Chelsea stay on road to double after seeing off battling Wolves
It was Carlo Ancelotti who won the Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season in charge of Chelsea, an achievement that did not save him from the axe one year later. Seven years on from that triumph another Italian general at the club has his eye on both prizes.
Antonio Conte’s team did not exactly cruise through to the FA Cup quarterfinals against a side now 19th in the Championship, 39 places behind them in the league hierarchy, but even with extensive changes to the team they still saw it out.
A goal from Pedro in the second half was enough to set them on their way, but in a month when the proverbial giant-killings have looked like they could turn into an epidemic, Chelsea’s FA Cup life never really looked in doubt.
Diego Costa capped another epic performance leading the line for his team against an uncompromising defence by pouncing on a loose ball in the 89th minute and drilling in a second. They had to fight all the way against a Wolves team who never gave an inch but were eventually overwhelmed by the quality of the Premier League leaders, and there is no shame in that.
It was the end of a magical Cup run for Wolves in front of a crowd of 30,193, the biggest in the stadium since its latest redevelopment. Molineux broke into applause after Costa’s goal put the outcome beyond doubt, the reaction to a brave team performance.
Wolves eliminated Stoke City and Liverpool on their way to the last 16 of the competition but Conte’s Chelsea are a completely different proposition.
“It will be a hell of a team that stops them winning both trophies,” said Paul Lambert, the Wolves manager. “They have a top manager who played the game and understands the emotions on and off the pitch. They are relentless.”
Conte made seven changes from the side who drew with Burnley, with John Terry and Cesc Fabregas making their first starts since the previous FA Cup round against Brentford.
“It is not easy when you don’t play every game,” Conte said. “John and Cesc show me every day in training their commitment. It is great to have these kind of players in my squad. I know I can count on my players in every moment.”
He praised Wolves’ “good organisation and good character” and, asked about non-League Lincoln City’s achievement in reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals, he essayed a genuflection. “It is incredible. In Italy it would be impossible for this to happen. It shows that anything can happen if you trust in your work and have a great will to fight.”
Conte said he had warned his players beforehand about the dangers of being part of another FA Cup shock but there is not much about this Chelsea team that suggests they are complacent. Results elsewhere in the Championship meant that Wolves slipped a place downwards and the anticipation of Friday’s game against Birmingham City, five places ahead of them in 14th, was already occupying the minds of the supporters.
“There are lots of good things going on at this club,” Lambert said. “It was great that one of the [Chinese] owners was here to see what this club could be like if we got into the Premier League.”
With an impressive number of academy boys in the first team and on the bench, the standout performer for the home team was the Portugal Under-21 Helder Costa, their £13 million record signing, who sought out his namesake Diego at the final whistle for a shirt exchange.
Wolves’ level of aggression was high and there was plenty of determined tracking and tackling and chipping away at the Chelsea midfield. At the back, the two centre-halves Danny Batth and Kortney Hause gave Costa no quarter, and he accepted their challenge gladly.
Their best chance came when Kurt Zouma failed to clear a cross properly and the ball sat up nicely for George Saville on the edge of the area. Perhaps the former Chelsea academy boy had too long to choose his spot and he hit a left-footed half-volley that came off Asmir Begovic’s right post. Even then the ball dropped for Andreas Weimann, but he could not get any control over what turned out to be a wild shot.
Lambert was angry that referee Jonathan Moss did not give Weimann a penalty later in the first half when Willian barged into him in the area but on balance it was the right call and in the aftermath the Wolves manager had no complaints on that score.
Wolves’s Costa had just ghosted past Pedro on the right wing minutes before the Spain international scored for Chelsea. It was a well-worked goal, with Diego Costa chasing the ball down into the corner and retrieving it for Eden Hazard. The Belgian, quiet up until then, got it back to Willian on the right who picked out the unmarked Pedro perfectly for a headed goal.
Conte brought on César Azpilicueta for Pedro shortly afterwards and deployed the Spanish defender on the left side of his back three, in order to deal with Helder Costa. N’Golo Kanté came on, too, and he made the opening for the second goal, the ball going to Fabregas and then on to Costa to finish.
There had been other chances, too, for Chelsea as Wolves went for the equaliser but there was no shame in this defeat because not many will find a way to beat Chelsea.