Another four-goal haul saw Chelsea progress into the 5th round of the FA Cup, as the Blues brushed aside west London rivals Brentford.
Former blue Josh McEachran got a warm reception on his return to Stamford Bridge, but a much-changed Chelsea side spared the youngster no sympathy as they came quickly out of the blocks, and raced into an almost unassailable 2-0 lead with just over 20 minutes played.
A spectacular Willian free-kick opened the scoring before Pedro placed the ball beyond Brentford goalkeeper Daniel Bentley to double Chelsea’s lead, the pair have now scored in both rounds of the FA Cup this season.
Chelsea continued to press and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could easily have scored a hat-trick in the first-half, while Cesc Fabregas’ lofted through balls were proving a real nuisance for the Brentford defence.
After the break, Brentford attempted to capitalise on Chelsea’s lacklustre start to the half and came close to halving the deficit through Lasse Vibe, but he was unable to make the Bees’ dominance count.
A host of substitutions followed and on 69 minutes the game was put to bed when right-back Branislav Ivanovic fired home in front of the delirious home fans.
Michy Batshuayi scored the final goal of the game with nine minutes remaining when he converted from the penalty spot.
