Chelsea booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday with a 4-0 defeat of Championship side Preston North End at Stamford Bridge.
Forward Armando Broja opened the scoring in the 58th minute with a superb header after he rose highest in the Preston box to divert Malo Gusto’s cross in off the post before Thiago Silva doubled Chelsea’s lead eight minutes later when he nodded in Cole Palmer‘s corner.
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Raheem Sterling put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute with a free kick that arced over the Preston wall and past goalkeeper Freddie Woodman. Enzo Fernández‘s close range finish late on added further gloss to Chelsea’s win.
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The home side didn’t have things all their own way in the first half as a lacklustre Chelsea performance presented Will Keane and Milutin Osmajic with opportunities to give the 6,000 travelling fans hope of a famous win.
However, Broja’s opener seemed to instantly dispel any belief that Preston had in their ability to get a result as Chelsea dominated the remaining minutes, eventually adding a fourth when Fernández’s goal was eventually awarded after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team will find out the identity of their opponents in the next stage of the competition when the fourth round draw is held on Jan 8.