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Chelsea fans hail Raheem Sterling's 'insane' free-kick in 4-0 FA Cup thumping of Preston... as the Blues star is compared to Barcelona legend Lionel Messi

Chelsea star Raheem Sterling has received much praise from the club's fans for his superb free-kick in his side's 4-0 FA Cup third round win against Preston North End.

Sterling found the net from just outside the area with an excellent effort in the 69th minute to put his side 3-0 ahead.

Armando Broja, Thiago Silva and Enzo Fernandez also managed to get on the scoresheet as Mauricio Pochettino's team prevailed.

It was Sterling's goal - his seventh of the season in all competitions - which captured the most attention.