Chelsea 4-0 Preston North End: 5 Hits and Flops as Blues advance on strong second half | FA Cup Third Round 2023-24
Chelsea overcame a mediocre first-half performance to beat Championship side Preston North End in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, January 6.
This was the first game for the Blues without Nicolas Jackson, who has left to represent Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations. Manager Mauricio Pochettino handed a full debut to defender Alfie Gilchrist, while Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke dropped to the bench.
It was a poor first period from Chelsea, who struggled to create attacking threats. They enjoyed 65 percent possession but barely troubled the Preston goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the visitors themselves were content to defend deep, launching a few speculative forward forays.
It was a much-improved second half from Pochettino's side as they seemed to click together much better. Armando Broja opened the scoring in the 58th minute, connecting onto a Malo Gusto cross with his head.
The floodgates opened then, as substitute Thiago Silva doubled Chelsea's advantage just eight minutes later, scoring a header from a corner.
Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 in the 69th minute, finding the back of the net with a splendid free-kick after Cole Palmer won the ball in the final third and got fouled.
Enzo Fernandez added a late fourth. This was after a good exchange between Noni Madueke and Moises Caicedo saw the ball fall to him and he simply tapped it home in the 85th minute.
Chelsea made it a run of 13 straight wins in the FA Cup against teams from the lower tiers, advancing to the fourth round. Here are five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Enzo Fernandez
The Argentine midfielder had a strong outing in the middle of the park for Chelsea. He looked to open the Preston defense over the top in the first half.
While it eventually proved unsuccessful, he was heavily involved in the attack and scored a late goal. He finished the game with 104 touches, 12 passes into the final third, three chances created, and seven accurate long balls.
#4. Flop - Preston defence
A nervy second half saw the away side undo all of their good work from the first 45 minutes. After Broja opened the scoring, the backline was all over the place, allowing the hosts' attackers to create chance after chance.
Preston have kept just one clean sheet in their last 20 games, a key reason behind their fall in the Championship after a good start where they went unbeaten in their first eight.
#3. Hit - Cole Palmer
Palmer continued his rich vein of form this season. He bagged an assist for the second goal, swinging in the corner that Silva headed home. He also stepped well and baited a foul from the defender that led to Sterling's dead-ball goal.
#2. Flop - Mykhailo Mudryk
The winger did not have much of an impact on the game. Deployed on the left of a front three, he struggled to find space for himself throughout the match. Mudryk was eventually subbed off for Noni Madueke, who looked much more lively.
In his 61 minutes of action, Mudryk did not manage a single shot, while creating just one chance and completing just one dribble.
#1. Hit - Raheem Sterling
Sterling put in a great performance to lead Chelsea to the win over Preston. Once he was shifted to his more familiar left-wing position following Mudryk's substitution, he proved to be a regular threat to the visitors' defense. He scored with a free-kick and also bagged an assist for Fernandez's goal.