What Mauricio Pochettino did to Cole Palmer at full-time and Chelsea boss' furious outburst
Those that were not able to catch the Chelsea game and checked the score at full-time would have thought it was routine for Mauricio Pochettino's side at Stamford Bridge. That, though, was far from the truth.
Preston North End stood in the way of the Blues and a place in the FA Cup fourth round as Pochettino looks to add to the club's rich history in the competition, with eight triumphs already under their belt. And in the first 45 minutes, it was North End that were perhaps carrying the bigger threat in an attacking sense.
Stamford Bridge was rather flat and that was largely down to what they had witnessed from their team in the first-half. It was the Preston supporters, who occupied the entirety of the Shed End because it was a cup tie, making all of the noise.
'It can only get better. Surely...' was the overriding feeling amongst the home fans at half-time. They were right – and boy were they right. An emphatic, chaotic and hugely entertaining 11-minute period for Chelsea followed.
Armando Broja opened the scoring for the Blues on 58 minutes with a fantastic header into the corner. A huge goal for the 22-year-old, who is now into a huge period in Chelsea career with Nicolas Jackson at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, and it felt like a big one for Chelsea as well.
Immediately after Broja scored, Pochettino called upon Noni Madueke and Thiago Silva from the Chelsea bench. One, an attacking change to try and give the hosts another dimension in offensive situations. The other, to provide some experience and class in defence.
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