Man City 0-2

Independent:

Manchester City capitalise on Frank Lampard's missed penalty for Chelsea

Manchester City 2 Chelsea 0
Andy Hampson

Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez took advantage of a rare Frank Lampard penalty miss to fire Manchester City to their first Barclays Premier League win in a month.
Lampard was a kick away from his 200th Chelsea goal when he lined up a second-half spot-kick at the Etihad Stadium but Joe Hart, who stayed on after fouling Demba Ba, saved from his England team-mate.
Yaya Toure made Chelsea pay with a fine finish from inside the area and substitute Tevez made victory certain with a long-range effort late on.
The result reduced Manchester United's lead at the top of the table to 12 points but, perhaps more importantly with the title drifting away, increased City's advantage over third-placed Chelsea to seven.
Both managers had gone into the game under considerable pressure but City boss Roberto Mancini ended it far happier than Chelsea counterpart Rafael Benitez, who suffered more abuse from fans.
Benitez again put Fernando Torres and John Terry on the bench as he looked to drag City into a battle for second place, also restoring Lampard and Ba among six changes.
City were again without captain Vincent Kompany but Mancini opted to flood midfield by handing Jack Rodwell only his third City start with Sergio Aguero alone up front.
He was rewarded with a superb performance from Rodwell, who fully justified his inclusion as he attempts to ignite his City career after injury troubles.
He played a part in a positive start by City, who had their first shot within 40 seconds as Yaya Toure took aim from the edge of the area but Petr Cech saved easily.
City controlled possession with David Silva looking to pull the strings, Yaya Toure getting forward at every opportunity and Rodwell making several powerful runs.
It was some time before Chelsea threatened, but after initially being beaten, Kolo Toure recovered well to cut off Ba's counter-attack.
Despite their early dominance, it was 15 minutes before City really tested Cech as Matija Nastasic went forward for a corner but the goalkeeper dealt with the Serbian's powerful header.
Rodwell had a shot blocked by Gary Cahill and Silva played in Aguero but the Argentinian overran the ball.
Lampard, looking to reach that double century by scoring for a fourth successive Premier League game, had his first sight of goal from a 30-yard free-kick but blazed well over.
The game became scrappy as Chelsea tried to regain some control and Ramires was booked for a late challenge on Yaya Toure.
City continued to look the more creative and another good chance came as Aguero pulled back a James Milner cross and Pablo Zabaleta's powerful volley was headed away by Cahill.
Rodwell then tested Cech twice in just over a minute, first forcing the keeper to tip over a powerful 25-yard drive and then heading into his arms from the resulting corner.
City went into the second half with the same determination but Aguero's acrobatic volley from Silva's cross went well wide.
The game's pivotal moment came in the 50th minute as City switched off at the back and Ba raced on to a long ball from deep.
Ba shrugged off Kolo Toure and clipped the ball past the out-rushing Hart but was brought down as he got tangled in the goalkeeper's legs.
Referee Andre Marriner immediately pointed to the spot but importantly felt Ba was just moving away from goal and did not show Hart a card.
Hart made the most of the reprieve to earn instant redemption by saving from Lampard, who had scored his last 10 spot-kicks, low to his right.
He was in action again seconds later to deal with the resulting corner and City set about making sure Chelsea paid for missing their chance.
Surprisingly, Mancini opted to replace the influential Rodwell with Tevez but the resulting change in shape gave Chelsea more to think about.
The game opened up as Aguero raced through from a Milner pass and chipped just over before Ramires almost exposed Kolo Toure on the counter at the other end.
City made the decisive breakthrough just after the hour.
Milner found Silva in the box with a clever reverse pass and his pull-back found Yaya Toure on the edge of the area.
The Ivorian still had much to do but his first two touches took out two defenders and gave him space to curl a superb low finish beyond Cech and in at the far post.
Chelsea made a double change in response with Lampard, after a frustrating game by recent standards, making way along with Eden Hazard for Victor Moses and Oscar.
The changes did not bear fruit and it was not long before Torres was introduced for Mikel.
But it was City's substitute Tevez who made the most dramatic impact, putting the game beyond the visitors with a superb strike from outside the area five minutes from time.

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Guardian:

Yaya Touré drives Manchester City to victory over Chelsea

Jamie Jackson at Etihad Stadium

The good news for Manchester City is that they closed the gap to Manchester United back to 12 points with this win. The bad tidings are that another round of matches is now chalked off and with 11 matches left Sir Alex Ferguson's team show no sign of taking their feet off the champions' throat.
As United coast past their latest obstacle – as they did in the 2-0 win at QPR – City continue to scramble results and appear nothing like the threshing machine of last season. They had to survive a rare Frank Lampard miss from the penalty spot – courtesy of Joe Hart's save – before Yaya Touré and Carlos Tevez confirmed a deserved win against a Chelsea side that lacked fluency.
The dream of retaining the title was moribund but Roberto Mancini's men could not countenance going down whimpering. City had to defeat Chelsea to start clawing back the points margin to a more respectable one.
Their strategy was the one that has misfired for much of the campaign: get David Silva on the ball and let him spy the hidden angles to slip in a team-mate for the finish. The afternoon turned out to be one of the few occasions the Spaniard was in touch with his muse. On several occasions he flitted around the Etihad turf to unlock a Chelsea rearguard that was competitive but lacked the second sight required when Silva is on his game.
On 16 minutes Pablo Zabaleta, the captain in Vincent Kompany's absence, drove down the right and sent over a ball in Sergio Agüero's direction that was cleared. From the ensuing play Silva popped up on the other flank and threaded a pass to Yaya Touré. The Ivorian, playing in the "hole" with Jack Rodwell picked in his holding midfield role, saw his shot deflected off Branislav Ivanovic.
A corner followed and, when Rodwell gained possession, his turn-and-shot was blocked before Agüero was put in by Silva, who collected the ball after David Luiz's pass to Mikel John Obi fell short. But the Argentinian, having beaten Petr Cech, overran the ball.
Before the interval City's other chances were a Zabaleta shot inadvertently stopped by Touré and a 25-yard Rodwell effort that warmed Cech's fingers.
Though Rodwell – outstanding until his removal after the break – was also a threat from several Silva corners and when making late runs into the area, at half-time Rafael Benítez might have told his side to be more direct.
Twice Lampard had profited from this ploy on the City left during the first half and, when they won a penalty seven minutes into the second period, it was from a quickly hit diagonal from Ivanovic to Ba. As the striker raced at goal he eluded Kolo Touré before Hart went to challenge him. He tried to pull out but there was contact so Andre Marriner pointed to the spot. Yet Lampard's kick was saved impressively by the goalkeeper and Kolo Touré scrambled it away for a corner.
Hart's effort roused his team-mates. Silva, again, was the conductor-in-chief. His ball over the top was controlled by Agüero, though the touch took him wide and Gary Cahill was able to get a leg in the way. Milner was next up when his pass put Agüero in again but this time his chip over Cech was aimed too high.
When City finally took the lead it was after Ramires had spurned a golden chance to open the scoring. Put clear by Ivanovic he dawdled in the home area, allowing Kolo Touré to snuff out the danger.
As play moved down the other end, it was the defender's brother who stepped up to score a fifth league goal this season. Milner fed Silva in the Chelsea area and the Spaniard knocked the ball into Yaya Touré, who ghosted past Mikel and found the far corner of Cech's goal with the keeper partially unsighted by Cahill.
Carlos Tevez, on for Rodwell, confirmed the result late on with a firm finish after smooth link-up play from Agüero and the continually impressive Silva.
This had been Rodwell's first start due to disruptive hamstring problems since the 3-1 win here over Queens Park Rangers on 1 September and Mancini was pleased. "He played very well," he said. "After his minutes he was tired and for this reason we changed him but he did very well and I'm very happy for him."

Man of the match David Silva (Manchester City)

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Telegraph:

Manchester City 2 Chelsea 0
Chris Bascombe

Those expecting a Roberto Mancini’s title concession speech will have to wait a while longer. Joe Hart, Yaya Toure and Carloz Tevez maintained Manchester City’s slender hopes of catching Manchester United, and - perhaps more significantly given the current state of the table - extended their cushion to Chelsea in second place.
The turning point at The Etihad was Hart’s 51st minute penalty save to deny Frank Lampard.
Hart could have found himself having to explain another error to his manager after he clumsily challenged Demba Ba in the penalty box. Instead, he offered a timely reminder why he is England premier goalkeeper.
Lampard, normally so reliable from the spot, saw his well struck kick pushed away.
City then piled on the pressure and deservedly took the lead thanks to a brilliant individual goal by Toure as he danced his way through a packed Chelsea defence and side-footed past Cech on 63 minutes. A superb second from Tevez late on completed an accomplished second half performance.
The form of Toure, Sergio Aguero and David Silva will offer Mancini hope City may at least end the campaign in form resembling that of champions.
It wasn’t so long ago Chelsea aspired to play like Barcelona. Mancini is under pressure because, it’s believed, City’s Spanish-influenced hierarchy wants the same.First you have to win. Then winning isn’t enough and you have to do so with panache.
Neither of these clubs has done enough of either recently.
The dourness of the opening stages demonstrated the current plight of two teams with seriously compromised ambitions for the rest of this campaign. When the self-preservation of the two managers is the primary focus prior to kick-off, it’s a guarantee of a no risk strategy on the park.
Rafa Benitez’s teams always play to contain and wait for mistakes and not even a fifteen-point gap to Manchester United before kick-off was going to prompt Mancini to look up the phrase ‘gung-ho’ in his coaching dossier.
Aguero began as the sole striker, midfielders invited to support and probe in support, but when Tevez arrived in the second half the game opened up and City found their form.
Jack Rodwell, one of the few City employees seen at The Etihad less than Sheikh Mansour, made his first start since October and did well. Samir Nasri - the ‘fifty percenter’ as he is now known - was on the bench until injury time.
Nasri isn’t the only scapegoat of the season, however. The preference of Kolo Toure’s bulky presence to Joleon Lescott tells the England international where he stands.
For Chelsea, Benitez maintained his policy of rotating captain John Terry, whose lack of pace he finds hard to trust every week. Terry was a sub.
All the initial appetite and ambition was shown by City, Toure’s goalbound strike blocked after just 42 seconds.
Petr Cech’s reflexes were needed to swat away Matija Nastisic’s header after 15 minutes and four minutes later, Aguero was guilty of over indulgence when sent through by Silva. The Argentine’s heavy touch ran the ball of play as he tried to dribble past Cech.
Cech remained the busier keeper before half-time, Rodwell showing plenty of glimpses of the talent that attracted Brian Marwood to his signature last summer.
Chelsea had offered little attacking threat but should have led on 51 minutes when Hart mistimed his run from goal and ran into Ba.
Referee Andre Marriner had no option but to give the penalty, but Hart’s save galvanised City. Mancini finally sent on Tevez to support Aguero on 55 minutes and opportunities began to flow, with Toure’s strike and Tevez’s unstoppable second four minutes from time punishing a limp, soulless Chelsea and ensuring United still have plenty of work to do.

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Mail:

Manchester City 2 Chelsea 0: Hart's heroics put Rafa in firing line as Frank fluffs his lines

By CHRIS WHEELER

After kicking off his pre-match press conference by dropping the F-word, Roberto Mancini began his post-match address by paying tribute to the outgoing Pope.
Life is certainly interesting with the Italian in charge at Manchester City and that is one reason to hope he escapes the axe this summer.
As much as this win will help City to finish ahead of Chelsea in second place, it is unlikely to make any  difference in the Barclays Premier League title race. For that, the deeply religious Mancini still looks as though he will need divine intervention.
Even that eventuality would seem unlikely to save Rafael Benitez, however. Defeat at the Etihad  Stadium means the Spaniard has gained one more point than predecessor Roberto Di Matteo when he was sacked in November, but his team have played three games more.
Although salvation may yet be at hand in the Europa League and FA Cup, it would be a major surprise if the ‘interim’ prefix in his job title is not replaced by the word ‘ex’ this summer.
Benitez’s side deserved what they got here, going down to second-half goals from Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez. They only managed two shots on goal and one of those was Frank Lampard’s penalty seven minutes after half-time, brilliantly saved by Joe Hart. Whether the England goalkeeper should still have been on the pitch is another matter.
He brought down Demba Ba when the Chelsea striker outpaced  a flailing Kolo Toure to reach  Branislav Ivanovic’s long punt  forward just in time to knock it past the keeper.
Referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot but did not even  produce a yellow card.
One goal short of 200 for Chelsea and three off Bobby Tambling’s club record, Lampard would have expected to score having converted  his last 10 penalty attempts.
But Hart second guessed his  England colleague and was already  diving to his right when Lampard drove the ball low towards the corner. There was nothing wrong with the shot but Hart got a hand to the ball and turned it away at full stretch. ‘A crucial moment in the game,’ admitted Benitez.
It was also the perfect riposte from Hart after Mancini had threatened to drop his goalkeeper if he continues to make mistakes. The City boss was still not completely satisfied, however, criticising Toure and Hart for conceding a penalty in the first place.
Mancini took issue with some of his players at the weekend for only giving ‘50 per cent’ but he could have no complaints here.
Apart from a brief spell before half time, they were largely dominant only to come up against a  resolute Chelsea defence led by Gary Cahill. He produced two  magnificent blocks to thwart James Milner and Sergio Aguero and  also headed clear from Pablo Zabaleta’s volley.
Chelsea were opened up on two occasions when Aguero went clear on goal, but he knocked the ball too far past Petr Cech and on the second occasion dinked it on to the roof of the  Chelsea net.
The impressive Jack Rodwell, who played for nearly an hour on his first start since September, also tested the Chelsea keeper with a swerving effort from 25 yards.
Cech was finally beaten in the 63rd minute after David Silva played the ball to Yaya Toure on the edge of the area. John Mikel Obi and Lampard seemed to have the Ivorian covered but Toure swept round them both with ridiculous ease before seeing his right-foot shot take a nick off Cahill’s boot as it curled inside the far post.
Rodwell’s replacement, Tevez, made sure of victory with a  fantastic strike in the 85th minute when Chelsea failed to get the ball from Aguero, following his run down the left, and Silva fed Tevez on the edge of the box.
Again there were two defenders  in attendance but neither Cahill nor Ivanovic closed down the Argentine, who scarcely needed any  backlift to smash the ball between them and beyond a despairing Cech for his first league goal in nine games.
The result could prove crucial in securing second place for City,  leaving Chelsea to battle for the other automatic Champions League spot. Whether that scenario will be enough to save Mancini or Benitez remains to be seen.

Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, K Toure, Nastasic, Clichy, Garcia, Milner, Rodwell (Tevez 53) Silva (Lescott 90), Y Toure, Aguero (Nasri 90).

Subs not used: Pantilimon, Dzeko, Sinclair, Kolarov.
Goals: Y Toure 61, Tevez 85
Booked: Zabaleta, Kolo Toure, Rodwell

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Mikel (Torres 81), Lampard (Oscar 67), Ramires (Moses 67) Mata, Hazard, Ba.

Subs not used: Turnbull, Oscar, Terry, Azpilicueta, Bertrand.
Booked: Ramires

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Attendance: 47,256

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Mirror:

Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea Paying the penalty:
Toure and Tevez punish Lampard spot-kick flop as City beat Chelsea

David McDonnell

Devout Catholic Roberto Mancini thanked outgoing Pope Benedict XVI on his final day at the Vatican.
But no amount of divine intervention may be enough to maintain Manchester City’s status as Premier League champions, despite this deserved and vital victory over Chelsea atthe Eitihad.
Mancini famously went to church on the morning of the final day of last season, his prayers answered by his City’s dramatic title triumph over local rivals Manchester United.
But as impressive as this win was, it served only to trim United’s lead to 12 points, and with City still to travel to Old Trafford, the title race is all but over.
Respectability, in terms of not allowing United to claim the title by an embarrassing points margin, is now City’s aim, despite Mancini’s admirable refusal to concede the inevitable.
With the Blues breathing down their neck in third place, just four points behind at the start of the day, the win also strengthened City’s prospects of cementing second place at the expense of their pursuers.
Having dropped seven points in their previous three Premier League games to hand United a seemingly unassailable lead in the title race, City rediscovered their swagger to devastating effect.
Chelsea’s cautious policy of containment, content to concede possession then hit on the break, was tested early on as City laid siege to the visitors’ goal without success.
Matija Nastasic saw a header saved by Petr Cech, while Jack Rodwell, making only his third start since his £12million move from Everton, was denied by a crucial block from Gary Cahill.
The visitors were content to sit deep, but such a mindset invited City on to them, with Sergio Aguero squandering a chance in the 19th minute, when he rounded Cech but lost control of the ball.
Chelsea’s lack of enterprise was epitomised by Frank Lampard hoofing a 35-yard free-high into the stand midway through the first-half, the effort more Six Nations than Premier League.
There was no let-up from City, whose stand-in skipper Pablo Zabaleta went close to scoring with a spectacular volley in the 39th minute, Cahill rescuing Chelsea once again with a vital headed block.
Rodwell was dominant in central midfield, forcing Cech into a fingertip save over the bar in the 41st minute with a long-range dipping strike.
But the goal City’s pressure deserved continued to elude them, with Rodwell again threatening to score a minute later, his header from a David Silva corner planted straight at Cech.
City began the second half with the same intensity that made them the dominant team in the first 45 minutes.
Two minutes after the restart, Aguero sent an acrobatic volley wide, the skewed effort failing to do justice to the impressive build-up that preceded it between Silva and Yaya Toure.
With City in command there seemed little chance of Chelsea making a breakthrough, yet Benitez’s side were handed an opportunity to do just that when Joe Hart conceded a penalty in the 50th minute.
Demba Ba raced on to Branislav Ivanovic’s long ball and profited from Hart and Kolo Toure’s slow reactions, the former bringing down the Chelsea striker, ref Andre Marriner right to point to the spot.
The Chelsea bench were incensed that Hart was not sent off, their anger compounded moments later when the City keeper saved Frank Lampard’s spot-kick, to deny the midfielder his 200th goal for the Blues.
Aguero went close on two further occasions before the deadlock was broken by Yaya Toure in the 63rd minute, moments after Ramires had fallen over within sight of goal.
Toure displayed a superb first-touch to skip past Lampard and John Obi Mikel and manoeuvre himself into a shooting position before curling a majestic finish beyond Cech.
City made sure of victory five minutes from time when substitute Carlos Tevez planted an unstoppable shot in the top corner for his 11th goal of the season.
With Mancini’s future uncertain, a strong finish in the league – and a potential FA Cup win – will do the Italian’s job prospects no harm at all.

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Sun:

Rob Beasley

MANCHESTER CITY’S fans gave a rousing chorus of ‘Stand up for the champions’.
While they may only be able to do that for another couple of months, their team at least are not throwing in the towel.
Yesterday’s performance and victory proved that.
Roberto Mancini had been critical of some of his players for not kicking on after last season’s title-winning heroics.
It is true they have not touched the imperious periods they enjoyed either end of a dodgy middle in the last campaign.
But they have suffered in the face of an incredible run from Manchester United.
And, in the end, City will look back to a bad week-and-a-half.
That saw them drop seven points with draws against QPR and Liverpool and an awful defeat to Southampton, in a costly spell spanning the end of last month and the beginning of this.
It was a slip-up they simply could not afford as United took maximum points over the same period. But as Mancini pledged yesterday: “We will continue to work.”
Both City and Chelsea still have the carrot of the FA Cup left and in the Londoners’ case, the Europa League too.
A piece of silverware and a top-three place will hardly be a disaster, although a dispirited Chelsea might be more concerned about staying in the top four.
It could have been different for them yesterday had Frank Lampard not blown a chance from the penalty spot after 50 minutes to grab his 200th Chelsea goal and give them the lead.
But credit Joe Hart for a fantastic save.
City went up a gear after that when Mancini switched things around by bringing on an extra striker in Carlos Tevez.
Yaya Toure provided the opener on 63 minutes and Tevez himself added a thumping second five minutes from time. It was no more than City deserved.
They had enjoyed all the pressure and chances in the first half as Chelsea took to packing their penalty area.
Matija Nastasic and City’s forgotten man Jack Rodwell both had powerful close-range headers well saved.
Yaya Toure had a shot deflected over and Sergio Aguero spurned an opportunity when he chose to try and round Blues keeper Petr Cech rather than shoot.
After this pressure — and Chelsea’s negativity — it must have been all the more galling for Mancini to see his side concede a penalty after the break.
City fell asleep when a long ball from Branislav Ivanovic allowed Demba Ba to get away from Kolo Toure.
Ba went to round Hart, who brought the Chelsea striker down and was lucky not to get even a yellow card for the foul.
Up stepped Lampard, seemingly set to edge closer to the Chelsea club record of 202 goals held by Bobby Tambling.
His kick was hard and true towards the bottom corner — but Hart showed why he is the Premier League’s best as he flung himself full-length to his right to palm the ball away.
Hart has received some criticism this season, not least when Mancini revealed he would not be afraid to drop England’s No 1 if he made any more mistakes.
So you could understand the keeper’s screaming celebration after pulling off his crucial, brilliant stop.
That moment seemed to pep up City and the crowd.
Mancini quickly made the key change of bringing on Tevez.
It quickly paid dividends. James Milner found David Silva in the area and the tricky Spaniard held his man off before nipping the ball back for Yaya Toure.
With a duck of his shoulder he sidestepped two Chelsea players then curled a shot past a third — and Cech — into the far bottom corner.
Fantastic stuff from a player who City fans will have been pleased to read wants to finish his career at the club.
The second goal arrived five minutes from time.
Aguero was full of energy and movement all afternoon and his run initially opened things up before he found the sure touch of Silva to tee up Tevez five yards outside the area.
The Argentine had the time to steady the ball with one touch and then, as Ivanovic stood off, he released a scorching drive that flew past the outstretched arm of Blues keeper Cech.
That was goal 11 of the season for him.
After the game, Mancini publicly thanked the Pope for his eight years’ work at the head of the Catholic church.
With United 12 points clear at the top, Mancini will need the departing Pontiff’s boss to turn this title race around.
City fans will continue to hope and pray.

STAR MAN — SILVA (Man City)

MAN CITY: Hart 7, Zabaleta 7, K Toure 7, Nastasic 7, Clichy 7, Garcia 7, Y Toure 8, Rodwell 7 (Tevez 7), Milner 8, Aguero 5 (Nasri 5), Silva 8 (Lescott 5). Subs not used: Pantillimon, Dzeko, Sinclair, Kolarov. Booked: Rodwell, K Toure, Zabaleta.

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Ivanovic 5, Luiz 5, Cahill 6, Cole 6, Mikel 5 (Torres 5), Lampard 5 (Oscar 5), Ramires 5, Hazard 5 (Moses 5), Mata 5, Ba 6. Subs not used: Turnbull, Terry, Azpilicueta, Bertrand. Booked: Ramires.
REF: A Marriner 5

Sparta Prague 1-1

Independent:
Sam Wallace

Eden Hazard saves Chelsea after Torres misfires again
In the competition they never wanted to be in, the fans jeering the manager they never wanted at the club, and despairing at the £50m centre-forward who almost never scores, Chelsea squeezed through to the last 16 of the Europa League with a last-minute goal from Eden Hazard.
The Belgium international was a second-half substitute and his goal prevented the game going into extra-time after Chelsea had conceded before the break to Sparta striker David Lafata scored.
With the tie 1-1 on aggregate following Oscar's away goal in the Czech Republic last week and no Frank Lampard or Demba Ba on the substitutes' bench, it was Hazard who came on to alleviate some pressure on Rafa Benitez.
As for Fernando Torres, it was another collection of misses. He has scored once since Christmas Day, against Brentford in the FA Cup, and on this evidence it was not hard to see why. Chelsea looked for inspiration from Juan Mata, their best player, and he did much good work as his team had attack after attack but could not find a way through a robust Sparta defence.
If Torres had been in the right frame of mind then Chelsea would have been out of sight before that first-half goal from Lafata that lifted Sparta and gave them that glimmer of hope. It sounds almost redundant to say it these days, but in the first half, Torres' confidence in front of goal was so low as to be painful to watch at times. His first chance came on just four minutes when Victor Moses cut the ball back to him and the Chelsea striker hit his shot close enough to goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik for him to save.
He had an even better chance on 11 minutes when Mata's cross from the right just needed gently guiding into the Sparta goal from close range but Torres just could not manage it. He gets close on occasions like this, the problem is that close is not good enough and with every chance missed so the confidence ebbs.
In those opening stages the home side had full control of the game and despite a healthy crowd there was not the high levels of anti-Benitez tension. Then the Sparta goal came and the mood changed to one of quiet despair.
It was well-worked by Sparta who got a ball inside the right-back Cesar Azpilicueta which Vaclav Kadlec retrieved and cut back to the centre-forward Lafata to score. After that the away side rallied and Petr Cech was obliged to save from Tomas Prikryl.
In a midfield without Lampard, a lot of the creative burden fell upon Oscar. Down the left, with Ashley Cole on the bench, Chelsea did look exposed. Nevertheless they should have scored from Mata's volley into the ground which Vaclik did extremely well to save. Then, in the final moments a cross from John Obi Mikel reached Torres in the box and, although the header was not simple, it was chance. It went over.
It got little better for Torres after half-time. He seemed to take away the ball from Ramires in one misunderstanding and later got in the way of a good shot from the same team-mate. There was one excellent feint and burst of acceleration from Torres away from the Sparta defence but bearing down on goal he tried to chip Vaclik, with predictable results.
There was precious little invention from Chelsea and they got more anxious the longer the game went on. Benitez substituted Oscar on 67 minutes, a decision that must have been down to fitness, the young Brazilian was one of the better players. Hazard came on and with no centre-forward on the bench, Benitez had no choice but to stick with Torres.
No Ba and no Lampard meant that there was little Benitez could do to change the game. In the meantime, Sparta had some chances for a second but the late intervention from Hazard came so late that Sparta only had time to kick-off before the Macedonian referee blew for full-time. Benitez lives to fight another day in Europe but it was another uncomfortable evening for him.

Man of the match Mata.
Match rating 7/10.
Referee A Stavrev (Mac).
Attendance 38,642.

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Guardian:

Chelsea sneak past Sparta Prague with dramatic late goal by Eden Hazard

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

The livid chants for José Mourinho to return to these parts went up just after the hour in a contest that had long since degenerated into a slog. Chelsea remain afloat in the Europa League, though everything about their progress beyond Sparta Prague into a meeting with Steaua Bucharest in the last 16 was unconvincing, and the crowd would not be hoodwinked into believing all is rosy. The reigning European champions should not be suffering occasions as excruciating as this.
Eden Hazard's rasping shot from just inside the area, dispatched past a goalkeeper who had excelled all night, salvaged the evening but, where such dramatic last-minute qualification would normally provoke scenes of delirious celebration, the best the locals could muster was relief. Rather they were left to drift away with familiar feelings of dissatisfaction festering over everything from Fernando Torres's brittle form to the fragility in their own defensive ranks, the presence of Rafael Benítez on the touchline to the reality that a tie that should have been a formality had proved so onerous.
Sparta, after all, had succumbed at home in the first leg, are only third in the Czech league and have not played a domestic fixture for two months. They should have been there for the taking. Instead they weathered a brief flurry of early chances, each spurned by Torres, and proceeded to lead for 73 minutes plus two more of stoppage time, forever threatening a second on the counterattack, before Hazard lashed in his late reward. The concession seemed cruel, not least on Tomas Vaclik, who deserved more for the saves he had made en route. Benítez pointed to the opportunities created – "We had 22 attempts and 60% of the possession" – as evidence of home dominance but the progress still seemed fortunate.
Torres's labours summed it up. Twice in the opening exchanges he might have prospered, first side-footing Victor Moses' pass just wide of a post and then cushioning a volley from Juan Mata's delivery on to the roof of the net. Thereafter, his body language was that of a man who did not expect to excel, the ball bouncing off him awkwardly, not least when Ramires hammered a volley goalwards. The header high and wide in first-half stoppage time was dispatched with little conviction. Sometimes it can seem cruel scrutinising a player enduring such a clear crisis of confidence but Chelsea are right to expect goals as well as industry from a player with Torres's curriculum vitae, as well as his £50m price tag.
The Spaniard has changed his haircut, even switched his boot manufacturers, as if searching desperately for that form of old. Yet he has scored only once since Christmas Day, and that against Brentford of League One, which suggests the arrival of Demba Ba last month has done very little to revive him. The Cup-tied Senegalese was supposed to ease the burden but Ba feels increasingly missed when he is unavailable, as he was here. "If Fernando continues working like today and playing like he did today, he will score goals," said Benítez. "I'm convinced about that." Yet it still sounded optimistic, even unbelievable.
When Torres did have a positive effect, nodding on for John Terry, Vaclik produced yet more acrobatics and a fine save to preserve the visitors' early lead. The 23-year-old was outstanding, his best stop conjured just before the interval to deny Mata after he had plucked down a centre, flicked up and spun, then volleyed down and goalwards, only for an outstretched hand to push the attempt on to the roof of the net. Ramires eventually bypassed him by thrashing against a post after Oscar's fine run but Chelsea looked desperate. Oscar was one of their brighter performers and his substitution was greeted with jeers from a disillusioned support, even if it would be Hazard, his replacement, who saved the day.
Sparta were left crestfallen as they saluted their boisterous travelling support at the end. The manager, Vitezslav Lavicka, stressed how proud he was in the aftermath, claiming his team would travel home "with a positive feeling" despite their elimination. Their goal had been cleverly crafted, Lukas Vacha's quick free-kick inside Ramires collected by Václav Kadlec on the run. Gary Cahill tottered over as his own momentum carried him forward and the diminutive forward checked and wriggled back into play in possession, with his pull-back perfect for David Lafata, bursting into the box, to place high into the net with the entire back-line pulled horribly out of position.
They might have added more, Petr Cech denying Tomas Prikryl and both Marek Matejovsky and Kadlec close on the break late on. But this was not to be their night. Chelsea progress with Steaua to come but are still some way off convincing.


======================

Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Sparta Prague 1, agg; 2-1:
By Paul Kelso, Stamford Bridge

Eden Hazard rescued Chelsea’s credibility and Rafael Benítez’s reputation with a late, late equaliser that denied Sparta Prague a famous victory and averted another tremor of instability at Stamford Bridge.
Given the implications of defeat for club and manager it seemed almost incidental that the Belgian’s goal also booked Chelsea’s place in the last 16 of the Europa League, where they will face Steaua Bucharest.
Hazard’s injury-time goal, a loose-ball driven home left-footed from the edge of the box, averted the prospect of extra-time that, on the evidence of what went before, would have been deeply uncomfortable for the home side.
On a night when Fernando Torres again missed a clutch of clear chances to settle the game, this was not the way it was supposed to be for the Champions of Europe. Squeezing past second-rank opposition in Europe’s B-list competition is not what Roman Abramovich had in mind for this season, and for a while even that was in jeopardy.
Sparta led from the 17th minute to the 92nd, and after David Lafata’s opener cancelled out the 1-0 victory Chelsea earned a week ago in Prague, mutiny again stewed inside Stamford Bridge. Thanks to Hazard, however, the manager can enjoy a little more breathing space.
This was the second time in seven days he had cause to thank a substitute for sparing him. A week ago in Prague Oscar settled the game from the bench after a deeply disjointed performance. This time it was Chelsea’s other summer signing, and the goal even more valuable.
Benítez felt Chelsea deserved to progress. “We had two or three chances before they scored, and we knew scoring the first goal would make it difficult for them mentally. But it was the opposite: they scored and we had to manage the anxiety. We made two or three mistakes and gave them opportunities to counter, but we still did enough to deserve to go through.”
A stiffer test against Manchester City in the Premier League at the Emirates awaits on Sunday.
Regaining Champions League status remains the priority for Roman Abramovich, and Sunday’s appointment prompted Benítez to drop Hazard and David Luiz to the bench, and leave out Frank Lampard altogether.
For long periods those actions appeared to have left him exposed as Sparta produced a display of discipline, skill and commitment matched by their magnificent supporters. The 3,000 fans who made the trip to London made a great spectacle in matching blue, orange and red hats also sported by the substitutes. They found their team similarly well-drilled, diligent in defence, quick to counter, and with goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik in exceptional form. After surviving a shaky opening in which Torres should have settled the tie, they went ahead.
Like Torres Lafata is a record January signing, but unlike the Spaniard he has proved an instant hit. His goal, scored as the self-flagellating chants in praise of former manager Roberto Di Matteo stirred in Chelsea throats, earned him hero status.
The goal owed much to Vaclav Kadlec’s determination, the midfielder chasing down Lukas Vacha’s free-kick on Prague’s left flank. Retrieving the ball at the byline he cut it back and Lafata profited from Gary Cahill’s inopportune slip to side-foot past Petr Cech.
The Spartans in the Shed End erupted, as did a furious Benítez in the home technical area. He was again without a coat despite the cold, and his team without excuses.
Most exposed of all was Torres, who managed to miss twice from inside 12 yards in as many minutes. The first saw him opt for precision over power and achieve neither after Victor Moses cut the ball back, only to see it roll wide. The second was worse, a volley from three yards landing on the roof of the net.
With a goal to defend Sparta set about denying Chelsea and making their own chances on the break. The Czech’s came close to extending their lead on the half-hour, Petr Cech forced into action to deny Tomas Prikryl at his near post after the midfielder shot powerfully on the run.
Chelsea pressed in search of an early response but foundered on a Sparta defence well led by Ondrej Prikryl and backed by Vaclik’s safe handling.
The goalkeeper tipped over a first-half shot from Juan Mata and saw a drive from Ramires career back off his near post as Chelsea pressed at the start of the second half.
These efforts brought a rare bout of positivity from the stands, with cries of “Come on Chelsea” heard for the first time in what seemed like months. It did not last long, and the abuse of Benítez returned as he threw on Hazard in place of Oscar.
Prompted by desperation it proved Chelsea’s inspiration. Europa League equalisers were not what Chelsea paid £32 million for, but in the circumstances it was valuable.

===============

Mail:

Chelsea 1 Sparta Prague 1 (agg 2-1): Hazard leaves it late to seal Blues' progression
By Matt Barlow

Another lucky escape or was it another tactical switch of masterful proportions?
The Chelsea faithful are unlikely to give Rafael Benitez the benefit of the doubt but, just as in the first leg of this tie, a late substitute made the difference.
This time it was Eden Hazard who came off the bench, injected urgency and prevented extra time with a brilliant solo goal, bursting past two defenders and beating the Sparta Prague goalkeeper with a ferocious left-footer in the second minute of added time.
Relief washed over Stamford Bridge as the European champions stumbled into the last 16 of the Europa League. They next meet Steaua Bucharest, who put out Ajax on penalties.
The anti-Benitez songs which had erupted in the last half-hour of the game were silenced and the jeers aimed at the interim manager when he sent on Hazard for Oscar, 22 minutes from time, were forgotten.
There was just enough time for Sparta to put the ball on the centre spot and kick off before the referee blew for full time. But if Chelsea truly have designs on winning this competition and becoming the first English club to collect the classic set of all three European trophies, they must improve.
In Prague in the first leg, it was Oscar who came on to win the game 1-0 in the 82nd minute, also with a beautiful goal. It ought to have made last night a formality but Benitez weakened his team with Manchester City on Sunday in mind and Sparta seized the initiative.
The Blues went behind after 17 minutes and nerves took hold. Fernando Torres, starting in the absence of cup-tied Demba Ba, misfired badly once again and suddenly the decision to give Frank Lampard the night off did not look such a smart move. When you are in desperate need of a goal, the man with 199 of them might come in handy.
Ramires came closest to equalising when he hit a post and goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik made a string of wonderful saves but the Czechs had opportunities on the break and two fell to the otherwise splendid Vaclav Kadlec in the final seconds.
Kadlec rolled the first wide, the second was blocked by John Terry and, moments later, Hazard pounced. The visitors sank to their knees and their 3,000 fans — all wearing red, blue and yellow hats in protest at Chelsea’s refusal to let them bring in a big flag — were stunned.
They had glimpsed a famous victory. Chelsea fans were just  finishing a muted version of their regular ode to Roberto Di Matteo in the 16th minute, out of respect for his old shirt number, when the visitors took a quick free-kick and released Kadlec down the left.
Gary Cahill slipped as he tried to intercept the low cross and David Lafata arrived to clip the ball high into the net from 12 yards. The striker is the top scorer in Czech football this season and was playing only his second game for Sparta after a transfer from Jablonec last month. He missed some decent chances in the first leg but made no mistake with this one, registering his first goal for his new team.
After three wins on the spin — albeit against the unheralded opposition of Wigan, Sparta and Brentford — and with all his players available again, Benitez thought a corner had been turned. This,  however, was a bad development.
The visitors grew in confidence. They seemed a little sharper in their second game back after a winter break, better for the first leg.
Petr Cech saved low to his left when Tomas Prikryl capitalised on the space behind Ashley Cole’s left back deputy, Ryan Bertrand. Cech turned the low drive for a corner which was not cleared and Marek Matejovsky arrived late to blaze over.
Chelsea’s early assurance drained away and they were unable to stir the tempo. Ramires, deep in midfield alongside John Mikel Obi, playing his first game for the club since Boxing Day because of Africa Cup of Nations duty, was poor in possession until he found Juan Mata with a good pass into the penalty area just before half-time.
Mata collected the ball on the outside of his left foot and thought he had scored as his volley smacked into the turf and spun towards the corner, but Vaclik clawed it away.
Released by Oscar after the restart, Ramires slammed a shot into a post and Torres was clean through but could not profit. His new adidas boots were having the same problems as the old Nike ones. He has scored once since Boxing Day — against Brentford.
Chelsea dominated the second half. They had 22 attempts in total, according to Benitez, but Vaclik was not easily beaten, saving well from Terry, Victor Moses and a fierce free-kick from Hazard.
Cesar Azpilicueta flashed a 25-yarder wide in the closing minutes and the game was destined for extra time until Hazard appeared.
The last time he hit the headlines in a cup tie, he was kicking a ball-boy in Swansea. This time he reminded us why the best teams in Europe were chasing him last summer, willing to pay £32million.

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST-16 DRAW

Anzhi Makhachkala v Newcastle
Basle v Zenit St Petersburg
Benfica v Bordeaux
Levante v Rubin Kazan
Steaua Bucharest v Chelsea
Stuttgart v Lazio
Tottenham v Inter Milan
Viktoria Plzen v Fenerbahce
Matches to be played March 7 and 14

============

Mirror:

Eden project: Hazard lights up a dull night for Chelsea with a late, late winner
John Cross

Eden Hazard rescued Chelsea from Europa League embarrassment with a stunning injury-time strike.
The Blues’ Belgian supersub's stunning winner deep into injury time spared Fernando Torres' blushes - and probably kept Rafa Benitez in a job.
Torres missed four big chances, which left Benitez enduring a torturous night on the touchline as the Chelsea fans turned on the under-pressure manager yet again.
Benitez said: "We could be talking about Fernando not scoring goals, and he had four chances. But he had four chances.
"Let's turn it into a positive - I've seen him in games not having these chances because he's not in the right position.
"The goalkeeper stopped him and he missed some, but he did a good job for the team, was in the right position. It wasn't the situation where the striker disappeared. He was in the right place at the right time.
"Are we disappointed he didn't score? Yes, we are. But he was still giving his all to the team.
"When we came he was scoring in the first few games, but not now. But I have to take the positives. He was working very hard for the team.
"If he continues working like today and playing like he did today, he will score goals. I'm convinced about that.
"I'm really pleased with the result. I'd prefer to score two goals and be more relaxed in the game, but in terms of the confidence and belief of the team, it's quite positive. You can have the belief that you can still always get a result."
Ironically, Benitez took most stick from the home supporters when he took off Oscar to bring on Hazard in the 68th minute, only for the Belgian to make it look like a master-stroke by the final whistle.
Benitez will not be expecting any hero-grams from the Chelsea fans who would never have expected such a tough night after winning the first leg in Prague last week.
But Sparta Prague stunned them with David Lafata's first half opener and the visitors even had late chances particularly when Vaclav Kadlec blasted just wide in the closing stages.
It left Chelsea facing a nerve-wracking finish and another potential upset for last season's Champions League winners.
The home fans still proudly sing, "Champions of Europe" but that Munich miracle seems a distant memory, especially on nights like these when Chelsea seem to be going backwards under Benitez.
And Torres looked to be in meltdown as the £50m flop wasted three gilt edged openings and even inadvertently even blocked Ramires' late effort.
Torres can never have been lower than this during his 25 painful months at Stamford Bridge since his mega-bucks move from Liverpool in January 2011.
Spain international Torres could have scored twice in the opening 11 minutes but steered a glorious chance wide after four minutes from Victor Moses' low cross.
Then Oscar and Juan Mata - Chelsea's best and most creative players - combined to set up Torres again but the faltering frontman somehow hooked the ball over the bar as he stretched with his right foot rather than risk an attempt with his left.
 Mind you, Chelsea are still waiting to discover whether Torres actually has a stronger foot...
Sparta duly punished Chelsea's wasteful finishing in the 16th minute when Gary Cahill's slip allowed Vaclav Kadlec to pull the ball back for Lafata to fire a perfect shot into the roof of the net.
That sparked Sparta's best spell of the game and Petr Cech was forced into a terrific save to stop Tomas Prikryl's low drive on the half-hour mark.
Mata's close-range effort produced a stunning save from Tomas Vaclik, who somehow managed to push his effort over the bar but it was Torres again who headed Jon Obi Mikel's cross over the bar.
Chelsea stepped up the pace after the restart and Oscar's run and pass set up Ramires, whose shot deflected off Matej Hybs and cannoned against the post.
Torres wasted his fourth opening of the night after going through in the 52nd minute only to be denied by Vaclik's brave block.
Finally, Hazard saved Chelsea with a stunning goal after making a strong run, breezing past two defenders and then rifling a left foot shot high into the net.
If only Torres could find it so easy.

=================

Sun:

Rob Beasley

EDEN HAZARD conjured late magic to fire Chelsea into the last 16.

With only seconds left and extra-time beckoning the £32million Belgian tricked his way past two defenders on the edge of the area to go clear.
And the Blues supersub earned a standing ovation for a stunning left-footed strike that was Chelsea’s leveller on the night — but settled the tie following the Blues’ first-leg 1-0 win in Prague
And no-one was more relieved than Chelsea’s reviled interim-boss Rafa Benitez.
A master, match-winning substitution?
Or a blunder in the first place for leaving him on the bench along with Ashley Cole and David Luiz with Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic rested in the stands with the cup-tied Demba Ba.
It all smacked of a manager thinking the hard-work had been done by winning 1-0 in Prague. So why not rest your big guns before Sunday’s clash at Manchester City?
The trouble was that air of complacency spread through to the team.
And it was only the brilliance of Hazard that spared the Spaniard’s blushes.
But while his strike was one to remember the Spaniard had a night to forget.
He had a stinker — AGAIN!
This was a torrid night even by his miserable standards.
The positives? He kept arriving in scoring positions.
The negatives? The £50m flop missed them all.
His first-half showing in particular was surely the nadir. First he side-footed wide after Victor Moses had teed him up.
Then he skied over the bar and guided a near-post header off target. In his pomp he might have been celebrating an incredible hat-trick. But his zenith was a long time ago and it was for Liverpool.
Since his move to West London, a football icon has turned into a laughing stock.
But it is no laughing matter in SW6.
And the atmosphere at the Bridge turned sour when Sparta took a 17th-minute lead on the counter — to level the tie.
Vaclav Kladec raced clear and cut the ball back for David Latafa to fire home.
On the half hour, Tomas Prikryl saw a shot turned behind by Petr Cech for a corner.
Then Marek Matejovsky blazed over before again testing the Czech No 1. They did rally towards the break, Oscar feeding Juan Mata, whose shot was saved.
And in first-half injury time came the worst miss of all. Torres again, centre stage, centre of goal but sending a woeful header so embarrassingly high over the bar.
It did not improve after the interval.
After Ramires hit a post with a drive — Torres was through one-on-one with Vaclik. Was this the moment? No!
The misfit tried to lift the ball over the keeper but did not make it and the shot was blocked.
The Czechs should have won the tie in injury-time. Twice Kladec was in the clear but blew it Torres-style.
First shooting tamely wide and then seeing one blocked by Gary Cahill after taking too much time. And Hazard made them pay.

DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — EDEN HAZARD (CHELSEA)
CHELSEA: Cech 7, Azpilicueta 7, Terry 7, Cahill 7, Bertrand 6, Ramires 7, Mikel 7, Moses 5, Mata 7, Torres 4, Oscar 6. Subs: Hazard (Oscar 67) 8. Not used: Turnbull, Cole, Luiz, Ferreira, Marin, Benayoun. Booked: Bertrand.

========================

Express:

Chelsea 1 - Sparta Prague 1: Eden Hazard hammer nails it for Rafa Benitez

AS A progession into the last 16 of the Europa League, this was hardly glorious because Chelsea simply don’t do things the easy way.

Tony Banks

Of course, we should all know this by now. But last night just about stretched credulity to breaking point.
Eden Hazard’s goal, struck in the 92nd minute of a game that looked destined for extra time and penalties, spared Rafa Benitez and Fernando Torres’ blushes in the end.
All the talk before this tie, Chelsea first in Europe’s second tier since 2002, was about whether the Champions League holders would take the Europa League seriously, whether they would be able to raise themselves for a tournament they normally never have to bother with.
Well, after this narrowest of narrow squeaks, the warning shots have been fired.
Chelsea had better take this competition seriously from now on – because they very nearly went out at the first time of asking last night.
In fact, had Sparta midfielder Vaclav Kadlec not shot wide when clean through in the final minute, and then seconds later had skipper John Terry not executed a quite superb block tackle on the same player, it might have been much worse.
Going out of two European competitions at an early stage in one season after being the champions of the entire continent last summer would have been some feat even for Chelsea, ever capable of the unlikely. But it could have happened.
What did happen though, after Terry so crucially cleared the ball, was that it went straight back up the field for substitute Hazard to collect in the inside-left position.
The Belgian slalomed past two challenges and cracked a rising shot past Sparta goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik and into the top corner of the net. Stamford Bridge exploded with both delight and relief.
It was the penultimate kick of the night. Sparta had time to kick off and then the whistle was blown.
Their players slumped to the pitch in disbelief. A goal down from the first leg and written off by many, the Czech side had played a strong counter-attacking game in only their second match back after their winter break.
Chelsea did deserve to go through, because they made and missed plenty of chances with poor old Torres having yet another horrible night, missing four excellent opportunities.
It is one goal since Christmas Day now for the Spaniard and the situation just does not seem to be getting any better for the £50 million man.
Benitez, as ever, defended Torres after the game and it was at least true that the striker, listless in the first leg, did at least get into position to miss those chances.
But it is painful to watch his struggles these days. Had Chelsea had a confident player up front in this tie, it would have been over much earlier. Left out was Frank Lampard, just one goal away from his 200th in Chelsea colours, kept back presumably for Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Manchester City.
Torres almost gave Chelsea the perfect start when he shot wide from 10 yards and it was a portent of things to come.
Then he fastened on to Juan Mata’s neat cross, but his volley went just over.
Sparta promptly made Chelsea pay for their profligacy and the tie was alive once again. Kadlec burst down the left to pull the ball back and David Lafata had plenty of room to shoot home from 12 yards.
Mata, as ever these days, was Chelsea’s most incisive weapon and when Ramires put him through in the first half Vaclik pulled off a brilliant save.
Torres wasted his third good chance of the night as headed over from six yards.
The chances then came and went as Oscar released Ramires but his deflected shot came back off a post.
Later Torres galloped clean through with only Vaclik to beat but the goalkeeper again raced out to block.
Hazard also saw his free-kick saved in the desperate mayhem of the finale and Ramires somehow blazed wide.
Chelsea then had to repel, or survive, those two late and potentially decisive breaks by Sparta before Hazard arrived to save the day.
The Blues did it the hard way last season and it looks like it will be same story this.

================

Star:

CHELSEA 1 - S PRAGUE 1: EDEN RESCUES BOSS BENITEZ

By Ian Winrow

SUPER-SUB Eden Hazard struck deep into added-time at Stamford Bridge, to send Chelsea spinning into the Europa League’s last 16.
The Belgian star ran 30 yards and fired a left-foot rocket into the back of the net to send the home fans wild.
It was a dramatic end on a night when Rafa Benitez’s hopes of a trouble-free passage had looked wrecked when David Lafata cancelled out Chelsea’s first-leg advantage.
Benitez knew defeat would mean yet another emotion-charged inquest into his controversial reign.
And the last thing that manager and players wanted was a drawn-out night that would test the nerves.
But that’s exactly what the evening threatened to turn into when Sparta struck to wipe out the lead Oscar’s strike had given Chelsea in Prague.
And to add to Benitez’s misery, Lafata’s shot flew into the net in the 16th minute, just as the home fans were starting up the now familiar ‘One Di Matteo’ chant in homage to Benitez’s sacked predecessor.
Blues skipper John Terry had talked-up Chelsea’s ambitions in this competition, urging his team-mates to add the Europa League trophy to the club’s collection.
But it was hard to escape the feeling that the biggest show in town had been staged on Tuesday night, when Arsenal faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League. And rather than gunning for a repeat of last May’s glory in Munich, Chelsea were battling to avoid another tale of failure in a forgettable campaign.
The interim boss had left himself open for criticism with a team selection that had one eye on Sunday’s trip to face Manchester City.
Benitez has always insisted a top-four spot is his – and the club hierarchy’s – number one priority.
And that shone through as he decided to rest Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic completely and leave Ashley Cole, David Luiz and Hazard on the bench.
Without Lampard and with Demba Ba cup-tied, it was up to Fernando Torres to provide Chelsea’s goal threat.
But it soon looked as though it would be one of those nights for the sullen Spaniard, when he missed two good chances in the opening 10 minutes.
The first opening came when Torres side-footed inches wide after being set up by Victor Moses.
And he was off target again when he volleyed Juan Mata’s cross over from close range. Torres fluffing his lines has become a familiar sight.
And when the striker headed over from just six yards out on the stroke of half-time, fears began to grow Torres could cost Chelsea this tie.
Sparta had been forced onto the back-foot at the start but looked a class act once they took the lead.
Lafata’s effort was a clinical finish from 10 yards and wrecked Petr Cech’s hopes of marking his 100th European game with a clean sheet.
From that point the visitors looked the side most likely to force their way ahead.
Sparta’s slick passing was stretching Benitez’s men, who looked short of ideas.
But there were signs the momentum of the game was tilting back Chelsea’s way before half-time and Hazard’s last-gasp blast sealed a famous win.

Brentford 4-0

Independent:

Rafael Benitez hails 'sunny days' as subplots cast shadows in Chelsea thrashing of Brentford

Chelsea 4-0 Brentford

By ROBIN SCOTT-ELLIOT

On a fleeting glance this presents a plot simple enough to fill the pages of one of Frank Lampard's planned children's novels. It reads something like this: FA Cup holders oust stubborn underdogs on sunny Sunday and, dear readers, I volley home the third goal with a sweet finish before my old pal JT also scores to show all is sweetness and light in the blue corner of west London. Roman Abramovich was even caught smiling.
Lampard was withdrawn, to warm applause and cries of: "Sign him up", moments before John Terry, back in the side for only his third start under Rafa Benitez, nodded home the afternoon's final goal to confirm a fifth-round trip to Middlesbrough a week on Wednesday. It was a comfortable finish to an ultimately comfortable afternoon but nothing is that simple at Stamford Bridge, certainly not when Banquo's ghost, or Avram Grant, is warming himself in the sunshine. There is layer upon layer of plot and subplot to work through here. Benitez and Terry, Benitez and the supporters, Abramovich and Lampard, now with 199 Chelsea goals to his name but no sign of a new contract, and Abramovich and Benitez. This is Russian novel territory.
"It doesn't matter if I see [Abramovich] or not," said Benitez when asked afterwards if the owner had come to say hello. "The main thing is the team doing well, winning games, clean sheet, four goals. Everything is fine. Sunny days."
On the sunny side of the ground, Grant had paid his respects to Abramovich, clad in a Chelsea Champions League jacket on one of his rare recent visits to the ground, and settled down to watch a first half in which Chelsea huffed and puffed to no avail. Sunday dinners had barely been digested before the first chants for Roberto di Matteo rang around the ground. A placard was displayed telling "Mr A" that Benitez is not the right man for the job.
"I am really pleased to be here, really pleased to work with this group of players, working very hard," said Benitez. "I will try to win every game and see what happens. I know that the priority is to be in the top four and if we can progress in the competitions until the end much better."
There were muted mumblings of discontent when the opening half finished goalless and with little for the home support to cling on to as Brentford, urged on by manager Uwe Rösler, busied themselves in disrupting their hosts' sluggish attempts to discover any rhythm. Twice Lampard scuffed shots when offered presentable opportunities to score, otherwise he was rarely in the game.
Oscar stumbled when given the clearest opening of the half and his mishit shot bounced off a post. Yet it was Brentford, seventh in League One, who had the ball in the net first. Mar-cello Trotta rolled the ball home but not before the referee, Neil Swarbrick, had blown for a foul on the impressive Adam Forshaw, once of Everton.
"With a little bit more fortune, a little bit more sensitivity from the referee we could have had the lead and that is what you need in games when you are massive underdogs," reflected Rösler, who admitted he had been surprised by Chelsea's team-sheet. "He put out a very physical team – Ba, Luiz, Lampard, Ivanovic and two centre-halves – I didn't expect that."
Chelsea were better from the start of the second period, with Juan Mata at the heart of most that was good. The home side at last began to take possession for long periods and an opening goal inside nine minutes put an end to any discontented rumblings in the stands. It came via route one; Petr Cech's punt, Demba Ba's knockdown and an immaculate finish from Mata, low and true from outside the box. It was the Spaniard's 17th of the season.
Rösler acknowledged that was that. His team had expended so much first-half energy that once they went behind there was little they could do to regain a foothold in the game. Oscar back-flicked in the second after Eden Hazard had won the ball in midfield and Branislav Ivanovic crossed low, but Simon Moore, Brentford's keeper, should have kept it out.
Three minutes later came Lampard's moment. Mata made it, haring down the left and picking him out six yards out. It was his 26th goal in the FA Cup, moving him ahead of Bobby Tambling as the club's record scorer in the competition. He is now on 199, three behind Tambling as the overall record scorer.
"He is doing well, he is scoring goals and hopefully he can score another 15 before the end [of the season]," said Benitez. "It will be good for the team, good for him, good for everyone."

===========

Guardian:

John Terry completes Chelsea goal glut to end Brentford's FA Cup dream

David Hytner at Stamford Bridge

Rafael Benítez has lamented Chelsea's lack of clinical edge on regular occasions yet he could enjoy one of those days when its presence brought reassurance, together with safe passage, in this FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Brentford were relentlessly game opponents but Chelsea's class stretched them before breaking the visiting team, Juan Mata's fizzing, long-range drive shortly after the interval serving as the prompt for a second-half glut. The scoreline was harsh on Brentford, who were left to lament how close they had come to knocking out the European champions at Griffin Park three weeks ago but Chelsea deserved the reward of a fifth-round trip to Middlesbrough. Their Cup defence is alive and kicking.
Frank Lampard staged his bid for the headlines with the third, arriving late to volley home Mata's cross to bring up his 199th goal in the club's colours. Roman Abramovich, the owner, was present to hear the crowd demand that the midfielder be given the new contract he wants to keep him at Stamford Bridge next season. Inexorably, Lampard is reeling in Bobby Tambling, who has Chelsea's all-time scoring record with 202.
Oscar had flicked in the second and Chelsea's afternoon was completed by the sight of John Terry cavorting in celebration after heading the fourth, from the Brazilian's deep cross. It was only Terry's third start since November, as he has battled the frustration of knee trouble.
For Brentford, there was pride, even if it was tempered by the heaviness of the result. As they had done in the original tie, when Fernando Torres' only goal of the calendar year had bailed out Chelsea, Uwe Rösler's team impressed with the intensity of their pressing and their collective refusal to bow to reputations. But the manager admitted that it was always going to be a struggle to maintain these levels and a mental lapse proved to be the beginning of the end.
The first goal was of tremendous importance, and Brentford thought that they had scored it. The eye-catching Adam Forshaw was fouled on the edge of the Chelsea area by David Luiz in the 39th minute, and the referee Neil Swarbrick whistled immediately for the free-kick, which would come to nothing. Had he waited for a couple of seconds, he would have seen Marcello Trotta ram the ball into the net.
Chelsea, though, did get it and it was nothing short of a disaster for Brentford who, Rösler claimed, had started to make the hosts "run out of ideas.". Mata's finish was magnificent; he took a touch to settle himself before blasting low and left-footed from 25 yards into the bottom corner.
But the build-up had hardly been the product of Chelsea's Premier League quality. Petr Cech hoofed the ball from back to front and Demba Ba won a scruffy aerial challenge to work it to Mata. Simon Moore who, moments earlier, had saved well from Lampard's header, was helpless.
It was a fiercely contested tie, with Rösler noting how Benítez had selected a "physical" team. Some of the challenges overstepped the mark, with Gary Cahill horribly late on Jonathan Douglas in the first-half and David Luiz guilty of a sickening barge on Jake Reeves in the 86th minute, which left the Brentford substitute concussed and his team to play out time with 10 men, Rosler having made all of his changes.
Forshaw was on the right of what was effectively a five-man midfield and Chelsea had to work for space. They came to call the tune although, initially, there was frustration as they spurned a fistful of first-half chances. The best of them fell to Oscar after slick build-up work and a final ball from Mata but, slipping as he shot, the Brazilian hit the outside of the post.
Lampard was in shoot-on-sight mood but his eventual success was presaged by misses. He scuffed from Victor Moses' cut-back – Harlee Dean threw himself in the way of Oscar's follow-up – and volleyed wide when well-placed before half-time. Branislav Ivanovic had threatened with a header for Chelsea while Forshaw twice went close from distance at the other end.
After Mata's breakthrough the pain arrived for Brentford. The substitute Eden Hazard fed the overlapping Ivanovic, after Toumani Diagouraga's loose pass and Oscar's deflected back-heel wriggled underneath Moore and beat Dean on the line. Then came Lampard and Terry, the old one-two, for numbers three and four. For Benítez, there was beauty in the routine.
Man of the match: Juan Mata (Chelsea)

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0
Paul Kelso

Four goals, a clean sheet, harmony in the stands and blue skies over Stamford Bridge. With the sun shining on Sunday lunchtime, you could have mistaken Chelsea for a club at peace with itself.
It is seldom that simple in SW6 but in this comprehensive defeat of Brentford, Chelsea enjoyed one of their least troubled afternoons of a difficult season.
Roman Abramovich, making his first visit to Stamford Bridge this month, saw his club dispatch their League One opponents in the manner he would expect of European champions. Avram Grant was in the crowd too. The pair shared a handshake, but on this evidence the Israeli – on standby for a Chelsea crisis – will remain a social visitor.
Having withstood a spiky, spirited first-half display from their neighbours, a second-half salvo of four goals in 26 minutes from Rafael Benítez’s side settled the contest. Goals from Oscar and the outstanding Juan Mata ended Brentford’s resistance. Two more from Frank Lampard and the returning John Terry left the home supporters praising heroes of happier days.
It was not always pretty. Gary Cahill and David Luiz were both guilty of dangerous challenges that received inadequate punishment, the latter for a gratuitous body-check that left 19-year-old Jake Reeves with concussion but was punished only with a yellow card. Such conduct was effective though.
There was even time for club, manager and captain to unite against reports of division, with Terry and Benítez dismissing as “rubbish” suggestions of a rift between them.
Terry’s role in the team has become an issue because he has made only two starts since struggling to return from a knee injury suffered in November. Benítez left him out of the team that played in Prague on Thursday, citing the superior fitness and form of Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic, and saying Terry will have to fight for his place.
Terry seemed happy with his lot: “The manager knows I want to play. I have been out for two or three months, but the other two [centre-backs] have been doing well. It’s good to have competition.” Benítez said: “We do not have any problem.”
After Brentford came within six minutes of the shock of the round at Griffin Park a fortnight ago, the Chelsea manager selected a full-strength side capable of coping with the physical challenge of Uwe Rösler’s team.
Cahill joined Terry at centre-half, Victor Moses returned to midfield for the first time since winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria. Luiz and Demba Ba returned having missed the game in Prague.
Brentford showed two changes from the first game, with Jake Bidwell and Tom Adeyemi selected. Rösler again set up his side to harry Chelsea and hoped to provide Marcello Trotta with chances on the break.
For much of the first half it worked. While Chelsea dominated possession, they struggled to create clear chances against energetic opponents as committed in the tackle as their 6,000 fans were in their support.
Chelsea responded in kind and Cahill was fortunate to escape without a card after a studs-up lunge raked Jonathan Douglas's shin. They also enjoyed good fortune when ­referee Neil Swarbrick blew for a foul moments before Trotta shot past Petr Cech late in the first half. Luiz had fouled Adam Forshaw, but Swarbrick could have played advantage.
For all the brawn on show, the game turned on the brilliance of Mata, the slightest player on the field but also the best. While Chelsea fans fret over the future of Lampard and Terry, it is the Spaniard who is irreplaceable. He is the team’s creative fulcrum and their leading scorer. While Oscar and Eden Hazard acclimatise to the English game, Mata has delivered all season.
He scored one and made one here, and left the field with 15 minutes remaining to a standing ovation. His 17th goal of the season came on 55 minutes via route one, Mata driving left-footed past Simon Moore from 20 yards. Oscar scored the second 13 minutes later with a touch of finesse, a back-heel from Ivanovic’s cross eluding the goalkeeper and three Brentford defenders on the line.
Lampard and Terry added polish to the scoreline, the former with a cushioned volley – his 199th goal for the club – and the latter with a far-post header.
Players and crowd exchanged applause as they left the field, but the sense remains that this season is the end of an era. For Benítez, meanwhile, this was the first game since he arrived that featured no verbal abuse. For him, that counts as a very good day indeed.

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The Times

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Turbulence on ice as Chelsea enhance Cup record

Matt Hughes


 With the pitch bathed in light and Chelsea scoring four unanswered goals in the space of 28 second half minutes to enhance their enviable recent record in the FA Cup, it briefly appeared as if a club whose turbulent season has resembled a form of civil war was at peace. That it was Frank Lampard and John Terry who had added to the game-breaking goals from Juan Mata and Oscar increased the revelry of the home supporters basking in the early spring sunshine.
 Even on a rare day of unity at Stamford Bridge however, some recurrent problems are never far from the surface. The vocal chants of “sign him up” as Lampard left the field to a standing ovation provided an unwanted reminder of the stand-off between the club and their most productive player, while the sight of Avram Grant and Roman Abramovich in the executive also set tongues wagging. Whether a coincidence or not, the presence of Chelsea’s previous caretaker manager can only have added to the pressure on the club’s existing temporary custodian, Rafael Benitez.
 In this context an initially hard-fought if ultimately straightforward win was a triumph for Benitez, which will have increased his belief that he can end his brief spell at the club with silverware, with good reason. Chelsea have won four of the last six FA Cups, and have not suffered a single defeat without recourse to a penalty shootout since 2008, and over the course of these tense local derbies have once again demonstrated their commitment to the competition.
 It had taken 144 minutes for Chelsea to gain the lead against Brentford, their nearest neighbours but worlds apart in terms of ambitions and resources, and after finally inching ahead in the fourth round replay, they were never going to relinquish their advantage. Showing the spirit that has been a recurrent theme of their impressive cup run Brentford pushed manfully for an equaliser, but for once during this turbulent season Chelsea stayed resolute and went on to win at a canter.
 Chelsea’s opening goal also owed more to their resilience than the romantic notions of flowing football that continue to inspire Abramovich’s tinkering with his team, although Mata’s finish was exquisite. Petr Cech began the move with a routine clearance from his own penalty area in the 54th minute, which Tony Craig, the Brentford centre back, could only head straight into the path of Mata. In npower League One such an error of judgement would rarely be punished, but the Spaniard reacted ruthlessly, controlling the ball in an instant and shooting past Simon Moore from the edge of the area.
 With the pressure lifted Chelsea’s players relaxed and began to enjoy themselves, at least as much as they can given the tension and sense of looming crisis that surrounds the club. Eden Hazard, a substitute, showed that he possesses the tenacity to underpin his undoubted talent by creating Chelsea’s second goal out of nothing 14 minutes, with the Belgium international winning the ball in central midfield before creating space to release Branislav Ivanovic down the right. The Serbian’s cross from the byeline was met by Oscar, who marked his most impressive performance for some time by beating Moore with a wonderful back-flick.
 Given the changed atmosphere it seemed inevitable that Lampard would come to the party, and four minutes later the vice-captain obliged. Mata made the goal as he has so many this season, by drifting out from the middle and crossing from the left for Lampard to score his 199th goal for the club from close range. The 34-year-old requires just four more goals to beat Bobby Tambling’s club record of 202, an achievement which is increasingly looking like a matter of time.
 John Terry added to the feel-good factor by heading in Oscar’s cross to score on his first start at Stamford Bridge for over three months, and for once everyone at Chelsea seemed content. It is unlikely to last.

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Mail:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Blues cruise but Luiz is latest to say sorry after body-check

By MATT BARLOW

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.’
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.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 4-0 Brentford
Capt off nicely: Terry grabs fourth goal as Chelsea march on in the FA Cup
By John Cross 

Roman Abramovich is keeping his hands in his pockets when it comes to Frank Lampard.
The whole of Stamford Bridge stood to applaud Lampard when he was substituted after taking another step towards Bobby Tambling’s goals record and becoming Chelsea’s all-time leading FA Cup scorer.
But the Chelsea owner, at ­the Bridge for the first time in nearly a month, kept his hands firmly in his coat as the fans chanted “sign him up” after Lampard helped the Blues into the fifth round and a tie against Middlesbrough.
Abramovich did at least applaud and smile when Lampard scored Chelsea’s third in the 71st minute but the Russian billionaire is yet to present the 34-year-old with a new contract offer.

To every Chelsea fan and neutral it seems unthinkable that the club’s owner will let Lampard leave and there does seem to be a new will to try to keep him.
But even if Lampard heads for the sunshine of LA Galaxy this summer, the England midfielder will surely have enough time to rewrite the record books.
Lampard made it 199 Chelsea goals, is just three behind Tambling’s record, and also surpassed the Stamford Bridge legend with a 26th FA Cup goal.
That makes it 13 for the season, five in his last six games and Lampard has been involved in 24 goals – scoring 15 and nine assists – in his last 25 appearances in the FA Cup. Not bad for a Chelsea pensioner.

Chelsea were made to work hard for the win by their League One ­opponents. And when it did not go their way, they got nasty. Gary Cahill was lucky not to be booked for a nasty, late over-the-top challenge on Brentford captain Jonathan Douglas.
Lampard, Oscar and Mata all went close but Brentford were unlucky when referee Neil ­Swarbrick did not play advantage after David Luiz fouled Adam Forshaw. He awarded a free-kick moments before Marcello Trotta put the ball in the net.
But Chelsea finally opened the floodgates 10 minutes after the restart. Petr Cech’s long clearance was helped on by Demba Ba, Mata took the ball and unleashed a fierce 20-yard drive which flew into the bottom corner.

The Spaniard was exceptional throughout as his invention, craft and dynamism typified his season as he has built on his first year to become even more ­influential.
Chelsea grabbed a second after 68 minutes when substitute Eden Hazard fed Branislav Ivanovic, his cross was cut back for Oscar and the Brazilian’s back heel somehow trickled into the net.
Three minutes later, Lampard enjoyed his moment. Mata – who else? – made a strong run down the left, cut the ball back and Lampard swept home.
Chelsea completed the rout after 81 minutes when Hazard’s short corner routine with Oscar worked a treat. The Brazilian’s back-post cross was perfect for skipper John Terry who announced his return with a powerful header.

Job done. But there was still time for David Luiz to take out Brentford substitute Jake Reeves with a nasty, cynical shoulder into the 19-year-old’s face.
The Brazilian was lucky only to be booked. ­Brentford finished the game with 10 men after using all their subs and at least Reeves was given a lasting memory of the occasion.
Thankfully, Luiz ­apologised to the ­youngster afterwards and Reeves was given the all clear

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Sun:

Mark Irwin
Chelsea 4 Brentford 0

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH turned up at Chelsea expecting an earful and left wondering what all the fuss was about.
The absentee owner has hardly been seen at Stamford Bridge this season as the wheels have come off for his struggling team.
But if the billionaire Russian expected to walk into a supporters’ revolt he was in for a surprise as fans’ favourites Frank Lampard and John Terry made sure it was smiles all round
It was his first visit to the Bridge since last month’s 2-1 win against Arsenal, and even Abramovich chuckled as Lampard’s 199th Chelsea goal was celebrated with chants of “Roman, Roman sign him up”.
But the biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for captain Terry when he headed in his team’s fourth goal to finish off brave Brentford.
Manager Rafa Benitez had demanded Terry prove his full fitness following a three-month lay-off with a knee injury before restoring him to his starting line-up on a regular basis.
But the 32-year-old centre-half strolled through this game like a spring chicken before squeezing his 81st-minute header inside the back post from Oscar’s cross.
It was the perfect end to a decent day’s work for Chelsea as they secured a fifth-round trip to Middlesbrough with the minimum of fuss.
There is a dark cloud on the horizon, though.
If they get past Boro, they then face the winners of tonight’s Manchester United v Reading tie.
The sight of manager-waiting-to-happen Avram Grant watching from Abramovich’s box must have given Benitez a few anxious first-half moments as his team laboured to break down their neighbours from League One.
But the busy Bees had put so much effort into chasing every ball and closing down their superstar opponents that it was bound to take its toll.
The first tie at Brentford had been slugged out in appalling conditions on a mud-heap of a pitch. But with the sun shining and Chelsea able to stroke the ball about, there was only ever going to be one outcome this time.
Benitez was certainly taking no chances, selecting all of his “big’ characters after watching so many of his Premier League rivals paying the FA Cup price for resting their stars.
In fact, he had so many options at centre-half he ended up playing all four of them.
It was that experience which proved decisive in the end and once they had their noses in front from Juan Mata’s 54th-minute goal it was game over for Brentford.
Mata struck with a precise shot from the edge of the area after Harlee Dean had failed to deal with Petr Cech’s long punt down the middle.
If there was an element of route one about Chelsea’s opener, there was no questioning the quality of their second as Oscar backheeled Branislav Ivanovic’s low cross over the line in the 68th minute.
The little Brazilian is starting to flourish after a slow start to his Chelsea career and looks more at home in the No 11 shirt with every game.
In time he might even become as influential as Mata, the Spanish playmaker who remains the one player Chelsea cannot afford to be without.
It was Mata’s 71st-minute cross which allowed Lampard to volley in and move to within three of Bobby Tambling’s 202-goal club record.
With better finishing, he probably could have reached that milestone yesterday but missed twice right in front of goal and brought a sharp save from keeper Simon Moore with a stooping header.
Yet he was still given a standing ovation when he was withdrawn for the final 10 minutes with the tie put to bed.
The home fans were still on their feet seconds later when Terry peeled away at the back post to finish off Oscar’s cross.
But it was still the visiting Brentford supporters who were making all the noise, cheekily demanding “we want Torres’ as Chelsea’s £50million striker was left on the subs’ bench.
Uwe Rosler’s team did have the ball in the net shortly before the interval through Marcello Trotta but ref Neil Swarbrick had already blown for a David Luiz foul on Adam Forshaw.
Brentford were far from happy by Luiz’s bodycheck which left substitute Jake Reeves concussed and his team down to 10 men.
But nothing could take the gloss off the afternoon for a team who will return to their League One promotion chase reinvigorated by the £750,000 generated from their first visit to Stamford Bridge since 1946.
For Chelsea, the fight to save their season continues on an almost daily basis.
Abramovich might be smiling for now but no one at the Bridge should be under illusions about the wind of change blowing their way this summer.

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

STAR MAN — JUAN MATA(Chelsea)

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Cole 6, Luiz 5, Lampard 6 (Bertrand 5), Oscar 7, Mata 8 (Benayoun 5), Moses 6 (Hazard 7), Ba 6. Subs not used: Turnbull, Ramires, Torres, Azpilicueta. Booked: Ivanovic, Luiz.

BRENTFORD: Moore 6, Logan 5, Craig 6, Dean 7, Bidwell 5, Adeyemi 6, Diagouraga 6 (Reeves 5), Douglas 7, Forshaw 7 (Saunders 5), Donaldson 7, Trotta 5 (Forrester 5). Subs not used: Lee, Barron, Hodson, Hayes.
REF: N Swarbrick 6

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Express:

Lampard gives Roman a hint

It was the first time the Chelsea owner had been to the Bridge to watch his team in nearly a month and, as usual, plenty had happened in that time. They had tumbled out of the Capital One Cup, thrown away a two-goal lead at Reading and lost at Newcastle.
Interim-manager Rafa Benitez had become even more unpopular with the fans – if that was possible – and Chelsea’s season had stumbled from bad to worse.
Yesterday though, as the spring sun shone, Chelsea brought a better week to a happy ending. A win in Prague in their opening Europa League game was followed by this comprehensive victory over gallant League One Brentford.
Abramovich beamed down upon it all. He clapped when Frank Lampard, the man he is yet to offer a new contract, scored Chelsea’s third goal. But he did not join in when Lampard was taken off to rapturous applause nine minutes from time.
Abramovich, with his former manager and close friend Avram Grant sitting beside him, could not have failed to hear the “Sign him up” or “One Frankie Lampard” songs which have reverberated around the Bridge ever since it became evident that Chelsea may discard the 34-year-old at the end of this season.
It probably will not matter. Abramovich does what he wants, because he can, because he owns the club. It is his fiefdom, has been since the day he rolled into town.
Just as the chants of “There’s only one Di Matteo”, which still ring around the ground in the 16th minute of every game, cut little ice. Lampard’s goal yesterday was his 199th for Chelsea, leaving him three short of Bobby Tambling’s all-time record for the club. But it was his 36th in the FA Cup – and that puts him ahead of Tambling. Some feat, that.
It was not all about Frankie and Roman yesterday though.
Brentford, having deservedly held Chelsea 2-2 in the first game between the sides at Griffin Park three weeks ago and come very close indeed to knocking their supposed superiors out of this competition, had a major role to play in this drama. They once again proved stubborn opposition.

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Star:

CHELSEA 4 - BRENTFORD 0: ROMAN FAILS TO SHARE THE BUZZ

CHELSEA eventually swatted away the Bees of Brentford yesterday but owner Roman Abramovich was not exactly buzzing in his box.
All four Blues goals – from Juan Mata, Oscar, Frank Lampard and John Terry – came in the second half.
But seeing his plaything progress from this FA Cup fourth-round replay to face Middlesbrough at the Riverside on February 27 did not seem like nectar to the billionaire.
Skipper Terry and his deputy Lampard are, apparently, not Abramovich’s best buddies of late, but they delivered to help quell the challenge of battling Brentford.
At least Terry has a full season left on his contract. Lampard, now Chelsea’s record scorer in the FA Cup with 36 goals, looks set to go at the end of this season.
This was not one of Lamps’ brightest shows. He could have had a hat-trick to take him to within a strike of Bobby Tambling’s club best of 202 but was surprisingly out of sorts before the break.
Still, when he went off in the 81st minute, it was to a standing ovation.
Abramovich’s hands stayed buried in his pockets. And it was a sunny 10 degrees in west London yesterday!
Similarly, when fans chorused “Frankie, we want you to stay” after his goal, the tycoon’s lips remains sealed. Abramovich would make a good poker player.
At least Rafa Benitez’s men, the Cup holders, are on a decent run of three straight wins, nine goals scored and just one conceded.
But this game could have been oh so different if Brentford had enjoyed a bit of fortune.
Chelsea started the brighter. Lampard scuffed a shot into the ground and Oscar’s follow-up was blocked by Harlee Dean.

Then Lampard blazed over and Oscar slipped and miscued his shot on to a post after being put clear by the excellent Mata.
Next came a cruel blow for the Bees in the 40th minute.
David Luiz tripped Adam Forshaw and referee Neil Swarbrick blew in an instant, not realising the ball had broken free for Marcello Trotta to slot home with his left foot.
With the Chelsea fans so hard on Benitez it would have been interesting to see how they would have reacted to seeing their team go behind again to Brentford, who led twice at Griffin Park in the 2-2 draw and were just seven minutes off a fabulous giant-killing.
Lampard continued his off-day, sidefooting a right-foot volley wide. Then in the 54th minute Mata showed his team-mate how to finish.

A punt downfi eld from goalkeeper Petr Cech was nodded down by Demba Ba and, after a touch to control, the Spaniard drilled in a 20-yard left-foot shot.
As Eden Hazard came on for Victor Moses in the 66th minute, the visitors’ fans taunted Chelsea’s £50m striker Fernando Torres on the bench. “We want Torres,” they sang.
Hazard had an instant impact, releasing Branislav Ivanovic on the overlap to the byline in the 68th minute.
His pullback found Oscar and his clever backflick took a deflection and went underneath Simon Moore and through the legs of Dean on the line.
Dean was at fault again in the 72nd minute, diving in to challenge Mata but easily being turned by the super Spaniard.
He burst down the left and picked out Lampard with a perfect delivery, allowing him to sidefoot home a neat volley.
A minute later Terry made it four, embarrassing Tony Craig at the far post to power in a header from an Oscar cross.
Luiz was lucky to escape a second booking – or even a straight red – in the 84th minute, when he cynically shouldered 19-year-old substitute Jake Reeves off the ball as he burst through the centre of midfield, forcing the Bees to complete the game with 10 men.
That was nothing to do with the magic of the Cup for sure, but maybe Abramovich enjoyed it!