Enzo Maresca praised his players’ “professional” performance as Chelsea comfortably beat League Two side Morecambe 5-0 in the FA Cup third round.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix both scored braces, while Christopher Nkunku, who saw a penalty saved in the first half, also scored to ensure there would be no cup upsets at Stamford Bridge.
Eighty-seven places separate the two teams in the English football pyramid and, in the end, the gap in quality was evident as Maresca’s side progressed convincingly towards the fourth round.
Advancing towards the fourth round of #EmiratesFACup! 🏆#CFC pic.twitter.com/Eqw9mWrJdd
– Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 11, 2025
Speaking after the match, Maresca said: “It was a good afternoon in terms of winning, that’s important. Moreover, the performance in this kind of game shows how serious and professional we are.
“The FA Cup is an important competition. Since our beginnings, we have tried to treat each competition the same way. We try to do our best in every competition.
The Chelsea boss, who took the opportunity to make significant changes to the starting XI, revealed that Noni Madueke missed the match through illness.
Maresca also stressed the need to be patient regarding the fitness of returning players, such as Reece James, and added that Nkunku and Felix would let their football do the talking.
“The idea is to slowly create the right conditions,” Maresca said. “Especially with Reece [James]we have to be a little more careful. Him and Romeo [Lavia] both ended well without problems. We must help them put themselves in good conditions.
“Christo [Nkunku] and João [Felix] didn’t knock on the door or ask for anything, but they don’t need to.
Next up for Chelsea is the visit of Bournemouth in the Premier League on Tuesday.
