Chelsea secured a dominant 5-0 victory over League Two side Morecambe on Saturday, advancing to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
A double from Tosin Adarabioyo, another from João Félix, and a goal from Christopher Nkunku saw the Blues cruise past their lower-league opponents at Stamford Bridge.
From the outset, Chelsea were in complete control, though Nkunku did miss a penalty in the 17th minute, which could have extended their lead further.
Head coach Enzo Maresca made several changes to his squad, with Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, and Nicolas Jackson all starting on the bench.
However, Maresca did include 18-year-old Tyrique George in his starting lineup, while Reece James and Romeo Lavia made their returns to the starting XI after recovering from injuries.
Chelsea nearly took the lead in the 14th minute when Adarabioyo headed a Pedro Neto cross onto the crossbar.
Just minutes later, Nkunku had a chance to score from the penalty spot after a handball by Morecambe’s Yann Songo’o, but Harry Burgoyne saved the attempt.
However, Morecambe’s reprieve was short-lived as Adarabioyo, formerly of Fulham, saw his shot from the edge of the box deflect into the bottom corner, giving Chelsea the lead.
At the start of the second half, Maresca made a change, bringing Marc Cucurella on for Lavia, and Chelsea quickly added to their tally.
Nkunku redeemed himself for his earlier penalty miss, scoring with a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.
Adarabioyo then struck again, rifling a shot into the top right corner after being set up by George.
This second goal broke Morecambe’s resistance, and Chelsea added two more in quick succession.
João Félix finished a rapid counter-attack with a composed shot into the bottom corner, before adding a second goal with a curling effort that eluded Burgoyne.
Chelsea will discover their fourth-round opponents when the draw takes place on Sunday at 5 p.m. GMT (12 p.m. ET).
