Chelsea fought off a shaky first-half performance against a tricky Wolverhampton Wonderers side, putting in a much better shift in the final 45 to collect a 2-0 win, advancing to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
It was never going to be an easy one at Molineux against a Wolves side that previously won in the third and fourth rounds against Stoke (2-0) and Liverpool (2-1).
Antonio Conte deployed his usual 3-4-3 with Asmir Begovic in goal, Kurt Zouma, John Terry and Nathan Ake at the back, Victor Moses and Pedro at the wing-back spots, Cesc Fabregas and Nathaniel Chalobah roaming centrally and Eden Hazard and Willian behind Diego Costa as the inside forwards. Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all made appearances as substitutes in the 72nd, 80th and 85th minutes.
The opening 45 minutes was full of misplaced passes and frustration, but Conte, being the tailor that he’s self-proclaimed to be, obviously said something to the squad at the half-time break as they stormed out and picked up goals in the 64th and 89th minutes via Pedro and Costa, respectively.
Here’s what we learned from our fifth round FA Cup victory.
