IT’S BLUE MURDER
Poch’s men break down Preston
FOR THE BEST part of an hour, Preston performed in a manner that suggested Stamford Bridge could be the scene of some FA Cup third-round magic.
Then Chelsea flexed their muscles and quickly killed off that prospect with three goals in 11 tieending minutes, before adding a late fourth.
Chelsea struggled to break down Ryan Lowe’s Championship side. Preston were impressive, Chelsea the opposite.
But the four-goal margin by the end made it an ultimately comfortable win for Chelsea and an ideal start to an important few days in the cup competitions which represent their best chance of success this season and route into Europe, which the club’s hierarchy are expecting.
Here, it was a place in the fourth round up for grabs. On Tuesday it is the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals against another secondtier side, Middlesbrough, and an opportunity to take a giant step towards Wembley.
Eventually, it was one down for Chelsea and Pochettino. The first goal was headed in by Armando Broja, an important deadlockbreaking goal for him as well as his club.
The burden for scoring goals, and to prove to Chelsea’s owners they do not need to invest in a new striker, will be on his shoulders for the foreseeable future with Nicolas Jackson away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. This was a good start.
Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling then put the result beyond doubt before Enzo Fernandez made it 4-0 late on.
This was a big occasion for academy defender Alfie Gilchrist who was handed his first start by Pochettino. Gilchrist’s tenacious style in his two previous cameos off the bench had quickly endeared him to Chelsea supporters. A Cruyff turn to get out of a tight spot and set Chelsea on the attack was another moment to lift he crowd.
Gilchrist traded passes with Raheem Sterling before the England winger saw his shot loop up into the air for Freddie Woodman to grab.
Preston were more than holding their own, even if Chelsea, unsurprisingly, dominated possession.
Will Keane fired in an attempt that was saved by Djordje Petrovic before Sterling extended Woodman again. Fernandez’s inch-perfect chipped pass over Preston’s defence was met by an equally exquisite first touch from Cole Palmer, but he chipped just wide.
Milutin Osmajic then burst through for Preston and forced Petrovic into another save.
Fernandez headed straight at Woodman and Broja had a shot blocked before Preston had the sort of period that encourages visiting, lower league sides in a cup tie.
Possession was being sustained in Chelsea’s half, free-kicks and 50-50 tackles won, and confidence was growing. Pochettino’s face as he stormed down the tunnel before the half-time whistle said it all. The Chelsea manager admitted as much later: ‘The first half I was a little disappointed. We started so sloppy. I told the players at half-time we needed to increase the energy and match that of Preston.’
Initially there was only more frustration after the restart, but just before the hour relief broke out around Stamford Bridge when Broja timed his run to meet Malo Gusto’s cross to perfection and headed it beyond Woodman.
The second goal followed when Palmer’s corner was met by sub Thiago Silva and Woodman could only help his near-post header into the net. Sterling made it three with a brilliant free-kick. Noni Madueke, Gusto and Conor Gallagher tried, too, before Fernandez tapped in a VAR-approved fourth.
‘The second half was a completely different game,’ Pochettino said. ‘We dominated, created chances and deserved victory. After we increased our level we started to play and deserved to win.’