LONDON: Chelsea’s new interim coach Roberto Di Matteo made a winning start as the Londoners cruised past second tier Birmingham City 2-0 with goals from Juan Mata and Raul Meireles in an FA Cup fifth-round replay.
After a scrappy first half at St Andrews the visitors went in front in the 54th minute when Mata bundled the ball home from close range following a right-wing cross by Brazilian Ramires.
Meireles made the game safe six minutes later with a venomous right-foot shot from 20 metres after good work down the right by Branislav Ivanovic.
Mata missed a penalty in the 69th minute after Fernando Torres was brought down in the box but it made little difference as Chelsea secured a quarter-final date at home to second-tier Leicester City on March 18.
Di Matteo took charge on Sunday when Portuguese Andre Villas-Boas was sacked following a poor run of one win in seven matches in all competitions.
The Italian made several changes to the team, leaving out Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge and recalling Meireles, Torres, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel.
Ashley Cole also missed out with an ankle injury and there was no discernible change from the Villas-Boas era in the first half as six-times FA Cup winners Chelsea struggled to impose themselves on Chris Hughton’s Birmingham.
The visiting fans started the match with incessant chants for their former manager Jose Mourinho but ended the tie with cries of ‘There’s only one Di Matteo’.
Chelsea were much improved in the second half and Mata, after putting his side in front, had a penalty saved by Birmingham goalkeeper Colin Doyle, just as he did in the first game at Stamford Bridge.
Torres missed a good chance in the first half and worked hard throughout for little reward. The Spain striker set up Sturridge with a right-wing cross in the 76th minute but the substitute missed his kick in front of a gaping net. (Reuters)