The Blues had to be patient as they approached half-time with the game still goalless after Christopher Nkunku saw his penalty saved by Morecambe goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne.

However, our dominance finally paid off on 39 minutes, albeit in slightly fortuitous circumstances, as Tosin Adarabioyo’s long-range effort beat Burgoyne courtesy of a heavy deflection.

Nkunku then added a second goal five minutes into the second half before Tosin scored an exceptional third with 20 minutes remaining.

Joao Felix grabbed two impressive finishes of his own in the space of three minutes to complete the rout and ensure Chelsea are still in the hat for the draw on Sunday evening.

Maresca said: ‘It was a good afternoon in terms of we won, which is important, and the performance in these types of games is about showing how serious and professional you are and once again the players showed that.’

Tosin’s second goal was one of the standout moments of the afternoon, as the centre-back expertly curled a 25-yard strike into the top corner.

Maresca said: ‘It was a picture of the game as most of the time he was the only one with that amount of space because all the rest, they were man-to-man around the box so he was the one who could carry the ball and try that option so we are happy for him.’

The Italian continued: ‘He can do that but as a central defender you struggle to see them on the edge of the box attacking. But when you arrive there, we have to try that type of solution.

‘Also, Axel Disasi tried a few times so that shows our central defenders were on the edge of their box and that is a good thing.’

One of the many impressive displays came from Academy graduate Tyrique George.

The 18-year-old grabbed a couple of assists and was a constant outlet on the left flank, continually looking to take on his man and create for his team-mates.

‘Tyrique was good,’ Maresca said. ‘Tyrique is doing well for us. He has already played some games for us in the Conference League. He is the same age as Josh Acheampong so is very young but hopefully we can give them more chances and they can become an important part of this team.’