Chelsea cruised into the quarter finals of the FA Cup as they crushed a youthful Manchester City side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Goals from Diego Costa, Willian, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and Bertrand Traore gave the champions this massive win, one which ended City’s hopes of winning four trophies this term.
Guus Hiddink named an unchanged side from Tuesday night’s defeat in Paris, as he looked to send a team out to attack. That left Nemanja Matic out again, after he was suspended on Tuesday. There was another chance for Hazard, despite his poor performance against PSG. As for Man City, they made plenty of changes, as they face a Champions League trip to Ukraine in midweek.
The difference in team selections was evident from the start, as the hosts dominated the early stages. It took them a little longer than they’d have liked to take the lead, as they made the breakthrough 35 minutes in. Hazard started a lot better here than he did in Paris, and it was the Belgian’s ball in that Costa headed home.
It took just 94 seconds for City to equalise, however, as their young stars found a way to goal. Kelechi Iheanacho put the ball across the six yard box and 18-year-old David Faupala scored. It was a big moment for the young forward, and it seemed to boost morale within in the City camp. The two sides went in level at the break, despite the Blues controlling the game.
Chelsea quickly took control of the game early in the second half, as Willian put the Blues ahead three minutes after the restart. A lung-busting run from the Brazilian started the breakaway, and he played a one-two with Hazard before firing a low shot past Willy Caballero.
Hiddink’s men took complete control of the game five minutes later, as Cahill hit a third goal for the Blues. Once again, Hazard was the man who supplied the ball in, but was cleared out of the box. The ball fell to Cahill, and he took a touch and powered a shot home from 20 yards. Caballero could have done better, but the defender would have been delighted.
Having played a part in four goals, Hazard scored the fourth with just over 20 minutes to go. He dribbled to the edge of the box, before being hauled down by Martin Demichelis. The playmaker stepped up to hit the free kick himself, and his tame effort curled into the bottom corner, with Caballero once again at fault.
The goalkeeper did save a penalty from Oscar, coming after a harsh decision. After scoring in the fourth round, Traore hit the fifth here as his unorthodox header looped over Caballero.
Chelsea now face a tricky trip to Goodison Park in the quarter finals, which comes just days after the return leg against PSG in the Champions League. For Hiddink, things are progressing pretty well in both cups right now.
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