Chelsea dispensed with Cardiff City 4-1 in the FA Cup fifth round, courtesy of goals from Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and Salomon Kalou. Cardiff’s goal was, at the time, an equaliser scored by Michael Chopra, but in reality, they were never in the hunt.
It took just two minutes for the Blues to take the lead and it was Drogba’s 23rd goal of the season that did it. John Obi Mikel’s flighted ball caught the Cardiff defence flat footed, leaving Drogba to finish confidently.
Hilario, in for the rested Petr Cech, had to make a superbly acrobatic save to deny Anthony Gerrard for Cardiff. However, they were not to be denied an equalizer, Chopra heading past Hilario in the 33rd minute.
Chelsea took the lead again in the 50th minute, a lead they would not relinquish. Drogba found Ballack, who’d timed his run with the perfection of a seasoned forward. The German finished like one too, gently dinking the ball over the goalkeeper with his left foot for his fifth goal of the season.
With 22 minutes left, Sturridge made the game safe with his fourth cup goal in three matches. He played the ball into the feet of Drogba, before hedging his bets and continuing his run forward. Fortuitously the ball dropped to him, but there was nothing lucky about Sturridge’s composed finished.
There was five minutes left when Kalou completed the scoring. Ferreira, who had impressed all night, sent in a wicked cross that the forward did well to divert towards goal, his header finding the top corner. Chelsea will now be heavy favourites to defend the FA Cup.