Troubled Chelsea into FA Cup semis; Arsenal wins in league

No matter the opponent, no matter the competition, Chelsea’s players are managing to maintain their on-field focus amid a troubling period for the club.

It’s now six straight wins since Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich announced he’d be selling the London club, with Chelsea swatting aside secondtier Middlesbrough in a 2-0 win to reach the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday.

Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech scored the first-half goals that were celebrated by a smallerthan-normal pocket of visiting fans inside the Riverside Stadium. In light of the economic sanctions placed on Abramovich by the British government for his close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine, Chelsea was only able to take around 700 supporters for the match in the northeast.

The disparity in backing didn’t make a difference, with Middlesbrough’s ambitions of following up victories over Premier League teams Manchester United and Tottenham in the earlier rounds quickly snuffed out.

And so concluded another turbulent week for Chelsea, which advanced in the Champions League on Wednesday — setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Real Madrid — before a deadline passed Friday for bids to buy the club from Abramovich and end his 19-year ownership.

Given the doubts over their futures, Chelsea’s players are showing remarkable professionalism and application.

No little skill, too, with both of the goals being length-of-the-field moves that started with Chelsea’s ball-playing defenders beating Middlesbrough’s high press.

The first ended with Ziyech setting free Mason Mount, whose low cross from the right was tapped home by Lukaku in the 15th minute.