Brentford 4-0

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Chelsea 4-0 Brentford: Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi lead Blues' cruise into FA Cup fifth round

By Riath Al-samarrai

Romance of the FA Cup? You would have found more in a tired bouquet of petrol station carnations than in the old stadium on Fulham Road.

This was a battering, a heavy victory for the leaders of the Premier League against the little club with big ideas from the Championship.

An upset never looked remotely likely, even when the team sheets came in and showed Antonio Conte had made nine changes to the side most recently used in the league.

Ordinarily that gives an underdog some hope; here, Brentford were neutered by half-time.
The Chelsea second string bludgeoned their near neighbours with amazing force, with Willian scoring a wonderful free-kick after 14 minutes and Pedro adding his fifth goal in his past six starts a short while later.

Together, they were near unplayable, £50million worth of attacking talent ransacking a club with an annual turnover of one-fifth that size.

Substitute Branislav Ivanovic made it 3-0 in the second half and then won the late penalty scored by Michy Batshuayi, with the two contributions adding a degree of sentiment to the tie given it might well have been Ivanovic's last appearance in a Chelsea shirt.

After nine years spent winning almost every major trophy at Chelsea, he is expected to leave this week, quite possibly for Zenit St Petersburg.

It remains to be seen how his season plays out, while it looks increasingly likely that Chelsea could contend to win a league and cup double. After 17 wins in the past 19 games in all competitions, they show no sign of relenting.

Conte said: 'I am very happy with this. This season we haven't got Champions League or Europa League and the FA Cup is a good opportunity to see the young players. I think I'm satisfied in what I saw here.

'Now it's important to go game by game in the FA Cup and in the league. For sure it won't be easy.'
On the potential departure of stalwart Ivanovic, who has fallen out of favour this season, Conte said: 'I know that when a player is used to playing every game and then you are not playing regularly, it's not easy to accept this decision. 

 'Ivan knows well the situation and I'm pleased if he remains here, if he stays with us. But in this situation, for sure, the player must make the best decision for him, for his family.'
For Brentford manager Dean Smith it was a tough experience, made only marginally better by a more competitive second half. He had made the call to put West Ham target Scott Hogan on the bench in anticipation of his likely exit for north of £13m this month, but even if he had started his star striker this result would not have changed.

That points to the depth of Conte's reserves, which in this instance included England Under-21 star Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who failed to take three decent chances but impressed nonetheless.
Having only just turned 21, this is looking like a make-or-break period for a talented player with only four starts this season. The only question now is whether he will get enough chances from Chelsea's fringes to sufficiently develop what is clearly a significant talent.
On this evidence, he should, which amounts to another tick on a day of many for Chelsea.

MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
Chelsea (3-4-3): Begovic 7; Zouma 6, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 7 (Kenedy 71, 6); Pedro 8 (Costa 76), Fabregas 7, Chalobah 6, Ake 7; Willian 7.5 (Ivanovic 64, 7), Batshuayi 6.5, Loftus-Cheek 7.5
Substitutes not used: Hazard, Moses, Matic, Eduardo.
Scorers: Willian 14; Pedro 21; Ivanovic 69; Batshuayi pen 81
Booked: Chalobah

Brentford (5-3-2): Bentley 6.5; Colin 6, Egan 6, Dean 6, Bjelland 6, Barbet 7; Yennaris 7, McEachran 6.5 (Kerschbaumer 78), Woods 6; Sawyers 6 (Hogan 64, 6), Vibe 6 (Jota 65, 6).
Substitutes not used: Hofmann, Bonham, Clarke, Field.
Booked: Colin
Referee: Michael Oliver 6.5
Attendance: 41,042 (5,897 away)
Man of the Match: Pedro

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Antonio Conte's side cruise into FA Cup fifth round with easy win at Stamford Bridge

Sam Dean

A potentially seismic week for Chelsea got off to the perfect start as the Premier League leaders dismissed Championship side Brentford in what was more of an exhibition than a west London derby.

Ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Liverpool and the visit of Arsenal next weekend, manager Antonio Conte could barely have hoped for a less taxing afternoon as goals from Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi swept them into the fifth round.

Those upcoming fixtures will not define Chelsea’s season, but victories in both will see them tighten their grip on a league title that is already firmly within their muscular grasp.

Conte therefore took the oppor­tunity to rest some of his big names here, giving run-outs to young prospects Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah, as well as a first start to Nathan Ake since he was recalled from loan at Bour-nemouth. There were no injuries, no goals conceded, and no problems for Chelsea. All things considered, this was the ideal day at the office.

“I must be pleased because when you change nine players and you see all the players in the squad are totally involved in our idea of football, in our project, it’s very important for me,” said Conte. “This competition until now has been an opportunity for me to pick players who have not played a lot but it was very important to see the right reply of these players, and that happened. For this reason I am very happy.”

Although it was not the most competitive of derbies, the home fans were still treated to a sprinkling of magic from the brilliant Willian, who gave Chelsea the lead with a trademark free-kick after just 14 minutes. Pedro soon made it two, rolling the ball home after being played through by Batshuayi.
Brentford had scored five in the first half of their third-round victory over non-League Eastleigh, but could easily have been more than five behind at half-time here as Loftus-Cheek twice went close, Ake fired wide and Cesc Fabregas tested Brentford goalkeeper Daniel Bentley with a long-range drive.

The Championship side, it must be said, did return to the field with renewed vigour after the break, and nearly put a blemish on Chelsea’s afternoon when Lasse Vibe found space in the penalty box, but he was charged down by Asmir Begovic in the home side’s goal.

Brentford manager Dean Smith said: “We had some chances at 2-0 that could have made the game very different. I felt in the second half we gave our supporters something to shout about.”

It did not take long for Chelsea to regain control of proceedings, though. The powerful Loftus-Cheek struck the bar after a barnstorming run from midfield before Ivanovic, brought off the bench in what could be his final appearance for Chelsea, crashed in a third at the end of another incisive counter-attack.

“This season he [Ivanovic] is not playing a lot for us,” Conte said. “When you are not playing regularly it is not easy to accept this decision but he knows the situation. I will be pleased if he stays with us but in this situation the player must make the best decision for him and his family.”
If this does turn out to be Ivanovic’s swansong, then it was an eventful farewell. Soon after his goal, he turned provider, winning a penalty under a clumsy challenge from Yoann Barbet. Up stepped Batshuayi to add another layer of gloss to a perfect afternoon.

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Independent:

Chelsea hammer four past neighbours Brentford to reach FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Antonio Conte's much-changed side hit their west London neighbours for four at Stamford Bridge

Darren Witcoop

Wholesale changes but no problem for Chelsea as they made it a perfect 10 straight wins at Stamford Bridge. In fact, this FA Cup tie turned into more of a farewell game for some old club favourites.

Branislav Ivanovic, on what may well be his final appearance before his expected departure ahead of Tuesday's deadline, put the seal on a tenth successive home win for Antonio Conte's side.

It might not have been the Premier League, but Chelsea still cantered home against Brentford thanks to goals from Willian, Pedro, Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi.

Antonio Conte rang the changes with Tuesday's trip to Liverpool in mind, but Chelsea still boasted a strong enough team to see off their mid-table Championship opponents with relative ease.

These two last met in 2013 with the Blues needing a replay to see off the Bees at the same stage of the competition. That year, their first meeting ended in a 2-2 draw  at Griffin Park before Chelsea ran out comfortable winners on home soil.

There was no sign of repeat this time around. Chelsea had scored in each of their last 40 FA Cup ties, stretching back to 2000, and that run continued via Willian's 14th minute free kick. Lasse Vibe was adjudged to have upended Pedro and the Brazilian stepped up to curl home past Brentford goalkeeper Dan Bentley.

Brentford, who filled the Shed End with their 6,7000 supporters, remained in full voice but they rightfully began to fear the worst. History was also not on their side, with the Bees having not beaten Chelsea since 1939. It soon got worse for the visitors.

Batshuayi, making a rare start, was given too much space to pick a pass out for Pedro, who took one touch before firing underneath an exposed Bentley. 2-0 and just 21 minutes played.

It was all one-way traffic with Chelsea's pace and movement proving too hot to handle. Batshuayi could, and should, have extended the home side's lead by the half hour mark when he collected John Terry's knockdown but saw his attempt scrambled away by Bentley with it just inches from the goalline.

The Chelsea procession continued. Bentley was soon called into action again and made a fine fingertip save to foil Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Cesc Fabregas had picked out the youngster but Bentley, not for the first time, came to Brentford's rescue by pushing the low shot wide.

Asmir Begovic, likely making his last Chelsea appearance ahead of a £12million move to Bournemouth, had not been troubled in the home goal. The only time he was even slightly threatened was when Harley Dean headed wide tamely in a rare Brentford foray forward. Otherwise, the Serbian had been a spectator.

Brentford briefly threatened to change that a few minutes before the interval. However, Vibe, playing in place of Scott Hogan who was among the substitutes amid strong interest from West Ham, found himself crowded out of beating Terry to the ball.

It was a rare scare for the home side but normal service was soon resumed. Willian weaved his way through two challenges before shooting just over in the 52nd minute. Another strong run from Willian saw him feed Loftus-Cheek through, only for the midfielder's chip to bounce back off the crossbar.

The game began to open up a little and Nico Yennaris was denied by Begovic at one stage, but Ivanovic, just five minutes after his arrival off the bench, ended the contest. In what will surely be his final act in a Chelsea shirt after nine years with the club, he drove a shot past Bentley on 69 minutes after being sent through by Pedro.

"I'm pleased for Ivan to score a goal and it's important to evaluate a lot of things," Conte said in his post-match press conference. "This season he is not playing a lot with us. It's not easy to accept this decision but he knows the situation. A player must make best decision for him and his family and I'm ready to accept every decision. He deserves great respect for his Chelsea career and has won a lot."
Ivanovic would be involved again when Yoann Barbet tripped the defender for a clear 81st minute penalty that was dispatched by Batshuayi with minimal fuss. Dean Smith, the Brentford manager, felt as though the scoreline was a bit harsh. In truth, this was just another routine Chelsea win.

Chelsea (3-5-2): Begovic, Azipilicueta (Kenedy 70), Zouma, Terry; Pedro (Costa 76), Chalobah, Fabregas, Ake; Loftus-Cheek, Willian (Ivanovic 64), Batshuayi.
Subs not used: Eduardo, Hazard, Moses, Matic.

Brentford (3-5-2): Bentley, Egan, Dean, Bjellland; Colin, Yennaris, McEachran (Kerschbaumer 78), Woods, Barbet; Sawyers (Hogan 64), Vibe (Jota 65).
Subs: Bonham, Hoffman, Clarke, Field.
Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland)
Attendance: 41,04

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Observer:

Branislav Ivanovic proves the unlikely star as Chelsea rout Brentford
Chelsea 4 - 0 Brentford

David Hytner at Stamford Bridge

Antonio Conte can do no wrong. The Chelsea manager watched his team ease into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Brentford, who did not turn up until the second half, and the icing on the cake was provided by Branislav Ivanovic – a player he had dropped from the starting line-up.

Conte introduced the Chelsea stalwart, whose future is uncertain, as a 64th-minute substitute and, with his first meaningful involvement, he scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-0. Ivanovic gave the ball to Pedro and rumbled forward in support before getting it back and squeezing a low finish underneath the goalkeeper Daniel Bentley.

There was more. Ivanovic got himself into the area towards the end and, when he was taken out by Yoann Barbet, the referee, Michael Oliver, pointed to the penalty spot. Michy Batshuayi scored to round off Chelsea’s 17th win in their past 19 matches in all competitions. For the Premier League leaders, the double remains on.

Conte made nine changes to the lineup who had beaten Hull City in the league last Sunday – retaining only Pedro and César Azpilicueta – but it did not matter. Chelsea had cohesion and punch where it mattered, with Pedro outstanding and Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek not too far behind. Pedro scored the second goal – his eighth of the season – and had a hand in the first and third.

Brentford were off the pace in the first half and Dean Smith suggested his players had “subconsciously dropped a bit deep” after Pedro’s goal in the 21st minute. They were better at the beginning of the second half and Chelsea were indebted to Asmir Begovic for denying Lasse Vibe and Nico Yennaris.

There is the possibly that this might have been the last game for Ivanovic and Begovic in Chelsea colours, with Zenit St Petersburg among the clubs keen on taking the former before Tuesday’s transfer deadline and Bournemouth pushing for the latter.

Conte made it clear he was open to either player leaving, although he would first demand a replacement for Begovic. “Ivan is not playing a lot and that is difficult for him,” Conte said. “In this situation, the player must make the best decision for him and his family. Has Ivanovic asked to leave? I prefer to keep those conversations private. Begovic is in the same situation as Ivan.”

Chelsea’s opening goal came early and it was a beautifully executed free-kick from Willian, which he got to dip sharply after it had cleared the defensive wall. Smith described the award as “harsh” but Vibe had checked Pedro after a Chelsea short corner routine. It was Willian’s seventh goal of the season.

It was men against boys in the first half and the only surprise was Chelsea did not rack up more goals. Pedro scored with a touch and low finish following Batshuayi’s ball forward and the home team had many more chances, with the marauding Loftus-Cheek showing his power and a deft touch, too. He had three sightings of goal before the interval and from two of them he forced Bentley into smart saves.

Bentley managed to deny Batshuayi at close quarters following a goalmouth scramble on 27 minutes, scruffily halting the ball on his own line and later touched Cesc Fàbregas’s low shot from distance past the post. John Terry and Batshuayi had chances and Brentford could not wait for the half-time whistle.

The Championship club brought 6,000 fans and they found their voices when their team began the second half with a little more hustle. Smith had asked his players during the break whether they wanted to let Chelsea continue to have it all their own way and the response was good.
They got into their opponents’ faces and they had openings – two presentable ones; the first on 48 minutes. It was teed up by Ryan Woods for Vibe, who had got the better of Terry but Begovic left his line to claw the ball from him.

The second came on 63 minutes and it followed a piece of skill inside the penalty area from Yennaris of which Dennis Bergkamp would have been proud. Yennaris pirouetted away from Terry and Azpilicueta to open up the opportunity but again Begovic was out quickly to block. Smith sent on Scott Hogan, the West Ham United target, for whom this might have been a farewell appearance and the travelling support roared their encouragement, but Chelsea were on another level. Loftus-Cheek hit the crossbar after fine work from Willian on 58 minutes and went close following another surge, before Ivanovic made his push for the headlines.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 4-0 Brentford: Stunning Willian free-kick inspires Blues in FA Cup rout over Bees - 5 things we learned
Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Bayshuayi also registered to overwhelm the Championship side

BY JACOB MURTAGH

Chelsea cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with victory over Brentford.
Goals from Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi earned the Blues bragging rights in this west London derby.

Willian gave Chelsea the lead on 14 minutes with a curling free-kick into the top corner after Lasse Vibe was penalised for blocking Pedro at the edge of the box.
The Spaniard then doubled the home side’s lead midway through the half when he latched on to Batshuayi’s through ball to beat Dan Bentley.
Ruben Lofus-Cheek almost added a third after the break, only to see his strike crash against the bar.
However, Ivanovic climbed off the bench to wrap up victory for Antonio Conte’s men before Batshuayi added gloss to the scoreline with a late penalty.

1. Fringe benefits for Blues
Conte made nine changes to his starting line-up for the visit of the Championship side.
Star men Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were both on the bench as the Italian rotated his squad ahead of Tuesday’s crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool.
However, his second-string gave him plenty of food for thought with a dominant display as they cruised to victory.

2. Ivanovic given Blues farewell
The defender looks to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this week after almost a decade at the club.
However, Conte gave supporters the chance to say farewell to the Serbian after throwing him on for the final half an hour.
He marked what could be his last appearance in a blue shirt with a fine finish before a rather muted celebration.

3. Fabregas gives Conte reminder
Cesc Fabregas has failed to start a Premier League game so far in 2017 and had been linked with a move to Italy.
Juventus, Inter and AC Milan have all been credited with an interest in the Spaniard, who is believed to be happy to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge.
And the former Arsenal man gave his boss another reminder of what he can do with a dazzling display against the Bees.

4. McEachran back on track
Josh McEachran burst on to the scene at Stamford Bridge as a teenager and went on to make 22 first-team appearances for the Blues.
The midfielder spent time on loan at Swansea, Middlesbrough, Watford, Wigan and Vitesse before making a permanent move to Griffin Park 18 months ago.
McEachran, who was given a warm welcome from home fans, struggled with injuries during his first season with the Bees but is showing signs he is getting back to his best form.

5. Hogan situation needs sorting
Scott Hogan returned to the Brentford squad but was only named as a substitute, with Vibe preferred up front.
The West Ham target has missed the last two games amid speculation over his future after manager Dean Smith claimed he had his head turned by the Premier League interest.
Brentford are holding out for £15million for their star man, and the situation needs to be resolved ahead of Tuesday night’s transfer deadline one way or the other.
He was given a rousing reception from the 6,000 travelling fans when he entered the fray after the break.

Chelsea
Begovic 6 – Largely untroubled in what could be his farewell appearance
Zouma 7 – Solid display to keep the visitors at bay
Terry 7 – Marshalled the defence on only his second game since November
Azpilicueta 7 – Another consistent display by the versatile Spaniard
Pedro 7 – Showed a cool head to slot home the second goal
Fabregas 8 – MOTM. Pulled the strings in the middle of the park
Chalobah 7 – Looked assured on a rare start
Ake 7 – Impressed on the left in his first appearance of the campaign
Willian 8 – Gave Chelsea the lead with an unstoppable free-kick
Loftus-Cheek 7 – Unlucky not to score with a series of decent efforts
Batshuayi 7 – Led the line well and deserved his late goal
Subs: Ivanovic 7 (for Willian 64), Kenedy 6 (for Azpilicueta 71), Costa 6 (for Pedro 76)

Brentford
Bentley 6 – Produced some good stops to keep the score down
Dean 6 - Defended doggedly but Blues were too hot to handle
Egan 5 – Irishman put his body on the line but had his hands full
Bjelland 5 – Off the pace and couldn’t cope with Chelsea’s attacking threat
Colin 5 – Booked. Couldn’t get forward as usual due to the Blues’ press
Woods 5 – Worked hard but unable to dictate the play like usual
McEachran 6 – Showed some nice touches. Brentford’s best player
Yennaris 6 – Never stopped running and almost pulled a goal back
Barbet 5 – Lost Pedro for Chelsea’s second goal
Sawyers 5 – Struggled to make an impact and hooked just after the hour mark
Vibe 5 – Isolated up front and gave away the free-kick for Chelsea’s opening goal
Subs: Hogan 5 (for Sawyers 64), Jota 5 (for Vibe 65), Kerschbaumer 5 (for McEachran 77)

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Star:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Blues march through to FA Cup fifth-round with rampant victory
CHELSEA power on relentlessly with literally plenty in reserve.

By Colin Mafham

Antonio Conte gave some of his second stringers a runout yesterday and they didn’t let him down with a merciless display that won’t have gone unnoticed on Merseyside.
Liverpool is the next stop in Tuesday and if they do what the last three visitors there have done - and win - who will bet against them going into to reclaim the Premier League title?
No doubting they have the look of champions about them, and if yesterday’s show is anything to go by possible FA Cup winners a well.
You just had to feel a tad sorry for Brentford having to face them in this sort of mood yesterday.
It’s not on record if the Bees are superstitious or not, but 13 was decidedly unlucky for them alright.
   
That was how long it took a half strength Chelsea without Diego Costa to start with to illustrate the gaping gap between Premier League leaders and Championship Promotion hopefuls.
Willian, one of only two first team regulars starting yesterday, showed precisely why he seems so irreplaceable these days with a cracking free kick that Brentford
keeper Daniel Bentley didn’t have a prayer with.
Same story seven minutes later, only this time it was Chelsea’s other regular, Pedro, who was sorry Brentford’s tormentor.
It was the speedy Spaniard who won the free kick that Willian scored with.
He followed that up by finishing off a flowing move that split the visitors wide open.

Chelsea, being shown far too much respect, enjoyed almost total control.
And if Bentley hadn’t produced super saves from the impressive Rubén Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas that scoreline would have been a lot worse with little more than than half an hour on the clock.
One has to assume that Chelsea watched that Liverpool upset before this one started because from the word go they looked hell bent on making sure Brentford wouldn’t repeat what Wolves did up at Anfield.
There looked less than a fat chance of that happening in a first half of almost total Chelsea domination.

Hardly surprising really that rapturous applause greeted a 41st minute shot from Yoann Barbet that gave keeper Asmir Begovic what was virtually his first touch of the ball.
Brentford Manager Dean Smith must have had a few choice words to say to his players during the break because they looked a different side straight after that interval.
More positive, more belief , and definitely more dangerous.
In fact they put Begovic and the defenders in front of him under more pressure in the first five minutes of the second half than they did in the entire first 45.
Quite amazing what a half time rollicking can do!

A couple of interesting substations followed with Brentford bringing on Scott Hogan for one last time before his expected move to West Ham.
Then Branislav Ivanovic marked what could be his farewell to Chelsea with a goal before he apparently heads off to Zenit St Petersburg, and won the penalty that Michy Batschuayi converted for Chelsea’s fourth.
And to top a pretty grim day for Brentford Josh McEachran trooped off after what was a particularly disappointing afternoon for him.

The whizz kid Chelsea let go after seven years at Stamford Bridge was desperate to show his old club that they got it wrong.
He failed miserably.
Jota might have salvaged something for Brentford with a great chance late on, but it wasn’t to be.
And they learned, rather painfully it must be said, just how much more they need to do to compete at the top level.
Frankly they must have been relieved to hear the final whistle.

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