Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix helped themselves to doubles as Chelsea overpowered League Two minnows Morecambe in the second half to complete a 5-0 rout in the FA Cup third round at Stamford Bridge.
Derek Adams’ visitors were bidding to reach the fourth round for the first time and were boosted by seeing goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne save a penalty from Christopher Nkunku on 17 minutes after Yann Songo’o had handled in his own box.
But central defender Tosin grabbed the vital opener on 39 minutes via a deflected drive from distance for the eight-time winners before the roof fell in on Morecambe as they were pressed further back the longer the match progressed.
Nkunku punished some poor defending to add the second on 50 minutes with Tosin planting a fine third into the net on 70 minutes to end any prospects of an upset.
Felix would provide two (70′ and 75′) clinical finishes of his own to give the scoreline a fairer reflection of Chelsea’s second-half dominance.
The 3,000 Morecambe fans never stopped singing with their side, second bottom of League Two and fighting relegation from the fourth tier of the English game, set to earn a £350,000 cheque for their trip to London.
Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s buoyant side can look forward to the draw for the fourth round on Sunday night after ending a four-match winless run.