Source: Telegraph
Preston North End 0 Chelsea 2: match report
A new manager, scion of a famous family, making his home debut against the FA Cup holders, the favourites for the Premier League title, in a year in which Manchester United and Liverpool have already found themselves embarrassed by lower league opposition. [LNB]Preston North End, and Deepdale, crackled with the magic of the cup. Chelsea, though, do not do romance, only victory. [LNB]West Ham are in for rough ride, says Hartlepool managerLiverpool must not rest Steven Gerrard in FA CupHiston players disappointed at drawing Swansea in FA CupFar from their imperious best, Carlo Ancelotti's side simply did enough to swat Preston's challenge aside, taking the lead in slightly fortuitous fashion through Nicolas Anelka before seeing Daniel Sturridge double it with the first attack of the second half. All hope extinguished and progression secure. The holders are on the march. [LNB]Preston can, at least, take solace from the fact that they put up more resistance than Sunderland proffered in the Premier League last week. [LNB]Darren Ferguson had highlighted on the eve of the game that such a fixture would give his new team a taste of life among the elite, the status he has been tasked with bringing to Deepdale. He will have seen enough to know the gap in quality is bridgeable. [LNB]True, Preston had to curb the attacking instincts usually associated with Ferguson's - any Ferguson's - sides. For long periods, they not only parked the bus, but jack-knifed a couple of articulated trucks in front of Andy Lonergan's goal. Disciplined and determined, until Anelka struck, it worked. [LNB]The hosts even had a couple of early chances themselves, both Callum Davidson and Richard Chaplow calling Hilario, standing in for Petr Cech, into action. [LNB]Chelsea, as was to be expected, had all of the possession, all of the territory, the neater passages of play. Their threat, though, was fleeting. [LNB]Yuri Zhirkov's exchange of passes frayed Lonergan's nerves, and his shot stung his palms, but so dogged were Preston that their illustrious guests found their every move shadowed, their space reduced, their rhythm disrupted by the breath on the back of their necks. [LNB]Only twice did they pick their way through. The first, a tap in for Sturridge after Frank Lampard had played in Zhirkov, was ruled out as Mike Dean, rashly, called play back for a foul on Lampard in the build-up. Alex struck the free kick, fiercely, from 25 yards, but could only find Lonergan's wrist. [LNB]Preston had no salvation from the second. Michael Ballack, tracked assiduously for much of the game, ghosted into space in midfield, no marker on his heels. He found Anelka, who cut inside and powered a shot through Lonergan's legs. Lancastrian hearts sank. [LNB]FA Cup lore, though, dictates that the underdogs, no matter how Sisyphean their task, must be given one chance to overcome the odds. Preston are no exception. Just moments after falling behind, Chris Brown looked to have looped a header over Hilario, only for the Portuguese, all untucked shirt and shambling gait, to extend a fingertip. Darren Carter ballooned the rebound over the bar. [LNB]Chelsea were not likely to be so generous twice. Within a minute of the restart, Sturridge had bundled home from a corner. Whether and if were replaced by how many as the question of the moment. [LNB]Any more than two would have been harsh on Preston, but they were fortunate Chelsea found themselves in generous mood. Ballack went close, Anelka and Sturridge missed a pair of chances apiece. Joe Cole managed to waste three. [LNB]A glimmer of hope, of pride remained, but that was all. Chelsea's serene, ominous progress continues. [LNB]
