“David Beckham is shaking” - Mauricio Pochettino compares Chelsea star’s free-kick ability to Manchester United legend

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has praised Raheem Sterling for his free-kick goal against Preston North End. The Blues put four past Preston on January 6, during their FA Cup third-round clash, with Sterling converting the direct set-piece.

Praising the goal, Pochettino said:

"That is the quality, you can practice all day, every day but after is to take and score. To be honest, we practice but it's not special practice for him. That's about his quality."

The Chelsea boss added with a touch of humor:

"I told him when we finished the game, 'David Beckham is shaking' because he will take the record from David."

For the record, David Beckham has 18 free-kick goals in the Premier League. He holds the top spot with West Ham United's James Ward-Prowse in second place, with 17 free-kick goals. Raheem Sterling has netted a total of three free-kick goals in his career across competitions.

Here is a video of Pochettino's comments:

Chelsea's dominant 4-0 win is a good start to the new year

The Blues have struggled once again this season but a clinical second-half display put all worries to rest in their FA Cup match against Preston. After a poor first half, Pochettino's men came out with a more clinical attitude to win the game.

Armando Broja opened the scoring with a beautiful glancing header from a Malo Gusto cross. Second-half sub Thiago Silva converted Cole Palmer's corner with a free header in the near post to put Chelsea 2-0 up in the game.

Palmer won a free kick in the 69th minute of the game, which was then beautifully converted by Raheem Sterling. Enzo Fernandez added a fourth goal in the 85th minute to complete the rout.

Chelsea are next in action in the Carabao Cup semifinals, where they will face Middlesborough at the Riverside Stadium on January 9.