First goal for Loftus-Cheek as Chelsea ease through

Chelsea 2 Scunthorpe 0

Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored his first goal for Chelsea as they eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Diego Costa, who limped off late on, put them ahead on 13 minutes when he got in front of defender Scott Laird to nudge home Branislav Ivanovic’s right-wing cross – his fourth goal in three matches.

And Loftus-Cheek, on as a half-time substitute, doubled the lead with a composed left-footed finish after the 19-year-old midfielder had been found by Cesar Azpilicueta’s low cross.

League One side Scunthorpe caused the Premier League champions some problems and should arguably have been awarded a penalty early in the second half.

Kevin van Veen ran at the Chelsea defence and tumbled after being clipped by Ramires right on the edge of the box, but referee Craig Pawson waved away the visitors’ appeals for a spot-kick.

Loftus-Cheek’s 68th-minute goal eased any anxiety around Stamford Bridge, but Scunthorpe battled on and went close to scoring when Van Veen fired a free-kick into the side netting.

There was cause for concern for Chelsea in the final minutes when Costa went off after seeming to suffer a knock to his knee.

And Jordan Clarke almost pulled a goal back for the Iron with a thunderous shot from the right-hand edge of the penalty area which struck the post.