Morecambe halted a run of four successive losses with a 2-1 win over Accrington to claim the bragging rights in their Lancashire derby.

Nelson Khumbeni and Chris Stokes scored second-half goals for the Shrimps, who still have a chance of securing a play-off place, before Lewis Shipley grabbed what proved a consolation.

There wasn’t a lot to remember from the first half in terms of goalmouth action.

Both keepers had one save to make, with Morecambe’s Archie Mair tipping over a Brad Hills effort after 22 minutes and Manchester United loan stopper Radek Vitek easily collecting a Khumbeni strike.

After the break, Stanley had a chance cleared off the line in a scramble and, from this, Morecambe broke through Gerard Garner down the right and he passed to Khumbeni in the area, who found the top corner of the net after 55 minutes. It was the Bolton loanee’s first goal for the Shrimps.

The second came seven minutes later when Charlie Brown’s free-kick into a crowded area was turned home by Stokes from close range.

A Jack Nolan cross was headed home by Shipley after 89 minutes but, despite nine minutes of added time, the hosts could not grab an equaliser.

Morecambe manager Ged Brennan believes his side outclassed a lacklustre Wycombe to sail into the FA Cup third round with a 2-0 win.

Eli King and Tom Bloxham were on hand with goals either side of the break to send the League Two team into the next round of the Cup for the second year in a row.

And with victory fresh on his mind, Brennan admitted he was unfazed about his team’s potential top-flight opposition next time out.

“I’m absolutely delighted as I thought the lads were outstanding with the discipline they showed all over the pitch,” he said.

“I thought [Wycombe] ran out of ideas in the end because we were so well organised today.

“I don’t care who we get next or if it’s one of the big boys, as long as it’s good for the club and the fans.”

King opened the scoring in the 38th minute, capitalising on an Adam Mayor corner and heading it home to put his team in front.

Bloxham doubled their lead just before the hour mark, the youngster getting on the end of Michael Mellon’s cross to make it 2-0 and mark a “solid” performance according to Brennan.

“They were two great goals,” he said. “A set-piece, everyone in the box and great header by Eli and a great move for the second goal.

“I thought we played counterattack really well and when we got the ball, we kept possession.

“We looked a proper solid unit and that’s the way we’re going to go from now.”

Wycombe held firm in the opening half an hour of play but were unable to come up with any opportunities to get on top at Adams Park, something manager Matt Bloomfield put down to a lack of energy and intensity.

“There wasn’t enough energy, not enough intensity in our play and not enough personality with the way we want to play,” he said.

“The intensity is the main thing that was missing, which in turn looks lacklustre, looks lethargic.

“The first thing you expect from any football team is to go with intensity and enthusiasm and we didn’t today which was obviously bitterly disappointing.”

Since Wycombe’s 4-1 away demolition of Fleetwood in early October, Wanderers have only won three matches.

And with Brandon Hanlan and Luke Leahy suffering injuries at home to Stevenage last month, Bloomfield’s side have struggled with a lack of inspiration from the bench but are hoping to finally see some light.

“We’re missing some really key players for us who have been great for us this season,” added Bloomfield.

“I really believe that we had enough in the squad to cope with those losses, but results might suggest otherwise.

“We have to keep fighting to improve and we’re looking forward to having one shaft of sunlight for that way through the fog.”

Derek Adams hailed his Morecambe players as “giant killers” after beating League One Lincoln 2-1.

The fourth-tier Shrimps came from behind to reach the second round of the FA Cup at Sincil Bank.

Lasse Sorensen fired the hosts in front in the first half before Burnley loanee Michael Mellon levelled on the stroke of half-time.

Tom Bloxham, on loan from Shrewsbury, won the contest with his first goal for the club.

Adams said: “It’s all about the giant killing and we’ve come here and we’re the giant killers because they’re a big player in League One.

“We could have been out of sight by the end and then they hit the post. But we’re through and that’s what it’s all about.

“It was always going to be a tough draw away from home against a mid-table team in League One.

“But we’ve come here on their own patch and won the game, so we’re delighted.

“We could have probably scored more goals. Tom could have had a hat-trick. The keeper’s made a brilliant save and then he’s had one cleared off the line.

“The game had everything. We could have been out of sight at the end, but we weren’t and then they hit the post.

“But all that matters is getting through and thankfully we’ve done that. It was an incredible performance from the players.”

The managerless Imps limped out at the first hurdle of the historic cup competition for the second year running.

Interim boss Tom Shaw said: “We started really brightly and the game plan was having a huge effect. If we had been cleaner in the final third we could have been two or three goals up.

“The final pass just got away from us and teams like Morecambe are always going to be in a game with the spirit they have.

“But after a brilliant start we have given them hope with a goal just before the break and we lost a bit of control.

“I have to apologise to the fans for no cup run this year and it is a shame because we looked so good before the game turned round.

“I’m really disappointed, as are the players. It’s a difficult one to take for sure for us.”

Rotherham boss Matt Taylor was pleased to see his side shake off their weekend hammering at Stoke with a 4-2 Carabao Cup penalty shootout victory over Morecambe.

The Millers were thumped 4-1 in their Championship opener and boss Taylor said his side were “shell-shocked” in an opening 25 minutes against the League Two side where they fell behind to Michael Mellon’s clinical finish.

But Josh Kayode levelled before the break and then debutant goalkeeper Dillon Phillips saved two penalties to earn a place in the second round.

Taylor said: “It was a pleasing building performance, it wasn’t a great opening 25 minutes, we looked shell-shocked from the weekend and that showed.

“We started to build platforms on the pitch and got up the pitch. It was important we scored before half-time.

“It was one-way traffic in the second half and we could have won it, we had enough chances.

“That is maybe where people aren’t feeling great about themselves.”

On Phillips, who was a summer signing from Cardiff, Taylor added: “The biggest reward is that there is another game and that is important for him.

“Dillon needs games, he hasn’t played many games over the last couple of years but we know how good a goalkeeper he is.

“He is providing good competition.”

Derek Adams, whose side won in this competition at the New York Stadium 12 months ago, was proud of his League Two men.

“It was a pleasing performance, especially for a League Two club coming to the Championship,” he said.

“We could have gone ahead before and the goal we scored was an excellent goal.

“It was nothing more than we deserved because we dominated large spells in that first half.

“To come here and do that was very pleasing.”

Rotherham finally beat Morecambe in the Carabao Cup after seeing off the League Two outfit 4-2 on penalties.

The Shrimps won in South Yorkshire in 2016 and then again 12 months ago and another upset was in the offing when Michael Mellon put them in front.

Josh Kayode’s first home goal for the club levelled before the break, meaning the game had to be decided by penalties and Dillon Phillips saved two on his debut to earn a place in the second round.

Morecambe enjoy coming to Rotherham in the League Cup so it was no surprise to see them start well.

JJ McKiernan should have put them ahead inside the first five minutes when he was teed up by Mellon, but he shot straight at goalkeeper Phillips’ legs.

Mellon did open the scoring midway through the first half when he raced on to a through ball from Yann Songo’o and converted in style, with a low shot across goal.

The Millers, thrashed on the opening day at Stoke, were not looking much better as they struggled for any fluency against their fourth-tier opponents.

But they found themselves level eight minutes before the break when Kayode poked home a loose ball after Farrend Rawson had failed to clear Cohen Bramall’s cross.

Rotherham were the better team in the second half and came close to going in front as Georgie Kelly had a header well saved by Simon Moore.

But it had to be decided by penalties and Phillips kept out efforts from Charlie Brown and Jake Taylor as the Millers progressed.

Tyson Fury is considering becoming the new owner of Morecambe to throw "millions" at the League One club.

The WBC world heavyweight champion already has his ‘Gypsy King’ brand embroidered on the Shrimps' shorts.

After it was announced Fury will face Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a trilogy fight on December 3, the unbeaten 34-year-old revealed he is mulling over a takeover of the club in the seaside town where he lives.

He told talkSPORT on Thursday: "Quick question, I'm thinking about buying Morecambe Football Club, they're in League One at the moment.

"So I was thinking I invest X amount of millions in them."

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan replied: "By invest you mean throw it at them, invest is the wrong term."

Fury said: "Yeah, basically throw it at them and keep them going up. I've been offered to buy Morecambe Football Club.

"I own all the training facilities anyway and the training gym. So who knows? You might be looking at a football club owner."

Jordan asked Fury: "You know how to make a small fortune in football?”

The world champion responded: "Start off with a bigger one! It's the same as being a boxing promoter."

Tottenham survived a huge scare at home to third-tier strugglers Morecambe as they came from behind to win 3-1 and advance to round four of the FA Cup. 

Antonio Conte fielded an unfamiliar XI that showed eight changes from the midweek EFL Cup loss to Chelsea, and Spurs went behind to Anthony O'Connor's close-range finish.

Spurs boss Conte, who has reached the final in his only two previous seasons in the competition, turned to Harry Kane and Lucas Moura with a little over 20 minutes remaining. 

Tottenham levelled soon after through Harry Winks' fortuitous free-kick and Lucas completed the comeback in the 85th minute, before Kane netted to seal a nervy passage through.

Matt Doherty, one of three Spurs players to retain his place in the side along with Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga, headed against the post from an acute angle in a lively start.

But Tottenham found themselves behind after 33 minutes when visiting captain O'Connor volleyed Alfie McCalmont's inswinging corner past Pierluigi Gollini from six yards.

Spurs were booed off at the break but Conte held off from introducing Kane for the hosts, who went close through a flicked Dele Alli shot that Trevor Carson superbly tipped over.

Ryan Sessegnon then dragged wide from a good position, after Alli's penalty appeals were waved away, prompting Conte to bring on Kane, Lucas and Oliver Skipp.

That sparked some life into the home side, with Carson misjudging Winks' free-kick from close to the left touchline as Spurs levelled.

Lucas put Tottenham in front for the first time when the Brazilian caught Ryan McLaughlin in possession, raced clear and rounded Carson for a simple finish into an empty net.

Kane, who missed a great headed chance prior to Lucas' crucial goal, added a third for Spurs with a smart finish away from the despairing Morecambe goalkeeper's reach.

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.

Frank Lampard accepts he is under pressure to turn around Chelsea's results and says he is not wanting any favours from owner Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea have lost four of their last six Premier League matches - as many defeats as they had in their previous 23 - with last week's 3-1 setback against Manchester City leaving them ninth.

The Blues have taken 26 points from their opening 17 league games of 2020-21, three points fewer than at the same stage last season. They have never finished higher than sixth after failing to amass more than 26 points at this stage of a campaign.

Amid reports that Abramovich is lining up candidates to replace Lampard if the barren run continues, the club's all-time leading goalscorer acknowledges he cannot rely on past success to keep him in the job.

"All I want to concentrate on is the job in hand. I can't control certain things - I certainly don't want to rely on anything in the past," Lampard said.

"All I can look at is what I see right now, and what I see right now is one month ago everything was rosy and now a month later - a very quick time - everyone is looking at it negatively.

"I have to be the one to look at it positively. I can't control outside of that. I felt huge support from this club coming back to manage them.

"My time as a player I felt huge support for 13 years. In the end I left because they wanted to move on to other things. I understand what football is. I understand the demands and expectations.

"I don't think I've earned the right for anything that takes me out of that equation. All I can do is be honest about how I see it. I understand there is work to be done here and I understand the position we're in.

"When you're young and have had a tough year, plus new players coming in this year that are expected to drop into the Premier League and produce at a young age, there is going to be challenges. That's all I've got to say. The rest is out of my hands."

Lampard won 11 major honours during his playing days at Chelsea, each of those trophies coming after Abramovich's takeover of the club in 2003.

"I have to sit here and say when the owner came into Chelsea all those years ago, it made my career," Lampard added.

"Maybe I would have gone on elsewhere, but fortunately I had an owner who came in and changed the face of the club. It changed my life. But that shouldn't give me any headstarts.

"I'm here and I think the job I done last year, to get us up to fourth with huge constraints, was a big positive for us. After that now I have to go again.

"I never thought it would be a straight line - I was aware of that coming into the season, particularly when I didn't have time to work with the players.

"I remember in my first year as a player here I was an average Premier League player, year two I got slightly better, year three better and so on.

"When I look at my players I see it like that. I can't jump out of that and dictate what others think - that's beyond me. I'm just here to coach the club as good as I can."

Chelsea can put their league struggles behind them on Sunday as they turn focus to the FA Cup and a third-round tie with Morecambe.

The Blues have progressed past this stage every season since 1997-98 but Lampard will not allow his players to take their fourth-tier opponents lightly in what will be the first ever meeting between the sides.

"I've been involved in games at Chelsea where we have struggled against certain opposition at times," Lampard said. "I know the feeling going into these games - we have to absolutely apply ourselves going into the game to get the right result.

"If we apply ourselves and our preparation is right then the execution is normally right because of the players we have.

"At the same time we need to realise lower-league teams will raise their game and see it as a huge occasion. They'll do anything they can to get a result.

"My players are very aware of that, and if they're not then I'll make sure they are. This is by no means going to be a comfortable afternoon."

Frank Lampard vowed he will fight to make Chelsea successful and declared he would have become a pundit if he had wanted an "easier" life.

The head coach, who in his playing days became Chelsea's record goalscorer, has been unable to prevent a mid-season slump that has seen the Blues slide down the Premier League table.

Four defeats in the last six games has been the sting in the tail after a long unbeaten run, yet Lampard is confident there is enough quality in his squad to turn around their season.

"I've been playing football since I could walk, and playing professionally for 20-odd years," Lampard said.

"If I didn't want that challenge, I could have sat on the telly and done an easier job. I could have been a pundit and commented on what everyone does with hindsight whenever I want, but I don't want to do that."

Instead, he is determined to prove he is the right man for the Stamford Bridge top job, and should he sense any player does not match his ambition, Lampard will consider if they belong at the club.

"The players here I feel have a real desire to get out of this mini run of bad results. I can see that in them," said Lampard. "And if there are players who don't have those concerns to get out, I think they have decisions to make.

"If there are opportunities for players to leave, it would have to be right for them, right for the club and right for myself, then that could happen. But if not, we keep fighting and moving on."

Chelsea have a break from Premier League duties when they face Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Sunday. They lost to Arsenal in the final of last season's competition.

Lampard is set to shuffle his squad for the game with fourth-tier Morecambe, giving fringe players and possibly some academy prospects the chance to impress.

After that it will be back to the Premier League, when he expects senior players to be straining every sinew in training to earn selection.

The likes of summer signings Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have struggled this season, but Lampard says every player should be desperate to make an impact.

Havertz has found it difficult to make the transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, with just one goal, two assists and a mere 23 touches in the opposition penalty area for Chelsea after 15 games in the competition, 10 of which he started.

Last season, at Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz totted up 12 goals, six assists and had 140 touches in the opposition box across 29 league starts and one substitute appearance.

Lampard was determined not to focus on individuals and appears keen to give his recent recruits time to bed in at Chelsea. His concern is a wider one and addresses every player at the club.

He said: "I don't ask for them to be jumping up and down when they go home about how great I am. What I'm asking for when you're here is, to train well, back your team-mates, have a determined attitude every day, and that's it.

"I don't expect it to be a popularity contest with myself - I don't think I ever felt that in a dressing room with any manager in the best of times or in tough times.

"The players have to keep fighting in tough times. The quality is in the group, without a doubt. There will be bumpy moments and we have to stick together."

Frank Lampard admits he is concerned about football in England continuing while the COVID-19 crisis escalates.

On Friday, London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, declared a "major incident" in the capital as hospitals face rising numbers of patients.

The English football authorities are carrying out regular tests on players and club staff, and the number of positive cases is rising, with 40 declared in the Premier League for last week.

Lampard said none of those were Chelsea players but confirmed "a small number of staff" with the London club had tested positive recently.

Sunday will see Chelsea welcome fourth-tier outfit Morecambe to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup third round, with the visitors having recently had to postpone two games because of coronavirus cases in their ranks.

Chelsea head coach Lampard was asked about possible worries, and said: "Not just about playing Morecambe, but I do have concerns because of the current climate.

"We haven't had any players positive in the last couple of rounds – we have had a small number of staff.

"Of course, whilst the country is in lockdown for a reason, while football carries on for a reason, it means there's lots of mixing going on.

"We have to be ultra-careful. I'm not completely comfortable but we have to toe the line, we have to keep playing.

"The safety must come first. There are lots of moving parts and things are changing day by day, week by week."

Burnley boss Sean Dyche this week floated the idea that if footballers were vaccinated, it would lead to savings on testing and such money could be ploughed into the National Health Service.

Lampard said, as Dyche did, that footballers should not be seen to be jumping the queue ahead of those in most need.

He said: "Maybe there's a time down the line when we look at sports but I don't think it's that time right now."

Chelsea will be without the injured Reece James, Andreas Christensen and N'Golo Kante for the Morecambe game, and Lampard is considering giving a first-team chance to a number of academy players.

Lampard's team have lost 3-1 to both Arsenal and Manchester City, either side of a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, in a Premier League slump over the past fortnight.

Previous defeats in mid-December to Everton and Wolves have also played a part in them falling away from being challengers near the top of the table to sitting in ninth place.

They face a fourth-tier side who have won six of their previous seven games, yet this is Morecambe's fourth appearance in the third round of the cup, and they have lost each of their previous games at this stage without scoring.

Chelsea's last third-round defeat in the competition came in 1997-98, when they lost to Manchester United.

Lampard said the challenge of returning his team to peak form "makes my job more exciting".

He accepts "confidence has been hit" and said: "The players need a lift. That's my job, the staff's job, and their job. I don't know any way out of a lack of confidence but to sprint yourself out of it and fight yourself out of it, because those are the rules of football."

He was reminded about Chelsea being stunned 4-2 by Bradford City in the fourth round in January 2015 and said: "Underdogs will turn up, try to win and make things difficult for you.

"Considering our current form, we have to be even more on guard and worry about ourselves, and get ourselves playing well, because if we play well and do our job right, we'll win the game I believe."