Chelsea progressed into the FA Cup fifth round after a surprisingly comfortable 3-1 victory over Aston Villa – the Blues’ ninth win from their last ten replays in this competition.A cloud of doom has engulfed Stamford Bridge for much of this season, with the critics sharpening their knives following a bruising 4-2 Premier League defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. Having lost six of their previous seven away games across all competitions, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were back on the road here at Villa Park, yet they ripped up the script thanks to Conor Gallagher’s 11th-minute opener. Nicholas Jackson and Noni Madueke combined to lay the ball off for Gallagher to fire a superb first-time finish past Emiliano Martínez – a deserved reward for the Blues’ fast start.The hosts sought an immediate response through Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, but Pochettino’s men struck again. Villa’s defence allowed Jackson to ghost into the box unmarked and head home Malo Gusto’s cross. Cole Palmer threatened to rub further salt into Villa’s gaping wounds after being teed up by Madueke, only to be denied by Martínez on this occasion. Chances for the Villans were few and far between, but John McGinn did manage to sting Đorđe Petrović’s hands with his effort just seconds before halftime.Those Villa fans hoping for their side to come out after the break with renewed vigour were left hugely disappointed, as Enzo Fernández added Chelsea’s third in what has arguably been the Argentine’s finest moment in English football to date. The midfielder curled a wonderful free-kick into the top corner past an outstretched Martínez, lifting his shirt aloft to the television camera, reminding everyone of his capabilities. Chants of “just like London, your city is blue”, came from the jubilant Chelsea fans, many of whom would have travelled to the West Midlands with plenty of trepidation.There were flickering signs of Villa revival, and Moussa Diaby fired in a consolation strike that clipped in off the post in stoppage time. Nonetheless, the Blues can look forward to a fifth-round tie against Leeds United, while the Villans’ nine-year wait to reach the last 16 of the competition continues – a feat they have not managed since playing Arsenal in the 2015 final.FA CUP1/16 finals – second legWednesdayNott.Forest – Bristol City 1-1 (1-1)/Origi 7 – Knight 14//first match 0-0/*Forest are through on penalties 5-3Aston Villa – Chelsea 1-3 (0-2)/Diaby 90+1 – Gallagher 11, Jackson 21, Fernandez 54//first match 0-0/
