Tosin Adarabioyo was delighted with the chance to “show his abilities” as Chelsea cruised to a 5-0 win over Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The defender scored twice from long range, with a particularly impressive second goal curling into the back of the net. Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix also scored with dominant success, with the latter grabbing a brace.
Tosin scored the first goal of his career in English football, while becoming the first centre-back to score twice in a match for the Blues since Antonio Rudiger against Leicester City in the Premier League in February 2020.
He was also a solid presence overall, winning all four of his aerial duels and completing 86 of his 92 attempted passes.
“It's the first time in my professional career that I scored a hat-trick. I wanted to have another chance, but the moment never came!” Tosin told BBC Match of the Day.
'I ended up in a nice position [for his second goal] and I was in a position where I seemed to be shooting. I managed to wrap my foot around it and place it in the top bins.
“I heard it [the crowd shouting for him to shoot] a few times when I got the ball on the halfway line. I wanted to, but I was too far away.
“Playing games and being able to show off your skills is always great, so it was fun to do that today.”
The sweetest blow. #CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/I359rgKuxr
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 11, 2025
Chelsea have won their last eleven FA Cup home games against lower division teams by an aggregate score of 37-5, while their last four home games against fourth division teams have been won by two or more goals.
The win ended a run of four games without a win for Chelsea, with their last win coming in the Europa Conference League on 19 December.
“Very professional and very serious. I am very happy with the performance and with the end result,” said boss Enzo Maresca.
“Today all teams are well organized and can prepare the match the way they want. When we scored, the match changed and in the second half we were better.”
Romeo Lavia and Reece James also returned from injury, with both playing the first half before being subbed off at half-time. Maresca confirmed that their substitutions were planned to avoid problems.
“They are both OK after 45 minutes and we are happy with that,” he added.
“It's good that players can get minutes and that they can be ready in every match when we need them.
“We are already thinking about Tuesday's match [against Bournemouth] and tomorrow we will prepare for Tuesday.”
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