Chelsea sailed their way to the FA Cup fourth round with a compelling 4-0 win over Preston North End on Saturday (6 January).
The Blues were a bit underwhelming in the first half, but tuned up the tempo in the second half to get a big win.
Young Alfie Gilchrist got his first start for Chelsea and put in an impressive display as a right-back, despite being a centre-back.
He looked sharp defensively and worked had to neutralize the opponents’ threat down that side, also recording some nice stats.
100% tackles won
100% dribbles completed
94% pass accuracy
79 touches
62/66 passes completed
2/3 long balls completed
2/2 ground duels won
2 clearances
Most fans seem to have liked what they saw from the 20-year-old in his first start, as they reacted on Twitter.
Enzo Richie: “Super performance.”
Blake: “Mega performance each time he plays. Maybe we don’t need to sign another defender and just give him the chance to shine.”
Godfrey: “He had a very good game. First time starting & he played well. I'm happy he had a soft landing with the Preston game & look forward to more games for him to continuously build his confidence.”
Simon Phillips: “Alfie Gilchrist is a better player than Axel Disasi. One cost £40m and starts every game. The other cost nothing and is only just getting a look in.”
Stadcfc: “We still haven’t conceded a goal while Gilchrist’s been on the pitch.”