Chelsea needed just 45 minutes to beat Championship side, Preston, 4-0 in an FA Cup third round clash.
In the first half of the FA Cup third-round game at Stamford Bridge, the Championship side was able to hold Chelsea to a goalless draw despite the hosts dominating the match.
Chelsea who were without Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson who is currently with Senegal national team preparing for the 2023 AFCON, scored four goals in the last 32 minutes of the encounter.
Armando Broja scored the opener in the 58th minute, and Thiago Silva who is a second-half substitute made it 2-0 in the 66th minute.
In the other FA Cup third-round game involving a Premier League club played simultaneously with Chelsea vs Preston, Aston Villa waited until the 87th minute to grab the winning goal over Middlesbrough, courtesy of Matty Cash’s strike.
Below are the results of all the FA Cup third-round games played so far and the teams qualified for 4th round:
Crystal Palace Vs. Everton
0-0 (the two teams have to go through a replay to qualify).
Friday, January 5
Brentford Vs Wolves
1-1 (the two teams have to go through a replay to qualify).
Fulham Vs Rotherham
1-0 (Fulham qualified)
Tottenham Vs Burnley
1-0 (Tottenham qualified)
Maidstone United Vs Stevenage
1-0 (Maidstone qualified)
Coventry Vs Oxford Utd
6-2 (Coventry qualified)
2-3 (Leicester City qualified)
AFC Wimbledon Vs Ipswich Town
1-3 (Ipswich qualified)
Sunderland Vs Newcastle
0-3 (Newcastle qualified)
2-1 (Watford qualified)
Stoke City Vs Brighton
2-4 (Brighton qualified)
Gillingham Vs Sheffield United
0-4 (Sheffield United qualified)
5-2 (Blackburn qualified)
Newport County Vs Eastleigh
1-1 (to undergo replay)
Norwich City Vs Bristol Rovers
1-1 (to undergo replay)
2-3 (Bournemouth qualified)
Plymouth Argyle Vs Sutton United
3-1 (Plymouth qualified)
Southampton Vs Walsall
4-0 (Southampton qualified)
1-1 (to undergo replay)
Sheffield Wednesday Vs Cardiff City
4-0 (Sheffield qualified)
Chelsea Vs Preston
4-0 (Chelsea qualified)
2-0 (Sweasea qualified)
Middlesbrough Vs Aston Villa
0-1 (Villa qualified)