London, Jan 11: Liam Rosenior’s reign as Chelsea head coach began with a convincing 5-1 victory away to Charlton Athletic as the Blues’ progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Rosenior was appointed as Blues head coach on Tuesday, replacing former head coach Enzo Maresca, but didn’t take training until Thursday, meaning this was his first game in charge.
Chelsea were totally dominant in the first half, enjoying 78 per cent possession and having Charlton camped in their defensive third for most of the opening 45 minutes.
However, Chelsea had to wait until the fourth minute of injury-time to take the lead when Jorrel Hato smashed home an impressive first goal for Chelsea.
The head of Tosin then doubled the advantage five minutes after the restart before Miles Leaburn pulled a goal back soon after.
Chelsea’s two-goal advantage was restored five minutes later, though, through Marc Guiu and the win was rounded off in injury time with further goals by Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, the latter from the penalty spot.
Earlier, FA Cup holders Crystal Palace were knocked out in stunning fashion by non-league Macclesfield FC in one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history.
Macclesfield FC delivered the greatest upset in Emirates FA Cup history as they bridged a gap of 117 league places to stun defending champions Palace in a magical third-round tie.
Paul Dawson’s towering header and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts’ genius flick ensured the National League North team are the first non-league side to beat the Cup holders in 108 years.
The 117 league places between the sides at kickoff represent the largest gap of any upset in FA Cup history and it was the first time a non-league side scored twice against the FA Cup holders since Runcorn v Preston in 1939.
In another action, Manchester City didn’t hold back against Exeter City, scoring a phenomenal 10 goals including one from Antoine Semenyo, who made his debut the day after signing for the club from AFC Bournemouth.
A top-flight team hasn’t scored 10-plus goals in an FA Cup game since Tottenham Hotspur beat Crewe 13-2 in 1960.
Semenyo also set up Rico Lewis – making him the first player to score and assist on his Man City debut since Sergio Aguero, in 2011, in an impressive first game.
–IANS