the first 50 minutes but he did well to win the ball and kickstart the move for the opening goal and then almost set up another.
GettySubs & Manager
Thiago Silva (7/10):
A great run in the box to meet the corner and score just five minutes after coming on.
Noni Madueke (6/10):
Had a good chance shortly after coming off the bench and had a late effort blocked.
Deivid Washington (5/10):
On for the final 15 minutes and saw a header go wide.
Conor Gallagher (5/10):
Had a decent display after coming on for Palmer late on.
Michael Golding (N/A):
Made his senior debut as a late substitute.
Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):
The set-up of the starting XI posed some questions, especially as his team were unable to break through Preston often enough until Broja got his goal. The changes the Argentine made afterwards helped consolidate their dominance.