Willian shines as Chelsea beat Hull City 4-0 in FA Cup fifth round
Willian's brace ensured that Chelsea secured a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup courtesy of a resounding 4-0 victory over visitors Hull City at Stamford Bridge yesterday evening.
Heading into a vital Champions League clash with Barcelona next week, Antonio Conte's charges produced a clinical performance on home soil that also saw Olivier Giroud open his account for the club.
Chelsea got off to the perfect start as they all but tore up any plans Nigel Adkins might have had for his side, Willian cutting inside to bend a standout finish into the far corner beyond a stranded David Marshall after just two minutes.
The visitors offered very little going forward in the first half and the Blues added their second in the 27th minute, this time as Giroud and Cesc Fabregas combined to release Pedro in behind, who made no mistake when converting one-on-one with Marshall.
Fabregas proved invaluable throughout the first period as he took control of the midfield. His efforts were matched by Giroud when creating up top and the Frenchman was central to Chelsea's third, this time feeding Willian who produced another fantastic finish from outside of the box to make it 3-0.
The contest was arguably over just before the break, as Giroud capped off a standout first-half showing by securing his first goal for the club with a deft finish following some adroit work from debutant Emerson Palmieri on the left flank.
Hull were much improved after the break and they were offered a lifeline when Fabregas brought down Harry Wilson inside the area, only for David Meyler to see the eventual spot kick kept out by Willy Caballero.
The Tigers created few chances and when Nouha Dicko eventually broke through he was soon denied by Caballero, who made a second important save of the night to keep out the visitors.
Willian might have returned to secure a deserved hat-trick at the death, but he was denied having seen his curling shot from distance beat the keeper before cannoning back off the post.
Victory for the Blues now sees them head into a crucial European encounter against Barcelona with the confidence of back-toback wins in all competitions and a place in the sixth round of the English showpiece.
As for Adkins and his Tigers, Hull return to the Championship aiming to stave off a potential relegation scrap when they face Middlesbrough on Tuesday.
Reintegrated Mahrez helps Leicester into FA Cup quarters
Back in favor at Leicester, Riyad Mahrez helped the team reach the FA Cup quarterfinals by resuming his lethal partnership with Jamie Vardy on Friday.
Vardy earned Leicester a 1-0 win over second-tier Sheffield United in the fifth round by looping a header into the net off a cross from Mahrez, who was starting for the first time since the collapse of his move to Manchester City last month.
Chelsea also advanced against opposition from the League Championship, beating Hull 4-0 with Willian scoring twice and Olivier Giroud netting his first goal since joining from Arsenal.
Mahrez spent more than a week in self-imposed exile after Leicester denied him a transfer to the English Premier League leader at the end of the January transfer window.
He began his reintegration by going on as a substitute last weekend — coincidentally in a league match against Man City — and was given an ovation by Leicester fans when substituted in injury time on Friday.
Vardy and Mahrez linked up to devastating effect when Leicester stunned the soccer world by winning the Premier League in 2016.
In that season, Vardy set a record by scoring in 11 straight league games and the England striker is on another run, having scored in five straight games in all competitions.
Chelsea scored all of its goals in the first half against injury-hit Hull. Both of Willian's goals were scored from outside the area and came off passes by Giroud, whose goal was a neat near-post finish off a cross from debutant Emerson Palmieri.
Pedro Rodriguez was Chelsea's other scorer.
Chelsea reached the quarterfinals for the 12th time in 17 seasons.
The rest of the fifth round takes place from Saturday to Monday, with the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham still involved. League Two
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