Manchester : Chelsea defeated Scunthorpe 2-0 , while Manchester United struggled to win 1-0 against Sheffield Unied to advance to the fourth round of FA Cup . Premier League struggler Swansea was humbled in a 3-2 loss against fourth-tier Oxford on Sunday for the first big shock in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Blues endured a third-round humiliation at the hands of lower-league opposition in Bradford last season but had no problems 12 months on, beating Scunthorpe 2-0 through goals by Diego Costa and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Apart from Swansea four Premier League teams were eliminated on Saturday, but only after losing to fellow top-flight sides.
Chelsea remained unbeaten under Guus Hiddink, who took over until the end of the season after Jose Mourinho’s firing last month, but it wasn’t a convincing performance by the seven-time FA Cup winners.
Under pressure from two defenders, Costa turned in Branislav Ivanovic’s right-wing cross for the 13th-minute opener. Loftus-Cheek, a halftime substitute, ended Scunthorpe’s resistance in the 68th.
Hiddink guided Chelsea to the FA Cup title in 2009, also as an interim manager.
Wayne Rooney scored a last-minute penalty as Premier League giants Manchester United labored past Sheffield United 1-0 at Old Trafford to reach the fourth round of FA Cup.