CHELSEA YAPIGA MTU 4-0

Not for the first time this year, a cup tie ended with a Chelsea star offering profuse dressing-room apologies to a wounded teenager.

At Swansea it was Eden Hazard offering his hand to a ball-boy he had kicked in the ribs. At Stamford Bridge it was David Luiz saying sorry to Jake Reeves for slamming the 19-year-old into a state of concussion with a needless body-check.

Luiz was booked and Brentford finished the game with 10 men but it did not influence the outcome.

Pulling the trigger: Juan Mata shoots to score Chelsea's opening goal against Brentford

Match facts

Chelsea: Cech,Ivanovic,Cahill,Terry,Cole,Luiz,
Lampard (Bertrand 80),Oscar,Mata (Benayoun 76), Moses (Hazard 65),Ba.

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Ramires,Torres, Azpilicueta.

Booked: Ivanovic, Luiz.

Goals: Mata 54, Oscar 68, Lampard 71, Terry 81.

Brentford: Moore, Logan, Craig, Dean, Bidwell, Adeyemi, Diagouraga (Reeves 73), Douglas, Forshaw (Saunders 78),Donaldson,
Trotta (Forrester 56).

Subs Not Used: Lee, Barron, Hodson, Hayes.

Att: 40,961

Ref: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).

Chelsea were 4-0 up by this point and coasting towards their  reward of a fifth-round trip to Middlesbrough, having finally shaken off their persistent League One neighbours.

Juan Mata broke the deadlock in the 54th minute of this fourth-round replay, before Oscar, Frank  Lampard and John Terry swiftly rattled in three more to give the illusion that this had been a  Sunday lunchtime stroll. It wasn’t quite without hiccup for the Blues, but they had a far better grip on this game than they ever did on the original tie at Griffin Park, where they were twice behind and within seven minutes of an embarrassing exit until Fernando Torres salvaged a 2-2 draw.

Chelsea have won four out of the last six FA Cup finals and although interim manager Rafa Benitez insists a top-four finish is his priority, everyone knows owner Roman Abramovich, watching his team for the first time in a month, likes a silver pot on the shelf come May.

On their way: Mata's goal broke Brentford's brave resistance at Stamford Bridge

Such spirit and determination has not always been in evidence for the Blues this season. Five trophies have eluded them already and the Barclays Premier League title appears well beyond them, but they are fighting to defend this one.

‘It was a physical game,’ said Brentford manager Uwe Rosler. ‘We gave it all and we forced them to give it all to beat us.’

Gary Cahill set the tone with  a nasty challenge on Jonathan Douglas. A free-kick had already been given against Douglas for  lifting a boot near Mata’s head, but as the whistle sounded Cahill was lunging into a tackle which took the Brentford skipper out above the ankle.

For referee Neil Swarbrick it was not even worth a booking. Rosler, as with the Luiz body-slam,  had no complaints and Benitez insisted these were ‘normal tackles,  especially in a cup competition’.

Douglas did not dispute it either. He carried on without fuss, in  contrast to Ashley Cole, who yelped and collapsed in a heap when barely caught on the arm by  Shaleum Logan minutes later.

Chelsea nerves were becoming frayed. They had dominated the opening half and squandered some excellent chances. Oscar hit a post after a slick move featuring a neat touch from Victor Moses. Lampard volleyed wide before the break and was denied by a splendid save from Simon Moore after the restart.

Cheeky: Oscar (right) shoots and scores his goal with a back flick against Brentford and celebrates (below)

Brentford were restricted to long-range efforts by Adam Forshaw, but they did have the ball in the net, six minutes before the interval.

Forshaw was tripped by Luiz as he darted into the penalty box and referee Swarbrick gave the foul as the ball spilled for Marcello Trotta, who slotted it past Petr Cech.

The goal was ruled out and play brought back to the free-kick, which led to nothing.

‘On a better day the referee could have waited a few seconds and we could have been 1-0 up,’ said Rosler. ‘That is what you need when you are massive underdogs. You have to have an extremely good day when you come to Chelsea. We needed the margins on our side and they weren’t.’

Two goals in 15 second-half  minutes stunned Brentford. First Mata seized on a loose ball after Harlee Dean, under pressure from Demba Ba, had been unable to clear a long punt from Cech, and lashed in from 25 yards his 17th goal of the season.

Record breaker: Frank Lampard is now Chelsea's top scorer in the FA Cup

Oscar, the game’s outstanding player, then converted a cross by Branislav Ivanovic with a flick which meandered along a charmed path into goal past Logan’s outstretched leg, under Moore’s dive and in off Dean’s toe on the line.Then Lampard and Terry scored the goals which delighted Chelsea fans. Lampard struck his 199th for the club, volleying home Mata’s cross 19 minutes from time.

Three more and he will be level with Bobby Tambling, the club’s record goalscorer. ‘Roman, sign him up,’ sang fans in the Matthew Harding Stand.

Getting closer: Frank Lampard peels away after scoring his 199th goal for Chelsea

Abramovich giggled and sank deeper into the insulation of his Champions League coat but chose not to pull his hands from his pockets when the ground rose again to cheer Lampard from the pitch, just before Terry headed a fourth.

Chelsea’s skipper scored at the back post from Oscar’s cross and later vowed to fight for his place.

‘The manager knows me and I want to play,’ said Terry. ‘I’ve been out for two or three months and others have been doing well.’

Finishing touch: John Terry heads home at the far post to complete the scoring

Benitez will probably reveal who he considers his strongest central defensive pair against Manchester City on Sunday. Before then,  Chelsea will attempt to defend their 1-0 lead against Sparta Prague.

Brentford return to League One and Rosler expects Reeves will no longer be seeing stars by the time Walsall arrive on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2280021/Chelsea-4-Brentford-0-match-report.html#ixzz2LDzOWlqg
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Monday, February 18, 2013