- Chelsea achieved a comfortable victory against Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup
- Both Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Félix scored doubles for the Blues on Saturday.
- Hear It's all starting! Why Manchester United might have to sell Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho
Chelsea had to wait for the floodgates to open as League Two Morecambe put up stubborn resistance before going down 5-0 in the FA Cup third round at Stamford Bridge.
There were moments in the first half when the 87 places separating these sides of the pyramid could easily be forgotten, the team currently 23rd in League Two leaving Enzo Maresca's Champions League chasers unsure how they would advance to the fourth round.
The fact that two of the five goals were scored from outside the penalty area by substitute defender Tosin Adarabioyo gave some insight into the lack of inspiration Chelsea had for much of this match, although the 27-year-old deserved credit for show initiative to break the score. stalemate at the end of the first half as the crowd got nervous.
The natural order soon took over. Christopher Nkunku scored to make it 2-0 after missing a penalty, and Joao Félix also scored twice in an unusual start, but Morecambe left knowing they had made Chelsea sweat.
They did not give Maresca's team the first half they expected. From the moment Filip Jorgensen missed a shot from visiting Ben Tollitt after five minutes, an unease settled over Chelsea, suggesting their four-game winless run would require some breaking out of their system.
They did not lack early opportunities. After Tosin headed the post off a corner kick, a ridiculous handball from defender Yann Songo'o, who wouldn't have looked out of place on the volleyball court, gave Nkunku the chance to open the scoring from the spot. penalty.
Chelsea turned on the style in the second half to defeat the League Two side at Morecambe on Saturday.
Joao Félix scored two goals in two minutes and the blues opened the floodgates
The victory at Stamford Bridge allows Enzo Maresca's team to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup
The Blues missed an early chance to take the lead when Christopher Nkunku's penalty was saved by Harry Burgoyne.
The visitors resisted tenaciously for much of the first 45 minutes.
Tosin Adarabioyo finally opened the scoring before scoring the second goal after the break.
Nkunku later atoned for his missed penalty by doubling Chelsea's lead shortly after the restart.
Joao Félix scored twice in as many minutes to complete the rout in the final minutes.
Goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne, taking advantage of the absence of VAR and moving a clear foot away from his goal line, cleared his captain with a save that will live in the memories of the Morecambe fans gathered behind his goal.
Felix made an excellent fingertip save from the buoyant Burgoyne when he drilled low into the corner from 25 yards, but Chelsea looked short of ideas. When Axel Disasi missed a pass offside in the 30th minute, the first murmurs of frustration were heard among the home fans.
The tension finally rose when Callum Jones deflected Tosin's shot inside the post to send Chelsea into the break with some sense that the mission was under control.
From then on they did things their own way. Nkunku scored the rebound after Burgoyne saved Renato Veiga's shot, doubling the lead five minutes after the break.
Tosin surprised Stamford Bridge and apparently himself as well by coming in from outside the box for the second time in the match, this time from further away and requiring nothing more than a deflection as he looped over Burgoyne.
Perhaps inevitably, every touch from the defender thereafter was met with howls of “shoot” from the home fans, even at one point when he was in the middle of his own half.
The fourth goal came from a more likely source: Felix did what fans have seen very little of since his return to west London and slotted the ball low into the corner from 25 yards.
The Portuguese international was already in a good mood and he showed it by scoring the best goal of the group to make it 5-0.