Chelsea ensured they weren’t the victim of an FA Cup upset by producing a professional performance on Saturday afternoon to beat League Two side Morecambe.
The Blues safely navigated the third round of the FA Cup by winning 5-0 at home to Morecambe.
Despite the fact that Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made 10 changes to his starting line-up yesterday, it was still an extremely strong team on the weekend with plenty of experience.
- READ MORE: Enzo Maresca explains why Noni Madueke wasn’t in the Chelsea squad to face Morecambe in the FA Cup
Biggest Chelsea winners vs Morecambe
We’ve picked out the four biggest winners from Chelsea’s 5-0 triumph over Morecambe.
Tyrique George: The youngest player involved in the Chelsea FA Cup success was 18-year-old Tyrique George, who started and played the full game.
George, who operated from the left wing, put in one of his most eye-catching performances of the season so far. It was certainly the type of display that justified his recent promotion into the first-team dressing room.
The teenage winger recorded two second-half assists, along with tormenting the opposition defence all match with his skilful dribbling and directness.
Chelsea youngster George dominated in the statistics against Morecambe as he recorded the most key passes. His performance is a reminder of the depth in the Blues squad right now, and he’s surely done himself no harm when it comes to getting more minutes in the coming weeks.
Joao Felix: Even though he’s struggling for starts in the Premier League, Joao Felix rarely disappoints in Chelsea colours when it comes to the cup competitions this season.
It’s now seven goals across all competitions this campaign for the 25-year-old attacker after he scored twice in the Morecambe demolition. He actually netted two fabulous second-half strikes within three minutes of each other.
The Portuguese star is certainly a big winner from the weekend because he’s furthered his case for minutes in the league. It comes at a time when the goals have dried up slightly for some of his teammates, too.
Chelsea supporters raved about Felix against Morecambe, especially for his work rate without the ball.
Josh Acheampong: Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong didn’t actually feature against Morecambe because he was an unused substitute, but he should be happier than most with how the weekend’s played out.
The fact that the 18-year-old defender didn’t get any minutes in the FA Cup hugely suggests that he’s been rested for the Premier League. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see what the starting line-up is when the Blues host Bournemouth on Tuesday night in the league.
Acheampong started Chelsea’s previous league match in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, so it’s clear that he’s doing a lot of things right.
It’s fair to point out that Blues centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo impressed against Morecambe by scoring twice, but will that be enough to get him back into the Premier League XI?
Chelsea rates Acheampong as a ‘world-class prospect’, and we’re guessing the manager feels similarly because it looks like he’s gone up in his pecking order.
Enzo Maresca: Chelsea went into the weekend on a four-game run without a victory, so Enzo Maresca is a huge winner after seeing his side get back to winning ways in impressive fashion.
Yes, the Blues were overwhelming favourites and had a kind cup draw. However, it was a much-needed day at the office for the Italian head coach for so many reasons.
In particular, Maresca welcomed back key stars Romeo Lavia and Reece James by giving them 45 minutes of football each against Morecambe.
It feels like the team’s hit the reset button after a mini blip as they try to put together another successful run of results. On top of seeing some fringe players impress on Saturday, Maresca also rested key figures such as Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo ahead of Tuesday.
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