Chelsea began their FA Youth Cup campaign in style after a Dominic Solanke hat-trick propelled them to a 4-0 win over Dartford.
Three goals in ten first-half minutes effectively settled the tie for last year's finalists after the visitors - who were the lowest ranked side competing in the Third Round Proper - had started the game brightly.
Dartford registered the game's first attempt at goal, but Clifford Edaferhoro's effort failed to trouble Mitchell Beeney in the Chelsea goal before Freeman Rogers' shot was deflected wide for a corner.
Chelsea 4-0 Dartford
The FA Youth Cup
Third Round proper
Thursday 12 December 2013
Aldershot Town
But midway through the first half, England U17s forward Solanke put Chelsea in front and in doing so, opened the floodgates. The striker expertly controlled Reece Mitchell's left-wing cross and fired home from close range.
Mitchell set up the striker for a second shortly after with another cross from the left-hand side that Solanke again emphatically slotted past Oli Gibson.
And shortly after Femi Akinwande had gone close to pulling a goal back for Dartford, the home side made it three.
Fankaty Dabo, bursting forward from the right-back position, played a one-two with Jeremie Boga and struck a fierce drive beyond Gibson.
Dartford began the second half in a similar way they started the first , showing attacking intent as Ainsley Everett's shot flew just wide.
But Solanke finished the scoring when he latched on to a perfectly weighted pass from substitute Charlie Colkett to complete his hat-trick and book Chelsea's place in the Fourth Round where they'll meet Sheffield Wednesday.
The Fourth Round Draw
1 Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham
2 Barnsley or Newcastle United v Sunderland
3 Leeds United or Reading v Bristol Rovers or Crewe Alexandra
4 Leicester City or Rotherham United v Burnley or Manchester United
5 Swansea City or Oxford United v Cardiff City
6 Bradford City or Millwall v Bolton Wanderers or Sheffield United
7 Southampton v Nottingham Forest or Charlton Athletic
8 Accrington Stanley v Bristol City or Brentford
9 Everton v Cheltenham Town or Birmingham City
10 West Bromwich Albion v Huddersfield Town
11 Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday
12 Blackpool or Liverpool v Aston Villa
13 Derby County v Stoke City
14 Manchester City or Doncaster Rovers v AFC Bournemouth or Hereford United
15 Crawley Town or Watford v Norwich City
16 Hull City or Peterborough United v Arsenal
Ties to be played by Saturday 25 January 2014.
