Goals from Benoit Badiashile and Raheem Sterling guide Chelsea to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Chelsea secured their place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals after they cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Benoit Badiashile found the net to mark his first start of the season with a goal.
After taking a slender lead into the interval, Raheem Sterling doubled the advantage within 15 minutes of the restart to put the hosts in the driving seat.
Although the Premier League were unable to add to their tally, Blackburn were unable to mount a fightback, ensuring Mauricio Pochettino’s side eased into the last eight.
After featuring as a substitute in the previous two matches, Chelsea captain Reece James came into the side to make his first start since the opening day of the season.
The England international was presented with the first meaningful chance of the contest when he latched onto Enzo Fernandez’s long ball over the top, before his near-post shot was saved by the resolute Leopold Wahlstedt
Just moments later, James opted to try his luck with a long-range effort, but his driven effort whistled wide, prolonging his year-long wait for a goal.
As Chelsea continued to press forward, Fernandez was the next to threaten with his shot from distance stinging the palms of the Blackburn goalkeeper.
The home side’s relentless pressure ultimately told on the half-hour mark when Badiashile guided home his second Chelsea goal after Wahlsteadt had parried Conor Gallagher’s lofted ball into the danger zone.
After heading down the tunnel with a narrow advantage, Chelsea made a purposeful start to the second period with Fernandez and Cole Palmer both forcing Walhstedt into action.
However, there was nothing the Blackburn shot-stopper could do to prevent Sterling from doubling Chelsea’s lead in the 59th minute.
Palmer won possession back high up the pitch, presenting Sterling with the opportunity to send an unstoppable right-foot strike into the far corner.
With Blackburn struggling to mount a fightback, a confident Chelsea side went close to adding to their tally when Palmer saw his deflected effort flick the outside of the post.
Arnor Sigurdsson drew a fine save out of Robert Sanchez in the closing stages, but it was all too little too late for the Championship side.
While Blackburn’s cup journey draws to a close, Chelsea strolls through to the quarter-finals, as they look to win silverware in Pochettino’s first season in charge.
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