Chelsea scored two first-half goals to beat Championship side Middlesbrough and progress into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
With the game being played amidst the most evident of off-field retributions since owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned last week, Chelsea produced a professional performance to overcome a raucous Riverside home support and record their 12th win in 13.
Romelu Lukaku slotted his 12th goal of the season and Hakim Ziyech arrowed in from range as Thomas Tuchel’s side reached their fifth FA Cup semi-final in the last six seasons.
Positive start pays dividends
Chelsea arrived at the Riverside Stadium on a serene spring afternoon hoping to follow up on another impressive victory against Lille on Wednesday.
But there was nothing tranquil about the hostile home crowd inside the ground, made additionally unfamiliar by the absence of almost 4000 away supporters – the usual allocation for a Cup game.
Tuchel made five changes from their midweek trip to France and reverted to a 4-3-3 in possession; Ruben Loftus-Cheek assuming the deepest role in a midfield three that also subsumed Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic. Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic flanked Lukaku upfront.
On the ball, Chelsea’s fullbacks would stay relatively passive; championing ball circulation and offering a viable passing angle rather than contributing to any attacking threat. The wingers would contrastingly stay extremely wide and look to draw out the opposition fullbacks, fashioning space for the numbers 8s to drive into.
This was the blueprint for much of Chelsea’s effectiveness in attack, particularly down the right-hand side. Ziyech and Mount would combine frequently, with the latter dealt the duty of delivering into the area. A stretching Pulisic almost latched onto one of the Englishman’s crosses within the first ten minutes.
After a quarter of an hour, the same combination functioned again. After an uncoordinated Middlesbrough press, Ziyech fashioned himself time to work the ball towards Mount in another crossing space, this time successfully finding Belgian striker Lukaku for a tap in.
The Blues deservedly doubled their lead moments after the half-hour mark. Another erratically high Middlesbrough block was pierced by Rudiger, finding Kovacic between the lines. Chelsea worked the ball unopposed towards birthday-boy Ziyech, whose dipping effort proved too good for Joe Lumley in the Boro net.
That goal somewhat sobered the vociferous home crowd. The Blues even could have had a third before the break but for Dijksteel’s goal-line clearance after Lukaku had rounded the keeper. Chelsea had nonetheless established a commanding half-time advantage.
Silva Reigns Supreme
Middlesbrough improved significantly after the break, finding fruitful combinations down the right-hand side and targeting Malang Sarr in an unfamiliar fullback role.
This merely set the impetus for the typically flawless Thiago Silva to step up and assert control over the Chelsea back-line; stepping forward into challenges and winning duals to negate any momentum gained by the home side.
It may seem tedious to mention yet another impeccable performance from the Brazilian, but such is the nature of Silva’s current form that it would be doing him an injustice to not at least allude to the abnormal ease and elegance with which he defends.
The Middlesbrough attackers consequently toiled and saw any chances reduced to long-range efforts.
At the other end, substitute Timo Werner saw a late effort blocked by Bamba after more good work from Mount, as the game fizzled out into an academic victory for Tuchel’s men.
Something We Can Take?
The main takeaway from this fixture is the ease with which Chelsea can transition from formations and the attacking threat they exhibit with this 4-3-3 setup; a formation the Blues last used in the Premier League against Tottenham in January.
It displays versatility and adaptability from both the players and the manager, making setting up against this Chelsea side increasingly more difficult and unpredictable. Mount in particular seems to flourish in his role. Tuchel could interpret this flexibility as a trump card that his rivals may not possess as we enter the business end of the season.
Player Ratings: Mendy (7); Azpilicueta (7), Silva (9), Rudiger (7), Sarr (6); Loftus-Cheek (7), Kovacic (7), Mount (8); Ziyech (8), Lukaku (7), Pulisic (6).
