Mauricio Pochettino claims 'David Beckham is shaking' after Raheem Sterling's stunning free-kick in Chelsea's 4-0 FA Cup win over Preston… as the Blues star scores the second set-piece strike of the season

Mauricio Pochettino claimed 'David Beckham is shaking' after Raheem Sterling scored a stunning free-kick against Preston.

The England international stepped up and fired a fierce effort into the top corner in Chelsea's 4-0 win over the Championship side.

It was Sterling's second goal from a direct free-kick this season, following a similar strike in their 4-1 Premier League defeat to Newcastle in November.

And Chelsea boss Pochettino was quick to praise the 29-year-old for his dead-ball ability.

Pochettino said: 'I said to him when we finished the match: “David Beckham is shaking”, because he will take over David's record.

The Blues striker stepped up and fired a shot into the top corner against Preston

Afterwards, Sterling's manager was quick to make comparisons with David Beckham

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'That's the quality, you can practice all day, every day, but after that it's all about taking and scoring.

“To be honest, we do practice, but it's not special training for him. That's about his quality.'

Sterling's only other free-kick of his career came during a match against Crystal Palace for Man City in January 2021.

According to Premier League statistics, Beckham scored 18 free-kicks during his top-flight career, the most in the competition's history. West Ham's James Ward-Prowse looks most likely to break the record as he is at 17.

In the Premier League this season, Sterling managed to score five goals and provide three assists. He is flourishing in Chelsea's struggling side and has looked good all season.

The Blues were able to put their recent troubles behind them as they cruised to a 4-0 win over the Championship side.

Armando Broja, Thiago Silva and Enzo Fernandez were all also on the scoresheet as Pochettino's side headed into the round.

After the match, Pochettino also praised Broja as one of the most promising young strikers in Europe after his goal set up the win.

“It was very important to him,” he said. “I have to be honest: he has to use this kind of game to score, feel the net and improve.

Sterling's previous goal was also a free-kick, which came during a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was quick to praise his players after the win

'Improve not only his fitness, but also his body language. He needs to step up, move forward and get moving. He needs to smile more and be more positive.

'The potential is great. We are talking about one of the young strikers in England and Europe with the most potential. But the problem now is that he has to push himself, and we're going to try to help him realize that it's never enough.

'He was away (injured) for almost a year and now he obviously needs time. It is not easy for him to perform and be at the level we expect. Our expectations are high and we really believe in him. We're going to push him to get better every day.

'I told him: smile. We always joke about how he should smile, laugh, put more good energy into himself and be happier, a happy boy.”