birmingham 2-0

Independent:

Chelsea pain finds no cure in Cup win
Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 2
IAN HERBERT ST ANDREW'S

In the end, there was a funny side for the Chelsea faithful who chanted that Roman Abramovich "sacks who he wants," though it was not one shared by the pillars of the side Andre Villas-Boas was beginning to build.
It was significant that Raul Meireles and Juan Mata, the outgoing manager's two major signings, should have scored the goals which eased the turbulence of this week, but even more so that Meireles chose not to celebrate his own. Wembley is not far away for Chelsea, who will believe they can move beyond the FA Cup quarter-final home tie with Leicester City they earned here last night, but the wounds of what has happened to the manager who set them on this course will not be easy to salve. Pep Guardiola may be wise enough to know that, though last night he laughed off the idea he would step into the job the former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has called "hell." "Every day, every day!" Guardiola said when asked if Chelsea had been in touch.
For now, it falls to Roberto Di Matteo to tackle this war zone, with its factionalism, and his eye-catching team selection provided another sense that the divides which Villas-Boas created in the name of progress have not left through the same door as him. In some ways, the team sheet's publication was the most significant event of the night; not so much a statement as a clarion call to those players Roman Abramovich considers to have been the malign, destructive force for Villas-Boas that their number is up. Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba are all in that number and not one of them featured in a starting XI which also reflected the owner's wish, spelt out to Di Matteo on Sunday, that Fernando Torres should be restored to the side.
The caretaker manager last night said he was "too tired" to discuss the notion of taking over permanently and, though he wanted to say that he had demanded his players now be more "selfless" rather than less "selfish", his post-match message was that they have a responsibility now to Abramovich. It is "for their own good" to remember the fact, he said. It was why John Terry featured among the substitutes a mere two weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee, when he had not been expected back in less than a month.
The Chelsea players did not look too chastened, with their high jinks in the warm-up. "They've let their manager down badly, and they're carrying on like that in the warm-up flicking each other's ears... absolute disgrace," was Roy Keane's observation from the TV studio and neither did the football that immediately unfolded offer the impression of a side on a mission.
Torres tried. The first half was ticking down when he spun away from Jonathan Spector and at last created space for himself in the area, but he screwed his left foot shot horribly. When he had won the penalty-kick which might have delivered his first goal in 23 games, Mata took the kick instead.
It was Nikola Zigic, with his 6ft 7in frame, who forced the outstanding piece of goalkeeping in a dismal first half, though class did tell in the end. Mata had just been deprived by one of several excellent challenges by the redoubtable Pablo Ibañez when he poked home from amid a sea of legs, after Salomon Kalou's route to goal been blocked. Meireles added his own with a trademark 25-yard strike six minutes later, on the hour. Substitute Daniel Sturridge somehow missed the chance of the night when Torres' low, accurate cross left the goal at his mercy but the ball was caught under his feet.
Di Matteo, who features comfortably behind Jose Mourinho and well ahead of Rafael Benitez on the Chelsea fans' wish list, to judge by last night's choruses, is a shrewd exponent of that managerial art of making words say nothing – another reason to mourn Villas-Boas, with his intelligence and candour. "I'm a Chelsea boy. I didn't really think too much about it," Di Matteo said of his decision to hang around. "It's been difficult. Difficult for the whole club. When events like this happen... we've lost a great guy." His assertion that Chelsea was a "happy club tonight" stretched belief. This may get worse before it gets better.

Man of the match Mata.
Match rating 6/10.
Referee A Taylor (Manchester).
Attendance 21,822.


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Guardian:

Chelsea beat Birmingham to start life without Villas-Boas with a win
Kevin McCarra at St Andrew's

Chelsea might almost feel like presenting Birmingham City with a sum of money to equal the gate receipts here at St Andrew's. This FA Cup replay, which takes them to a home tie with Leicester City, provided the visitors with a generous helping of normality after the sacking of André Villas-Boas.There was a clean sheet, even if little effort was called for to secure it, and John Terry's knee injury is less severe than it seemed since he was on the bench here as an unused substitute. Although Juan Mata was to fail from the penalty spot, Chelsea had little to concern them.The caretaker manager, Roberto Di Matteo, must have been eager to show that he could handle this assignment efficiently. An appointment will surely be made before long and it would help Di Matteo if he is seen as a trusty adviser to that newcomer. Complexities linger but they were invisible on Tuesday night. The game was mediocre at best and the goals were delayed until after the interval but there was nothing at all that preyed on Chelsea's nerves.Birmingham were far from full strength and that was all the more dismaying when Chelsea felt no need to pick all of their high-profile figures from the outset. Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien were named among the substitutes but that did not indicate demotion so much as Di Matteo's justified assumption that victory was well within reach of the line-up selected. Drogba was the one member of that trio not to take part eventually.In any circumstances under any Chelsea manager, it would have made sense to conserve strength for the Premier League and that second leg with Napoli in a Champions League tie where they lag 3-1.Chelsea had all the finesse required to win. Birmingham, sixth in the Championship, are trying to muster the momentum that could take them back to the top flight but their main feat here, with a greatly weakened line-up, was to match Chelsea before the interval. Even then they were tame. Despite the mundane quality of the win, this was still quite a night for Di Matteo.As a former Chelsea player he could draw on the sort of instinctive affection that was unavailable to Villas-Boas. Even so, the visiting fans seemed more intent on vetoing candidates than endorsing the caretaker manager. They were blunt in a chant that scorned the very notion of Rafael Benítez filling the vacancy.The man in charge of Chelsea here does not depend solely on the affection of fans. Di Matteo may have been dismissed by West Bromwich Albion but there had been fine play and some good results before he suffered the rapid fall from grace.This win would have been welcomed. Chelsea have taken full points from just five away matches so far in this Premier League campaign. The challenge here was of a lower order but Chelsea still had to be efficient.Lampard, a box-to-box midfielder who turns 34 in June, was perhaps on the bench because Di Matteo sensed that he would do better by coming on as Birmingham faded. Even so, the match was mundane throughout. In general, there was a lack of individuals capable of menace.A header by Birmingham's Nikola Zigic that was tipped over the bar by Petr Cech in the 39th minute had to be deemed a highlight. When Fernando Torres did turn his marker and make space at the close of the first half, his effort was skewed off-target. This cannot have been the sort of quiet sought by Chelsea after the tumult of Villas-Boas's departure. Whoever does fill the vacancy will realise how much of a task he faces.The torpor in this game was stubborn in its refusal to leave the premises and the second half maintained the emphasis on industry over imagination. There was at least a hint of incisiveness in the 51st minute as Salomon Kalou played a pass to Mata inside the penalty area that called for a smart tackle by Pablo Ibáñez. There was at least an indication then that Birmingham might buckle. The player who had been denied was soon to prevail.After 54 minutes Ramires crossed from the right and a blocked attempt by Salomon Kalou rebounded to Mata, who took his goal with a low finish. With an hour gone Raul Meireles extended the lead by shooting high into the net from the edge of the area.There might have been a third nine minutes later but Mata's penalty was saved by Colin Doyle after Guirane N'Daw had brought down Torres. All the same, there was little angst for anyone in Chelsea's colours.


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Telegraph:

Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 2
By Jason Burt, at St Andrew's

There were messages off the pitch and on it for Chelsea as they earned a place in the last eight of the FA Cup with, in one of those cruel ironies, the goals being scored by André Villas-Boas’s two key signings.
Juan Mata celebrated his, Raul Meireles studiously did not his – and then pointedly marched off the pitch and down the tunnel at the final
whistle. For a match-winner, he looked furious. But then this was the first game since Villas-Boas was sacked and there was a maelstrom of emotions inside that Chelsea dressing room – ranging from the relief felt by those alienated from the young Portuguese to the frustration of those who supported him.
The 3,000 visiting Chelsea supporters had their say also. They chanted the name of the caretaker manager, Roberto Di Matteo, having failed to acknowledge Villas-Boas throughout his months in charge, but then the Italian has the instant respect of being a former player whose exploits in this competition are writ large.
They were not the only chants. Rafael Benítez was told, in no uncertain terms, he was not wanted as the next manager. Jose Mourinho, inevitably, was told he most definitely was while Roman Abramovich had a jovial endorsement in what should be a time of embarrassment for Chelsea.
“He sacks who he wants,” sang those fans. Indeed he does although there was a banner also that hopefully pricked a few consciences. It read: “Play for the shirt, not your egos” which now appears to be a kind of post-AVB slogan going forward.
Roy Keane, a television pundit here, delivered an even blunter verdict as he observed the Chelsea team warming up prior to kick-off. “They’ve let their manager down badly and they are carrying on like that in the warm-up, flicking each other’s ears... absolute disgrace,” he said. Villas-Boas has carried the can for that disgrace and it was the fear that Chelsea could not prevail against Birmingham that panicked the club into sacking him.
Di Matteo dedicated victory to the former manager but also reminded the Chelsea players of their duties. “They had to show it on the pitch tonight,” he said. “The responsibility towards the club, the supporters, our boss, to everybody. It’s for their own good as well. We are a happy family.”
He was doing well until that last statement. Happy family? That’s in dispute but the “boss”, i.e, Abramovich, will be happy with this result even if Di Matteo reminded everyone that there were bigger targets. Well, one. “For us, it’s final to finish fourth in the league,” he said. “That’s the target that we have. That’s what we have to do. If we can win a cup or two, that’s a bonus, but we don’t like where we are in the table, and it’ll be very tough to achieve what we want to achieve. But we have a duty to try.”
Duty; responsibility. They were significant words and resonated with Di Matteo claiming the players were “all onboard” for a selection for which Villas-Boas would have been vilified. No Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole nor Daniel Sturridge in the starting XI. Maybe some of those big beasts were being punished – maybe, as Di Matteo said, they were rotated. Either way it was a big call and there was even more arresting news with John Terry also on the bench less than 14 days into a rehabilitation for knee surgery that was supposed to last up to six weeks.
Chelsea now go forward to a quarter-final meeting, at home, to another Championship club in Leicester City and it was delivered in a patchy performance punctuated by yet another failure to score by Fernando Torres.
He played well after being, significantly, restored to the starting line-up but it is now 23 games and 1,431 minutes since a goal and he eschewed the chance to take a penalty, after earning it, refusing to accept Juan Mata’s offer. Instead his fellow Spaniard, as had done in the first meeting between these sides, saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Colin Doyle. Torres also woefully dragged a first-half shot wide, after rolling his marker Curtis Davies, and superbly teed up Sturridge who miskicked from point-blank range.
It is just not happening for him. But it was, marginally, better from Chelsea with Mata almost steadying nerves in the opening minutes when put clear by Torres, provider again, only to delay and shoot weakly, Chances were at a premium and it was Birmingham who then went close with Nikola Zigic stooping and twisting and forcing a fine tip-over by Petr Cech from his header. Cech also held on to Wade Elliott’s snap-shot.
For Chelsea, Ramires screwed a shot wide, Mata was halted close to goal by the superb Pablo Ibáñez and, then, they finally fashioned a breakthrough.
It came as Birmingham failed to clear and Ramires scampered down the right. He centred to the forgotten man, Salomon Kalou, whose efforts to shoot were twice blocked before the ball broke to Mata who stabbed his effort through a crowd of players and into the net.
Soon after and Mata should have claimed another, only to head Branislav Ivanovic’s cross wide from close range but Chelsea did claim a second goal. And it was some strike with Ramires laying the ball back to Meireles who hit a crisp, powerful right-footed drive from 25 yards.
Contest over? Yes. Except this admirable Birmingham side have reserves of resilience. Gary Cahill had to perform a fine last-ditch tackle to halt substitute Marlon King and Nathan Redmond drove narrowly over from distance. Birmingham spurned their best opportunity when Jordon Mutch was released only to slice wildly over before, finally, Cahill just beat Davies to a header at the far post and Cech beat out King’s shot.
The celebrations at the final whistle by some betrayed those emotions. But then it has been a torrid few days for Chelsea.

Birmingham (4-4-2): Doyle, Spector, Ibanez, Davies, N’Daw (King 72); Redmond, Mutch, Gomis, Elliott; Rooney (Burke 59), Zigic. Subs: Myhill (gk), Valles, Packwood, Reilly, Jervis.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Bertrand, Cahill, Luiz, Ivanovic; Meireles, Mikel; Kalou (Sturridge 59), Mata (Essien 89), Ramires (Lampard 75); Torres.Subs: Hilario (gk), Drogba, Lukaku, Sturridge, Terry.
Referee: A Taylor

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Mail:

Birmingham 0 Chelsea 2:
AVB who? Roberto the Cup legend leads Blues revival
By MATT BARLOW

Roberto Di Matteo may not be a candidate to replace Andre Villas-Boas on a permanent basis but he has reinforced his status as Chelsea's FA Cup legend.
Di Matteo, for all his self-confidence, is unlikely to become too comfortable in the role despite two goals in six second-half minutes from Juan Mata and Raul Meireles to beat a depleted Birmingham team and advance into the last eight.
The three-year Villas-Boas project lasted less than nine months, so the interim manager will take it one step at a time. Next up are Stoke, on Saturday, then Napoli in the Champions League before the quarter-final at home to Leicester.
Beat Leicester and it is back to Wembley for the man who scored historic FA Cup final goals for Chelsea as they won the trophy in 1997 and 2000.
The omens are good. When Guus Hiddink took control from Luiz Felipe Scolari, three years ago, his first game was an FA Cup tie at Watford and he went on to win the competition at Wembley.
Scolari banked his pay-off, watched from a distance and still seems bitter about it. If Villas-Boas was looking on, he will have detected slight signs of improvement from the same players who resisted his changes and rebelled against him.
There were few signs of mourning, apart from Meireles, who refused to celebrate his brilliant goal and Di Matteo, his former assistant, who dedicated the win to the manager who departed on Sunday.
'Roman Abramovich, he sacks who he wants,' sang Chelsea supporters with more than a hint of glee. This was their first chance to offer an opinion on the managerial change and the game had barely kicked off when they chanted the name of Jose Mourinho. More than 3,000 fans had travelled and they also made their feelings known that they did not want Rafa Benitez.
Di Matteo made changes. First he changed his tracksuit for a skinny tie and posh overcoat and gave the squad a little shake as he selected his first team since he was sacked by West Bromwich 13 months ago.
There were five changes to the Chelsea team beaten at the Hawthorns on Saturday in what would prove the last game of the Villas-Boas era. On the bench were Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, although they were apparently assured that this was a decision made with the next two fixtures, and the rest of the season, in mind.
Ashley Cole was injured but John Terry was among the substitutes less than a fortnight after a knee operation which was expected to keep him out for up to eight weeks.
Perhaps more significantly, Di Matteo made a tweak to the usual Chelsea shape. The 4-3-3 became a 4-2-3-1 formation with Meireles and John Mikel Obi deployed as deep midfielders and Mata playing up front, just behind Fernando Torres.
The inability to make Torres function effectively played a part in the downfall of Villas-Boas, who irritated Abramovich by comparing his poor form and fragile confidence to other expensive misfits Andriy Shevchenko and Mateja Kezman.
On his 50th Chelsea appearance, Torres continued to look timid and hesitant at the times when instinct ought to kick in. When a clear chance dropped on his left foot in first-half stoppage time, he screwed it badly wide and after he was tripped for a penalty in the second half and Mata stepped forward to take it, the home crowd chanted: 'We want Torres.'
They need not have worried. Birmingham goalkeeper Colin Doyle saved Mata's penalty, just as he had in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge but, by then, Chelsea were two up and on the way to ending a run of three successive away defeats.
Chris Hughton's side, playing their 47th game of the season, had resisted well in the first half. Chelsea were vulnerable when defending against counter-attacks and set-pieces and Petr Cech was forced to scramble and turn a header from Nikola Zigic over, five minutes before the interval.
Zigic had stitches in a cut above his left eye after taking a boot in the face from David Luiz but his effort from Jordon Mutch's cross nearly embarrassed the expensive central defensive partnership.
Late on, a dreadful clearance from Gary Cahill gave a chance to Marlon King but Cech saved and Mutch tore clean through only to blaze over.
Problems remain for Chelsea despite the departure of Villas-Boas but they were good enough to seize control after the break and it was Mata who found the breakthrough, nine minutes into the second half.
Ramires stole the ball from Mutch on the right and Salomon Kalou, bright on his first start since October, fought down his cross in the goalmouth. It spilled to Mata who adjusted his feet and poked a shot inside the far post. The tension eased away.
Mata headed wide from a Branislav Ivanovic cross and, on the hour, Meireles pounced to score a wonderful second. Again it came from a move down the right and Ramires nursed a short pass into his path and the Portuguese midfielder fired a right-footer into the top corner.
He refused to celebrate, pushing his team-mates away angrily but the overwhelming vibe from Chelsea as they tossed shirts to the fans at the end was one of relief. They are back on the Wembley trail and free from the stifling attention to detail of AVB.

In focus
John Terry
Chelsea fans would have been surprised and delighted to see their captain sitting on the bench so soon after his knee injury.
Fernando Torres
The 50th appearance in a Chelsea shirt for the £50m man. In that time he has averaged just 2.5 goals per manager.
Rafael Benitez
The 3,000 travelling supporters made it clear in explicit terms that they do not want the Spaniard at Chelsea.
Neil Moxley


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Mirror:

Birmingham 0-2 Chelsea: Mata and Meireles set Di Matteo off to winning start
By Martin Lipton

The blood-letting worked for Chelsea at St Andrews last night.
A victory, easy enough, after a performance that was hardly one to enthuse Roman Abramovich, conspicuous by his absence.
But the problems at Stamford Bridge run far too deep to be ended by one win.
As the two major signings bequeathed by the unlamented Andre Villas-Boas gave temporary boss Roberto Di Matteo the start he needed, the issues that forced the Portuguese out after just 257 days were on public display.
Juan Mata's ugly finish and Raul Meireles' beauty enabled Di Matteo to steer his new side through to a last eight clash with Leicester.
Yet even as the Blues bench, including Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and the medics-defying John Terry mobbed the Italian, the other elements were on display.
The fact that Fernando Torres, now 1431 minutes and counting since his last goal, is a man cast adrift in a miasma of self-doubt, a pale shadow of the player he once represented.
The dressing room fractures that saw Meireles refuse to celebrate his stunning strike, blanking the travelling fans who mocked Villas-Boas' departure - and gave a four-letter message to Rafa Benitez - as he headed straight for the tunnel at the final whistle.
And the lack of real conviction, drive and certainty for a side whose real tests are still to come, starting with the looming arrival of Napoli, two goals to the good, in SW6 next Wednesday.
By the end, as Birmingham looked like a side playing their 48th game of the season, Chelsea could have run out with a morale-boosting scoreline as well as the return to colours of the skipper, 13 days after his knee operation.
Yet Torres's decision not to take the penalty he had won - and which Mata missed, as he did in the initial tie - with the game already dead said everything about the £50million man.
Di Matteo, whose selection signaled the real targets the top four and the Champions League, tried to insist Torres had delivered a "fantastic" performance, a claim as unconvincing as his ludicrous notion that "we are a happy family".
Happy families do not engage in civil war, forcing out a manager after eight months, and leading to unveiled threats of imminent exits from the billionaire patriarch.
They do not need to be looking for an eighth manager since 2004, with the travelling fans still singing for the King across the water, Jose Mourinho, laughing at Villas-Boas' exit by chanting "Roman Abramovich, he sacks who he wants" and scathingly demanding the Russian does not even think of employing Benitez.
That, though, is where Chelsea are although the identities of the men who steadied the rocking ship will have brought a rueful smile to Villas-Boas' face.
Mata could, perhaps should, have scored four, demonstrating a lack of confidence on his right foot when Torres' flick sent him in on goal after barely 90 seconds, the eventual shot with his left far too close to Colin Doyle.
That miss saw Di Matteo place his hands on his head in disbelief and the Italian may have been wondering whether he had been too hasty in accepting the poisoned chalice.
Torres had a shocker, his touch appalling, his positioning worse, summed up when he rolled Curtis Davies but snatched at the chance and pulled it horribly wide.
It might have been worse had Birmingham capitalised on foraging of giant Nikola Zigic, with Petr Cech exposed too often for Di Matteo's comfort.
But once Mata poked home from six yards for his 10th of the season, after Ramires' cross eventually fell to him after an old-fashioned goalmouth scramble nine minutes after the break, Chelsea took command.
Mata should have put the tie to bed, nodding down and wide from six yards when Branislav Ivanovic delivered a peach of a ball in from the right before the Serbian defender's run saw touches from Gary Cahill and Ramires tee up Meireles to smash into the top corner from 20 yards.
Enter Torres, inducing a clumsy foul by Guirane N'Daw but passing up the opportunity to break his goal drought despite the imploring cries of the Chelsea fans, with Mata foiled by Doyle as he had been at Stamford Bridge.
Torres then set up Daniel Sturridge for a howling miss in front of goal. Unimportant on the night, yet symptomatic of the season. Nobody will be scared of Chelsea yet.


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Sun:

Birmingham 0 Chelsea 2
By STEVEN HOWARD

YOU can't do much more than win a tricky FA Cup tie away from home in your first game in charge
Especially when we are led to believe the players dislike you even more than the previous bloke — and you are not getting the job anyway.
Except, of course, that this is Chelsea and winning is the minimum requirement.
In fact, there were some regular Chelsea-watchers saying it was as bad as ever last night.
But, c'mon chaps, give the guy a break. It had only been two days.
Certainly, it could have been far worse for Roberto di Matteo — despite Juan Mata and Raul Meireles goals — after a first half that was as tedious and gut-wrenchingly awful as anything Chelsea fans have had to endure this season.
Especially as the Italian stand-in began his tilt at landing the most difficult job in football by leaving Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge on the bench.
This was seen as Di Matteo — or the club — prioritising Saturday's league game against Stoke and trying to catch Arsenal. It was still a gamble, though, with a place in the FA Cup quarter-final at stake.
Had it continued to go pear-shaped after the break, Di Matteo might have found his caretaking role one of the shortest in history.
In the end, though, it all worked out and Chelsea face Leicester at home in the next round.
Then, again, it always DOES work out for Chelsea managers at the start of their careers.
Even Andre Villas-Boas — remember him? He only lost one of his first dozen in charge.
Chelsea fans will now be hoping that the 'bounce' provided by a new boss will continue against Stoke and then Napoli four days later in the Champions League.
Apart from Mata and Meireles' second-half goals, the most reassuring sight for Chelsea was the presence of John Terry on the bench.
That the Chelsea skipper seems to be about three weeks ahead of schedule after his knee operation is a huge psychological boost.
Mata, the one constant factor in a troubled Chelsea season, broke the deadlock in the 54th minute as he kept both his head and his balance in a crowded box to thread his shot past Colin Doyle.
The Spaniard headed wide a couple of minutes later after another Ramires cross.
But the nerves were settled in the 59th minute by a belter from Meireles, who hit a heat-seeking missile from just outside the box that ripped inside the left upright.
It would have been more but for Mata's penalty miss, Doyle saving to his left after Guirane N'Daw fouled Fernando Torres on 79 minutes.
Early on, Chelsea fans provided an immediate bonding with the interim boss with chants of 'There's only one Di Matteo'.
But the very next minute they were chanting Jose Mourinho's name! And they made it clear that the one man they don't want is Rafa Benitez.
Much of the talk on the journey back will have been about the resting of Lampard and Drogba, senior players so involved in the eventual downfall of AVB.
It certainly raised a few conspiratorial eyebrows among the media.
On one hand, it could have been taken as a message from Roman Abramovich of things to come.
On the other, there was the need to reinvigorate old legs — and protect Sturridge's — before Stoke.
Chelsea had been up against a Birmingham side beaten just once in 17 games. But Chris Hughton had three players cup-tied and another five injured.
His Birmingham were only denied a 34th-minute lead when Petr Cech made a stunning save from the giant Nikola Zigic.
So it's hardly as if some magic Chelsea wand has been flourished.
We will find out more in the next eight days.

DREAM TEAM
STAR MAN — JUAN MATA (Chelsea)
CHELSEA: Cech 7, Ivanovic 7, Luiz 6, Cahill 7, Bertrand 6, Ramires 7 (Lampard 5), Mikel 6, Meireles 7, Kalou 6 (Sturridge 5), Torres 6, Mata 8 (Essien 4). Subs not used: Hilario, Drogba, Lukaku, Terry. Booked: Torres.


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Express:

BIRMINGHAM 0 CHELSEA 2: ROBERTO BEGINS ON WINNING NOTE
By John Wragg

CHELSEA travelled just two miles from the scene of Andre Villa-Boas’s managerial funeral to find new life in the FA Cup at Birmingham City.
The 1-0 defeat at West Brom brought an end to Villas-Boas’s eight months in charge but temporary boss Roberto Di Matteo only needed a decisive five minutes to get Chelsea through to the quarter-finals.
Championship Birmingham worried Chelsea in the first game of this fifth-round tie, taking the lead and forcing them to retrieve this replay.
But last night Juan Mata and Raul Meireles brought some comfort back to the club, Chelsea even having the luxury of Mata missing a 69th-minute penalty.
Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and, remarkably, John Terry – who was supposed to be out for weeks following knee surgery – all began on the substitutes’ bench.
Di Matteo had spoken to all three, plus Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge, who were on the bench with them, and said they were being left out tobe rested and ready for Stoke in the Premier League at the weekend.
The 1-0 defeat at West Brom brought an end to Villas-Boas’s eight months in charge
That kind of simple man- management was missing under Villas-Boas and contributed to the unrest.
Di Matteo, who was hardly seen as Villas-Boas’s assistant during the defeat at West Brom, stood on the touchline dressed warmly in a long back overcoat. He looked like a bouncer. Maybe it is what Chelsea needed, the tougher approach.
Had Mata been more responsive to a very early chance, the new management would have been very happy in the opening minute, but he waited too long, probably down to a lack of confidence given all that had gone on, and goalkeeper Colin Doyle was able to save at his near post as Birmingham retrieved the situation.
Confidence would not be a problem to Birmingham given that they had lost only once in their previous 17 games and, despite the changes they had to make because of injury, they were ready to take the tie to Chelsea and Wade Elliott brought a save out of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Nikola Zigic was certainly up for it. He was kicked in the head by David Luiz and looked like a boxer with blood pouring from a cut over his left eye.
The cuts man, sorry, physio, patched it up and Zigic looked for revenge, lunging into a tackle on Gary Cahill and receiving a yellow card in the 27th minute for his efforts. He was much more threatening in the 39th minute, getting his head low, despite the previous damage, to a cross and making Cech turn the ball over his crossbar.
Chelsea’s second chance, when it came just minutes from the end of the first half, fell to Fernando Torres and he pulled his shot horribly wide.
It needed a good tackle from Pablo Ibanez early in the second half to stop Mata getting in a shot, but when he came in for his third attempt at putting Chelsea ahead, he achieved it.
Ramires’s cross should not have caused that many problems, but Birmingham and their patched-up defence did not deal with it properly and as Salomon Kalou tried to get to the ball with two men around him, Mata took over, jabbing his shot past Doyle as he dived.
Mata should have got himself a second, heading wide, but Chelsea’s eventual second goal from Meireles five minutes later was stunning, Ramires’s pass setting up Meireles for a powerful 20-yard drive.
Mata’s night became a totally mixed bag of success and failure when Doyle saved his penalty, having saved one from him in the first game as well.
Guirane N’Daw, one of the emergency men in Birmingham’s weakened defence, fouled Torres to give away the penalty as Birmingham came under increasingly heavy pressure.
Sturridge, on as a substitute, should have got a third for Chelsea in the 76th minute from a Torres pass but lost the ball under his feet. By then, though, Birmingham were a beaten team.

Birmingham (4-5-1): Doyle; Spector, Davies, Ibanez, N’Daw (King 72); Rooney (Burke 58), Elliott, Mutch, Gomis, Redmond; Zigic. Booked: Zigic.

Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Bertrand; Ramires (Lampard 75), Meireles, Mikel, Kalou (Sturridge 58), Mata (Essien 90); Torres. Booked: Torres. Goals: Mata 54, Meireles 59.
Referee: A Taylor (Manchester).


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Star:

BIRMINGHAM 0 CHELSEA 2: MATA'S THE SPECIAL ONE FOR DI MATTEO
By Dave Armitage

CHELSEA fans called for the Special One as they watched their side clinch a spot in the last eight.
With sacked Andre Villas-Boas’ seat still warm, the travelling supporters chanted for the return of Jose Mourinho.
Second-half goals from Juan Mata and Raul Meireles saw them safely through to the quarter-finals and temporarily shone a ray of sunshine on the turmoil at the club.
The prospect of revered Real Madrid boss Mourinho makng a romantic return is one that clearly appeals following AVB’s disastrous nine months in charge.
The supporters also let owner Roman Abramovich know in no uncertain terms that former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez would not be a welcome move.
That sideshow apart, caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo had the more pressing business of trying to forget the carnage and steer the side to a home clash with Leicester on March 18.
And they were made to work all the way by plucky Brum.
Mata had threatened to break the deadlock in the 50th minute but was just stopped in his tracks by a terrific tackle from Pablo Ibanez.
But four minutes later the Spain star’s perseverance paid off as he eased the jitters and fired the increasingly-nervy Premier League side into the lead.
Birmingham were carved open down the right by Ramires, who caused mayhem in the home box with a low cross which reached Salomon Kalou.
For a moment, Kalou looked to be getting in his way, but Mata took over and fired a shot through a forest of defenders in front of the Chelsea fans.
It was just the tonic they needed and six minutes later a blistering shot from Meireles as good as put the tie beyond reach.
He blasted a drive into the roof of the net after great work from Ramires and Branislav Ivanovic to suddenly leave Brum deflated.
Chelsea even missed a penalty on 69 minutes, Colin Doyle saving Mata’s spot-kick after Fernando Torres had been bundled over by Guirane N’Daw.
Suddenly the Chelsea fans were chanting about the prospect of going to Wembley and a sunnier horizon.
Di Matteo made four changes from the side that lost just down the road at West Brom on Saturday – the result that sealed AVB’s fate.
Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge were all on the bench alongside surprise inclusion John Terry after he made a speedy recovery from knee surgery.
Birmingham had seven players out cup-tied or injured but ended up giving Chelsea plenty to think about.
They underlined that the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge was no fluke as they caused a string of problems early on.
Chelsea threw the first punch with Mata forcing Doyle to turn his deflected close-range shot around his left-hand post.
But after that the Championship side asked the most questions in a goalless but entertaining first half.
Nikola Zigic brought gasps from both sets of fans with an acrobatic 40th-minute header which forced Petr Cech to jackknife through the air to fingertip the ball out from underneath his bar.
Zigic then had to be patched up after being caught in the face by David Luiz’s boot which left him with blood pouring from a cut eye.
He showed his frustration with a reckless tackle which threatened to cut Gary Cahill in half and had the defender squaring up to him. The giant striker was booked but Chelsea knew that they were not going to be given an easy passage.
They came into the replay on the back of a dismal three wins in 12 matches which signalled the end for Villas-Boas.
When Torres screwed meekly wide, it summed up just how much they have gone off the rails, but Mata and Meireles gave them a happy ending.

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Birmingham Post:

FA Cup 5th Round Replay: Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 2

Birmingham City's FA Cup run finally came to an end at St Andrew's after two second half goals saw Premier League side Chelsea progress to the quarter-finals.
After a goalles first half, caretaker Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo saw Mata break the deadlock eight minutes after the restart. Then a superb 59th minute strike from Raul Meireles doubled Chelsea's lead to secure a home quarter-final tie with Leicester.
Blues goalkeeper Colin Doyle then saved a Mata penalty - just as he had done in the first game at Stamford Bridge - to deny Chelsea a third.
There was little to choose between the sides in the opening period when Blues striker Nikola Zigic posed problems for Chelsea.
But the visitors stepped up a gear after the interval and only poor finishing prevented them from adding to their tally as injury-ravaged Blues finally ran out of steam.
Blues boss Chris Hughton made seven changes - most of them enforced through injury or players being cup-tied - but defender Curtis Davies had recovered from illness to play.
Chelsea were the first to threaten and Mata raced clear but opted to shoot with Salomon Kalou unmarked in the centre and Doyle turned his effort around the post.
A neat flick from Zigic found Wade Elliott in space behind the Chelsea defence but his low first time ball was in front of the run of Morgaro Gomis.
Blues were causing problems and Nathan Redmond got clear in the box after more good play by Zigic but David Luiz got across to intercept as he prepared to shoot.
Zigic was unhappy when caught by the boot of Luiz and he was left with blood pouring from his face and required lengthy touchline treatment.
Dangerman Zigic created another opportunity for Elliott and his shot on the turn was gathered by Petr Cech.
Zigic became the first player to be yellow carded after a late tackle on former Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill.
Cech produced a superb save to keep his side on level terms after 39 minutes. Zigic's glancing header from a Jordon Mutch cross had Cech back-pedalling and he finger-tipped his effort over the bar at full stretch.
Fernando Torres had his first opportunity on the stroke of half-time after a quick turn but he dragged his shot across the face of goal.
Chelsea enjoyed a spell of possession at the start of the second period and Pablo Ibanez produced a superb tackle to deny Mata inside the box after he played a one-two with Kalou.
But after 53 minutes Mata broke the deadlock for Chelsea. Ramires made good ground down the right before sending in a cross which was challenged for by Kalou.
The ball broke invitingly for Mata who poked it past Doyle into the corner of the net.
Mata missed another great chance two minutes later when he headed wide at the far post from a deep centre by Branislav Ivanovic.
A superb strike from Meireles doubled Chelsea's lead after 59 minutes. Ramires teed up the midfielder and his 25-yard strike flew past Doyle into the top corner of the net.
Torres was yellow carded for chopping down Jonathan Spector.
But the Spaniard won his side a 67th minute penalty after he was brought down by Guirane N'Daw, who was yellow carded.
But Doyle repeated his penalty save from Mata of the first tie at Stamford Bridge.
Daniel Sturridge should have made it 3-0 but mis-kicked with the goal at his mercy from Torres' centre.
Mutch had a great opportunity to reduce the arrears from Chris Burke's pass but lofted his shot over the bar.

BIRMINGHAM: Doyle, Spector, Ibanez, Davies, N'Daw (King 72), Redmond, Mutch, Gomis, Elliott, Rooney (Burke 59), Zigic. Subs not used: Myhill, Valles, Reilly, Jervis, Packwood.Bookings: Zigic.

CHELSEA: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Bertrand, Ramires (Lampard 75), Mikel, Meireles, Kalou (Sturridge 59), Torres, Mata (Essien 89). Subs not used: Hilario, Drogba, Lukaku, Terry.Bookings: Torres.

Attendance: 21,822
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)