Chelsea remain on course for their third FA Cup triumph in four seasons after a 2-0 victory at Preston on Saturday secured their place in the last 16 of the competition. Nicolas Anelka's 11th goal of the season set Carlo Ancelotti's team on their way before Daniel Sturridge added the second, the 20-year-old's third goal in his last two games.
It was the perfect response after Carlo Ancelotti's side had lost their place at the top of the Premier League table in midweek. Yet the outcome might have been different had Preston midfielder Darren Carter not spurned a glorious chance from three-yards when the score was 1-0.
Chelsea are looking to become the first team to defend the FA Cup since Arsenal mounted a successful defence of the competition in 2003. Ancelotti took the unusual step of revealing his starting line-up on the eve of the tie, the Italian opting to make six changes to the side which hammered Sunderland 7-2 last Saturday.
Portuguese keeper Hilario and Sturridge were among those handed a rare start although key players Frank Lampard, John Terry and Nicolas Anelka were also on duty against the Championship club. Preston are languishing in the bottom half of the second tier after losing their last three league games.
Comments
Comments are closed.