Callum Hudson-Odoi once again impressed Frank Lampard as the winger pushed his case to play more regularly with a starring role in Chelsea's FA Cup triumph over Morecambe.
The arrival of high-profile signings Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech during the previous transfer window increased competition for places in Chelsea's attack - and Hudson-Odoi has often found himself stuck on the fringes.
However, Lampard made room for all four players in his starting XI for Sunday's third-round tie at Stamford Bridge, with the hosts running out comfortable 4-0 winners.
Hudson-Odoi certainly seized his opportunity, scoring a goal and creating three chances. The England international completed 85.5 per cent of his passes and sent in seven crosses, four of which were rated as 'good' by Opta.
He has started just two Premier League games this season so far, though Lampard acknowledges the 20-year-old is doing everything right in his push to get consistent minutes.
"Callum is playing well. He's improving, he has improved and there is much more to come," the Chelsea boss told the media after the tie.
"For the goal today, it was a fantastic example of running and breaking the lines and ending up in the area like a striker, because that is what the modern winger does.
"He's making it [his case to get a run of games] now. Probably when fit, we have three natural wingers, maybe one or two others who can play in that position.
"There is always going to be times when I have to make decisions over selection, which means Callum might be in, or someone else may be in.
"But the way he is playing now absolutely at this minute means he's assisting, he scoring goals, he's a threat every time he plays. It makes me really happy, because today was definitely an uplift from Callum, there are more gears he can go through.
"He is another young player [at Chelsea] with a lot to come and we shouldn't expect too much, but when he's playing like he's playing now, it's good to expect more from him because he's showing a lot."
While Hudson-Odoi is pressing to feature for the first team, Fikayo Tomori could be on his way out of Chelsea.
The centre-back came on as a second-half substitute against Morecambe but Lampard confirmed afterwards that a loan move could happen in January - provided it is right for all parties.
On Tomori potentially leaving, Lampard said: "The situation is kind of open at the moment. There's a possibility he could go on loan to get games somewhere else.
"That would have to be the right solution for him and the club. It was part of my thinking in not starting him today, but giving him some minutes at the end. While we are looking at that, I want to make sure it's the right thing for him and the club.
"His attitude, while not playing so much recently with five or six centre-backs at the club, has been fantastic, in terms of working in training every day and how he is."
Alfie Devine made a big impact on a day when he created history for Tottenham in their FA Cup third-round tie at Marine.
With Carlos Vinicius scoring a hat-trick and Lucas Moura on target to make it 4-0 against the non-league side, Jose Mourinho introduced the 16-year-old as a substitute in place of Moussa Sissoko for the second half.
And on an already memorable day as he became Spurs' youngest ever player, the teenager drilled past Bayleigh Passant at his near post to make it 5-0 on the hour mark at Rossett Park.
Devine, who turned 16 in August, made the switch to north London from Wigan Athletic back in July in a deal reported to be worth £300,000.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard hopes Kai Havertz and Timo Werner will gain confidence from scoring in the FA Cup win over Morecambe.
Werner ended a goal drought of 827 minutes with the home side's second in a 4-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Mason Mount having opened the scoring.
Havertz was involved in his fellow German's goal just before the break and went on to find the net himself against fourth-tier opposition, heading in a cross from Cesar Azpilicueta in the 85th minute.
The duo were part of a strong team selected by Lampard, who believes the big-money signings from the Bundesliga made a "nice little step" forward as they continue to adapt to life at Chelsea.
Discussing Werner, who had not scored for his club since a 4-1 win over Sheffield United on November 7, Lampard said: "I'm pleased for him.
"Strikers want to score goals and he's had plenty of near misses in those times. He's been getting in positions to score goals but they haven't been going in for him.
"I was pleased to play him today and get him confidence from scoring a goal. It wasn't easy, there wasn't space behind them because they defended so deep, but he gets his goal and moves onwards.
"It's important that we understand with both Timo and Kai that they are young lads coming into this league. Tough patches are normal coming into the Premier League - some of the greatest players that have graced it have found that at the beginning.
"That is a nice little step for both of them."
While Werner made way for Olivier Giroud in the 68th minute, Havertz played the full game, during which he completed 89 per cent of his attempted passes.
The former Bayer Leverkusen player also had two shots as he continues to build up his fitness after overcoming COVID-19, with Lampard insisting Chelsea fans must show some patience with the 21-year-old.
"There are numerous levels Kai can go up because of the potential of him as a player," Lampard told the media.
"Even in his short period at Chelsea he's been unfortunate in that he had COVID and suffered a bit in coming back from that.
"Today I saw him - and during the week in training too - looking stronger and fitter. There are levels to go up, but - again - we have to remain patient.
"He's come here with a huge amount of talent but has to get accustomed to the league, accustomed to the speed of the league, the pace of the league. We as a club must support him through that for the future, both him and Timo.
"It was a small step in a big picture, but a step made in a good way for both of them."
The victory means Chelsea have progressed in their third-round tie in every season since 1997-98, when they were eliminated by Manchester United.
Sofia Kenin and Elina Svitolina fought back from the brink of defeat as both reached the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open quarter-finals on Sunday.
Top seed Kenin fended off a match point in the second set before battling to a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over Yulia Putintseva at Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre.
Putintseva was serving for a straight-sets win at 6-5 up in the second, but the tenacious Kenin forced a tie-break and rallied from 3-1 down to take the third-round match the distance.
The Australian Open champion secured three breaks in the decider to reach the last eight, hitting 35 winners to 25 from 13th seed Putintseva to set up a showdown with Maria Sakkari.
Svitolina, the second seed, was also on the verge of crashing out, but she hung in there to pull off a 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The world number five was a break down in the final set and saved two match points in a tense tie-break before finally seeing the back of her Russian opponent.
Ninth seed Sakkari beat two-time grand slam champion Garbine Muguruza 7-5 6-4 to give herself the opportunity to get the better of Kenin for the first time in three attempts.
Aryna Sabalenka stretched her impressive winning streak to 12 matches with a 6-2 6-4 success over Ons Jabeur, while Marta Kostyuk, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova also progressed.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is in isolation after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus.
Aguero was expected to feature in Sunday's FA Cup clash with Birmingham City at the Etihad Stadium after recovering from knee and hamstring problems.
However, he was not in the matchday squad, with Gabriel Jesus starting the 3-0 victory over the Championship side.
Manager Pep Guardiola later confirmed that 32-year-old Aguero is isolating despite returning a negative test for COVID-19.
"Unfortunately, he was in contact more than usual with one person who is positive," Guardiola said after the match. "He must isolate for a few days.
"I don't know exactly because he has been tested like all of us six times in the last 10-15 days so it is negative. Today I think he was negative too but the protocols says in some cases isolate, and in other cases we still play football.
"He was not able to play today."
Aguero, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has only made three starts for City in all competitions in 2020-21.
In his absence on Sunday, two goals from Bernardo Silva and another from Phil Foden secured City's place in the fourth round of the cup.
Guardiola's men return to Premier League action at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday and host Crystal Palace next Sunday.
Leeds United suffered an FA Cup shock on Sunday as the Premier League side lost 3-0 to Crawley Town, for whom television star Mark Wright made his debut.
Marcelo Bielsa's men became only the second top-flight team to lose by at least three goals to a fourth-tier side in the competition since the English Football League added the bottom division in 1958.
The last side to suffer such a result was Oxford United, who lost by the same scoreline against Aldershot Town in January 1987.
Crawley, who are sixth in League Two, had lost their three previous FA Cup matches with Premier League teams, against Manchester United, Stoke City and Reading, while they had not reached this stage of the competition in eight years.
Nick Tsaroulla scored a fine opener 50 minutes into what was just his seventh appearance in senior football, and Ashley Nadesan doubled the lead three minutes later following an error by goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.
Jordan Tunnicliffe netted a deserved third for Crawley, for whom Wright, best known for his work in English reality TV series The Only Way Is Essex, made a late substitute appearance.
Leeds have now been knocked out of the cup at this stage for the past four seasons, their worst run since another four-campaign stretch from 2003-04 until 2006-07.
Antonio Conte defended his late substitutions after Inter were held to a 2-2 draw at Roma on Sunday.
The Nerazzurri looked set to secure three precious points in the battle between two title hopefuls at Stadio Olimpico, but Gianluca Mancini denied them with an equaliser after 86 minutes.
Lorenzo Pellegrini put Roma in front in the first half, but two goals in the space of seven minutes after the break from Milan Skriniar and Achraf Hakimi gave Inter a deserved lead.
Conte withdrew Hakimi, Lautaro Martínez and Arturo Vidal before Mancini struck in the closing stages, and the Inter boss explained why he made those changes following a result which leaves second-placed Inter three points behind leaders Milan.
He said: "Vidal asked to be replaced due to injury, Lautaro gave a lot in those 75 minutes, also because I asked him to lower himself next to Vidal in the non-possession phase.
"Hakimi also ran a lot and was losing important balls. This is the third game in seven days. Inter must have an important squad to aspire to something important.
"I don't see why [you should] not use players from the bench. I think that in the end the anxiety of the important result also takes over. That mentally leads you to lower yourself.
"But from the bench we asked [the players] to press high, because going deeper is not a good thing."
Conte said he was pleased with the way his players responded to a midweek defeat to Sampdoria.
Asked about Inter's second-half display, he said: "I think that we played well, in the first half too. Let's not forget that Roma are fighting for the same thing we are and are just three points behind us.
"Going away to the third-placed team in the league and playing like this means we're an organised and strong team.
"We had the chance to kill off the game but couldn't manage it and let Roma back into it late on - because we were out of energy. It's a shame because, with two minutes to go, we were beating a strong side."
Matteo Darmian was replaced by Ashley Young in the first half and Inter revealed the full-back suffered a suffered a severe contusion to his left hip bone.
Axel Witsel has suffered a torn Achilles and will miss an "extended period of time", Borussia Dortmund have announced.
The Belgium international was helped off during the first half of Dortmund's 3-1 win at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Dortmund confirmed the extent of Witsel's injury on Sunday and, though a timeframe has not been put on a return, it is highly likely the 31-year-old will miss the rest of the season.
Reports in Belgium also suggest Witsel is a doubt for the rescheduled Euro 2020, which is due to start on June 11.
A statement on Dortmund's Twitter feed read: "Unfortunate news. Axel Witsel suffered a torn Achilles tendon during yesterday's match and will be out for an extended period of time.
"We all wish Axel a speedy and successful recovery."
Dortmund's win leaves them fourth in the table, five points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich.
Manchester City eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a Bernardo Silva-inspired 3-0 win at home to Birmingham City on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola made the somewhat surprising decision to name what was essentially his strongest possible XI, and their superior quality was telling from the start as they quickly raced into a 2-0 lead.
Silva opened the scoring with a gorgeous volley and swiftly doubled City's advantage to cap off a fine move in the 15th minute, before Phil Foden effectively killed off any hopes of a Birmingham comeback before the interval.
City were less deadly in the second period as they failed to add to their lead, but it mattered little as they had no difficulty seeing out a comfortable victory.
Aitor Karanka and Birmingham will have been braced for a difficult day after seeing the line-up chosen by Guardiola, though nothing could have prepared them for the hosts' start.
Silva displayed remarkable technique to make it 1-0 as he unleashed a stunning volley just inside the box to punish a poor clearance, picking out the top-left corner.
He soon got a second with a simple close-range finish, guiding home Kevin De Bruyne's cutback after the Belgian had been well spotted by Riyad Mahrez.
City found their stride again after something of a lull, and Foden increased the lead just past the half-hour mark, rifling into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards after being picked out by Mahrez.
The hosts withdrew De Bruyne, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias at half-time, with youngsters Felix Nmecha and Taylor Harwood-Bellis entering alongside John Stones.
City remained dominant and thought they had a fourth goal just past the hour, only for VAR to confirm Mahrez had strayed offside when latching on to Foden's pass.
Silva passed up the chance to complete his hat-trick as he dragged wide when the ball fell kindly for him, and that proved to be his final opportunity as City settled for a three-goal victory.
What does it mean? City emphatic but Guardiola learns little
It is fair to say, Guardiola may have surprised a few by naming such a strong starting XI and it seemingly yielded the desired result as City went into half-time 3-0 to the good.
Nevertheless, Guardiola will have learnt very little about that first-half performance given his line-up was full of first-team regulars and they were facing a side struggling in a Championship relegation battle.
A few of the kids were sent on in the second half and did their chances of further opportunities no harm, though the game had become little more than a training exercise by that point.
Foden runs Birmingham ragged
There were several City stars who produced classy displays, but Foden was arguably the most enjoyable to watch. His goal was a great strike, while he had already threatened beforehand with his other two shots. The England international also made three key passes – one of those was particularly clever, as he chested down a long ball to tee up Silva for an effort that hit the side-netting.
Gabriel Jesus frustrated
City's Brazilian striker was by no means poor here – with three shots and a couple of key passes, he was actually quite bright. But he will likely be frustrated by the fact he could not get his name on the scoreboard, particularly given one of his first-half opportunities was a one-one-one situation that he spurned.
What's next?
It is back to Premier League action on Wednesday for City, who host Brighton and Hove Albion. Birmingham continue their quest to get clear of the Championship's relegation zone three days later when they go to coach Karanka's former team Middlesbrough.
Chelsea eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Morecambe on Sunday to end a three-match run without a victory.
Perhaps in a sign of the growing pressure on his position after a run of one win in seven games in all competitions, Frank Lampard named a very strong team for the visit of the League Two side to Stamford Bridge.
Mason Mount's fine strike on the midfielder's 22nd birthday opened the scoring before Timo Werner ended a goal drought of 827 minutes shortly before half-time.
Callum Hudson-Odoi got his side's third and only goalkeeper Mark Halstead denied the Blues further goals until Kai Havertz powered in a late header.
Morecambe almost snatched a shock lead with 11 minutes played, Kepa Arrizabalaga - on his 100th Chelsea appearance - doing well to stop Adam Phillips' drilled cross from going over the line.
Chelsea's breakthrough came with 18 minutes gone, Mount given time to pick his spot from 20 yards out, leaving goalkeeper Halstead with little chance.
Werner had missed an early header but could not pass up the chance to make it 2-0 just before half-time, the forward prodding into an empty net after Havertz headed back across goal.
Any lingering doubts about the result were removed four minutes after the restart, Hakim Ziyech's pass beating the offside trap and allowing Hudson-Odoi to power a shot through Halstead.
Havertz should have made it 4-0 only for Halstead to block at the near post and the keeper made a second fine stop to deny Christian Pulisic on the rebound, the keeper's best moment of a good display.
He could do nothing to prevent Haverz from finding the back of the net five minutes from time, though, the midfielder meeting Cesar Azpilicueta's deep cross with a thumping header.
What does it mean? Light relief for Lampard ahead of testing run
It would have been an almighty shock had Morecambe become the first team since Manchester United in 1997-98 to knock Chelsea out of the competition in the third round.
Lampard took no chances, fielding a formidable line-up against a fourth-tier side who had to isolate for 10 days after a coronavirus outbreak in late December.
The Blues sealed a comfortable win that will have lifted spirits ahead of a run of five league games that includes visits to Fulham, Leicester City and Tottenham.
Ziyech enjoys roaming role
His shooting was a little wayward but Ziyech was certainly precise with his passing, albeit against modest opposition who only returned to training this week.
He made more passes in the Morecambe half (56) and created more chances (four) than any other Chelsea player in his 67 minutes on the pitch.
Can Werner kick on?
It will have been a relief for Werner to score his first goal since November, but there was still a feeling of disconnect between the striker and his supporting cast and he only completed one more pass (14) than goalkeeper Kepa.
Lampard will have hoped to give the £47.5million man a confidence boost. Time will tell if it worked.
What's next?
Chelsea return to league duties at Fulham next Friday in a west London derby, with the game at Leicester to follow on January 19.
Gianluca Mancini's late header rescued a 2-2 draw for Roma after fellow Serie A title contenders Inter produced a second-half fightback on Sunday.
Lorenzo Pellegrini gave Roma a first-half lead at the Stadio Olimpico but Inter roared back after the break.
Milan Skriniar deservedly equalised with a header and Achraf Hakimi put Antonio Conte's side in front seven minutes later.
Mancini stunned Inter four minutes from time, though, heading home to leave the Nerazzurri three points adrift of league leaders Milan.
Virat Kohli called for "strict action" to be taken after India players claimed they were subjected to racial abuse by spectators during the third Test against Australia at the SCG.
Six people were ejected from the iconic Sydney venue on day four after India paceman Mohammed Siraj reported he was the target of abuse while he was fielding on the boundary.
The India team staff also reported alleged racial abuse of Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj on Saturday.
Play was halted for around 10 minutes on Sunday, with umpires and security guards holding discussions before the spectators were removed by New South Wales Police.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) strongly condemned the reported incidents and offered Cricket Australia (CA) all necessary support with an investigation.
India captain Kohli, who is back in his homeland as his wife is expecting a baby, said action must be taken as soon as possible.
He tweeted: "Racial abuse is absolutely unacceptable. Having gone through many incidents of really pathetic things said on the boundary Iines, this is the absolute peak of rowdy behaviour. It's sad to see this happen on the field.
"The incident needs to be looked at with absolute urgency and seriousness and strict action against the offenders should set things straight for once."
CA head of integrity and security Sean Carroll earlier said in a statement: "Cricket Australia condemns in the strongest terms possible all discriminatory behaviour.
"If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket. CA is awaiting the outcome of the International Cricket Council's investigation into the matter reported at the SCG on Saturday.
"Once those responsible are identified, CA will take the strongest measures possible under our anti-harassment code, including lengthy bans, further sanctions and referral to NSW Police.
"As series hosts, we unreservedly apologise to our friends in the Indian cricket team and assure them we will prosecute the matter to its fullest extent."
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed India have experienced abuse on previous tours of Australia.
"This is my fourth tour to Australia and in Sydney, especially, we have had a few experiences even in the past," he said.
"I think one or two times even the players have reacted and got into trouble in the past, and that's not because of the player, it is actually because of the way the crowd has been speaking, especially the people close to the boundary edge.
"They have been quite nasty, they have been hurling abuse as well, but this is the time they have gone one step ahead and used racial abuse.
"There was an official complaint lodged yesterday, and the umpires also mentioned it to us that we must bring it to their notice as soon as it happens, on the field, and then they will be able to take action.
"It is definitely not acceptable in this day and age. We have seen a lot, right? We have evolved as a society. This must be definitely dealt with an iron fist. And we must make sure that it doesn't happen again."
Australia are strong favourites to take a 2-1 series lead, as India were 98-2 at stumps on the penultimate day after being set 407 to win.
LaMelo Ball became the youngest player to post a triple-double in NBA history on Saturday and Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego believes he is a "rare" talent.
At 19 years and 140 days old, Hornets rookie Ball put up 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as Charlotte improved to 5-5 with a 113-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center.
He took the record from Markelle Fultz, who recorded his first triple-double for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018 aged 19 years and 317 days.
Ball's triple-double was the first by a Charlotte player since Nic Batum in March 2018, while he became only the second Hornets rookie to achieve the feat after Kemba Walker.
"He just continuously gets better. He's a special player. He's not fazed by the moment. It's like he's been doing this for a number of years already," said Hornets head coach Borrego.
"He was special tonight. Playmaking, shotmaking, on the boards, made the right decisions. He's a special player.
"I love the person, I love the kid, and more than anything I love his spirit, I love what he brings to our locker room, our organisation. Just proud of him, he was fantastic tonight.
"A 19-year-old rookie does not look like this. This is just rare what you're seeing. I can't get over this kid, he's just a wonderful person to be around, he's humble, he's genuine, he's coachable."
Ball, the third overall pick in this year's draft, retained a level head after achieving something he thinks he will only take stock of in retirement.
"I live my life and I know what I'm capable of, so stuff like this doesn't move me like that. I know that's supposed to happen," he said.
"I've not really processed it yet. Probably when I look back on it after my career when I'm like 40 or something, then I'll probably look back at everything."
Ball was one assist away from a triple-double when the Hornets beat the New Orleans Pelicans and his brother Lonzo Ball on Friday, but he denied that provided him with additional motivation against the Hawks.
"I figured I was one assist away during the game, but pretty much the next day I knew we had another basketball game and came to it like I come to every other basketball game," he said.
"The main goal is always winning. Whenever we get a win, that's great."
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins took crucial wickets as Australia’s bowlers closed on victory on day four of the third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
After Hazlewood removed Shubman Gill for 31 runs, Rohit Sharma fell to Cummins for 52 as an embattled India closed on 98-2, needing 309 more runs for an unlikely win.
Australia had declared on 312-6 after Cameron Green showcased some huge hitting in the afternoon session, surging to 84 off 183 balls, including eight fours and four sixes to set up a tense final session for India.
It was a day of Test cricket once again marred by a crowd incident with play delayed for eight minutes before the tea break while six people were ejected by New South Wales police after India's Mohammed Siraj issued a complaint of alleged abuse to the umpires.
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