Chelsea 2-0 Scunthorpe United
Guus Hiddink was thrilled with his youngsters’ performances against a determined Scunthorpe side as Chelsea progressed through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek put the game to bed with his first goal in Chelsea colours, effortlessly sliding the ball home from a Cesar Azpilicueta cross to double the lead following Diego Costa’s opener.
And despite Chelsea’s less than impressive Premier League campaign this season, interim manager Hiddink insists winning the cup is still very much on the horizon.
“We are aiming for the FA Cup, so it was a very important game for us to get to the next round,” he said.
“We are very determined to go and get silverware at the end of the season.
“It was not an easy game, which is what we expected.
“We brought on some youngsters in the second half which is good for them.
“We don’t want to give them too much responsibility for results at this stage of their careers but I am happy with their performances.
“Reuben came in and scored a beautiful goal, not just in the execution but also in the way he prepared himself. It was good to see.”
League One outfit Scunthorpe started the game with promise, having the first chance of the game after just two minutes when Luke Williams’ goal-bound strike deflected off Gary Cahill’s face.
But it was the home side who found the back of the net first when Costa cleverly manoeuvred his body to punt the ball past a helpless Luke Daniels.
The Iron started to come into their own in the second half, and were adamant they should have had a penalty when Ramires clipped the heels of Kevin Van Veen in the area.
But Chelsea made the most of their lucky escape when substitute Loftus-Cheek wrapped up the victory with just 20 minutes left on the clock.
And despite the result, Scunthorpe boss Mark Robins insisted his side could leave Stamford Bridge with their heads held high.
“I’m very proud of them,” he said.
“I think they gave everything they had.
“Initially we were a little bit nervy and we probably gave them too much respect in terms of not going and engaging further up the field.
“We have really honest players but sometimes it takes them a little longer to see things developing.
“But what we didn’t do well enough was when we won the ball back, we were a little but anxious and a little bit nervy which meant we gave the ball back to them in areas where they could keep up a sustained attack.
“Once we settled down we were able to build some attacks and cause one of two problems but not enough. It just wasn’t to be.”
Feature image of Guus Hiddink courtesy of Chelsea FC TV, via Youtube, with thanks
