• Chelsea laboured through the first half and only led 1-0 at the break
  • Christopher Nkunku missed a penalty before scoring from open play
  • Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix both nabbed braces

A late flurry of second-half goals helped Chelsea eventually ease to a 5-0 win at home to fourth-tier Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

The prospect of an almighty FA Cup upset briefly morphed from a distant impossibility to a faint hope when Christopher Nkunku had his first-half penalty saved. Morecambe goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne had not been overly tested before the tame spot-kick, instead watching Enzo Maresca's expensively assembled B-team squander the numerous chances they created.

The Blues belatedly took the lead on the cusp of half-time thanks to Tosin Adarabioyo's heavily deflected long-range strike.

After a hardly convincing first half, Maresca made three changes at the break, introducing the in-form Jadon Sancho, Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella. The Spanish full-back - whose £55m transfer fee is roughly five times the valuation of the entire club Morecambe FC - burst into the box shortly after coming off the bench, firing a low cut-back for Renato Veiga to take aim. The Portugal international's shot was saved, but fell for Nkunku to make it 2-0.

Morecambe, so defiant, so determined, so dogged for the opening 70 minutes, were dismantled during a seven-minute burst. Tosin converted a second strike from outside the box before Joao Felix notched a brace of his own in little more than 100 seconds. After converting a crisp counter-attack, the elfin attacker picked out the top corner with Chelsea's 27th effort of the afternoon

The Blues emphatically sealed their spot in tomorrow's fourth round draw, while Morecambe return to the everyday slog of a relegation scrap at the foot of England's professional football league.

How the game unfolded

Chelsea started Saturday's contest with the confidence of a side sitting 87 league places above their opponents. The fourth-tier strugglers were penned into their own half for much of the opening 15 minutes before they belatedly buckled under the mounting pressure.

Morecambe skipper Yann Songo'o took the unorthodox approach of blocking Joao Felix's cross by instinctively raising both arms, locking them in an upright position as though he was preparing to dive into an invisible swimming pool. Christopher Nkunku, however, failed to punish the captain's flop.

The French forward drilled a low effort within Harry Burgoyne's wingspan, watching on as the Shrimps goalkeeper preserved parity.

Those inside Stamford Bridge ended the first half with a cricked neck, their gaze constantly fixed on Morecambe's half of the pitch. But Derek Adams' side battled valiantly, hauling a red shirt in front of the ball as Chelsea rattled off a flurry of shots. Unfortunately for the spirited visitors, Callum Jones didn't intend to get in the way of Tosin Adarabioyo's speculative effort, inadvertently deflecting the centre-back's pot shot beyond his goalkeeper in the 40th minute.

Nkunku made up for his errant spot kick within five minutes of the restart. Jones underscored the quality of Chelsea's opponents with a touch inside his box that was so heavy it may as well have been a pass for Renato Veiga. The Portuguese midfielder had his firm effort rebuffed by Burgoyne before Nkunku tucked away the rebound.

After more than an hour pinned against the ropes, Morecambe eventually crumpled to the canvas during the final 20 minutes. Tosin added his second of the match - Chelsea's third - with an even sweeter strike from distance that didn't require the misdirection of a deflection to deceive Burgoyne.

Joao Felix soon found his range, curling in a pair of finishes separated by less than two minutes to take the scoreline to 5-0.

Morecambe had the chance to give their boisterous travelling support something to shout about aside from their hated owners. On a rare forward forward in the 88th minute the aptly named Hallam Hope was responsible for the visitors' last chance, but tamely rolled the ball into the welcome gloves of Filip Jorgensen.