In what could have been a capacity upset, Thomas Tuchel's crew were never afflicted as they made it six successive victories due to the fact that Roman Abramovich positioned the European champions up for sale. Unsettled Belgian striker Lukaku opened the scoring with simply his 2nd goal in seven games. Hakim Ziyech multiplied Chelsea's benefit before the interval at the Riverside Stadium. The Blues killed off the region-final with minimum fuss after that, ensuring a last 4 appearance at Wembley in April as they look to attain the very last for a 3rd consecutive 12 months.
Chelsea are operating below a unique licence allowing them to fulfil fixtures after the United Kingdom government sanctions on Abramovich in reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A host of bidders submitted their gives to shop for Chelsea from Abramovich earlier than Friday's deadline, supplying desire that their current catch 22 situation will soon be over. Tuchel admits he's out of the loop with reference to the sale, but the German has impressively saved Chelsea's gamers centered amid the off-field turmoil.
Chelsea have received 12 in their past thirteen matches, with the exception the League final penalty shoot-out loss in opposition to Liverpool. It hasn't all been plain crusing and following a scathing response from Middlesbrough and even their own supporters, Chelsea had withdrawn their request for the zone-very last to be played at the back of closed doorways once they were denied the danger to sell their complete allocation of tickets because of the sanctions.
Tuchel feared his squad could ought to make a ten-hour bus journey to the suit because of limits on the quantity they can spend on away tour before the transition to a new proprietor. But they have been subsequently allowed to fly to Teesside, where they effectively averted any FA Cup turbulence.
Middlesbrough had taken aback Manchester United and Tottenham within the preceding two rounds, but it speedy have become clean there would not be a 3rd scalp. Tuchel made 5 adjustments from the midweek Champions League last sixteen win at Lille, but nonetheless fielded a strong side, along with the plenty-maligned Lukaku, who narrowly failed to hook up with Mason Mount's low pass within the beginning moments.
If that miss turned into emblematic of Lukaku's struggles this season, in the fifteenth minute he gave a glimpse of the predatory instincts that persuaded the Blues to pay a club document £97 million to signal him from Inter Milan closing 12 months. Harried deep internal their own 1/2 with the aid of Middlesbrough, Thiago Silva and Ziyech mixed to neutralise the hosts' stress in a flurry of passes. Ziyech guided a exceptional long bypass towards Mount's lung-bursting surge down the proper and the England forward whipped over a specific go that Lukaku met with a medical end from six yards.
It was Lukaku's 12th membership aim this season and his sixteenth in the FA Cup considering that his tournament debut in 2012. Yet there little sign of a party or maybe a grin from Lukaku, reflecting the problems of a campaign that noticed him compelled to apologise after he hinted he turned into eager to return to Inter already.
For all Middlesbrough's huffing and puffing, they not often threatened to rattle Chelsea and the Blues' extra quality become on show once more as they doubled their lead within the thirty first minute. A clean burst of passing from Mount and Mateo Kovacic left Middlesbrough chasing shadows and Ziyech cut in from the proper flank to drill a swerving strike into the some distance corner from the threshold of the region. Middlesbrough keeper Joe Lumley may experience he should have done higher, but Ziyech wasn't concerned approximately that as he celebrated a purpose on his 29th birthday.
