Chelsea strolled through to their third consecutive FA Cup semi-final on Saturday evening, comfortably dispatching an opponent who knocked out Manchester United and Spurs in the previous two rounds. The World Champions showed the required levels, heading into the international break with a sixth consecutive victory.
Thomas Tuchel made five changes to the team that started against Lille in midweek, but there were little signs of a drop off in quality, rather an exhibition for Chelsea's best players to shine.
As they have over the past three weeks, any suggestion the chaos surrounding the club's future would impact the players have been disproved consistently — a credit to Tuchel and the mentality of his squad.
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Mason Mount set Chelsea on their way with a sumptuous pass for Romelu Lukaku's opening goal with 15 minutes gone. Despite the hosts rallying and trying to unsettle Chelsea, the second goal demonstrated the gap in quality. A flowing passing move from back to front before Hakim Ziyech's incredible left-footed strike doubled the lead.
As Chelsea now await their opponents at Wembley next month in tomorrow's draw, let's look at CareFreeChelsea's Good, Bad and Ugly from the win at Middlesbrough.
Good: Ziyech steals Hazard trick as Mount stars
Mason Mount has now amassed 20 goals and assists across all competitions this season (8 goals, 12 assists). The English midfielder was a nightmare on the right-side of attack on the night, his perfectly weighted ball making Lukaku's finish a formality.
In addition to Mount's expected influence in Chelsea's most dazzling displays, Hakim Ziyech continued his recent good form with a stunning left-footed strike to make it 2-0. The goal itself had shades of Eden Hazard, cutting inside and almost giving the keeper the eyes.
Since the start of 2022, the Moroccan has taken responsibility and produced moments of importance, which is great to see.
Another player to note is Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Excelling in a deep midfield role, dovetailing well with Mateo Kovacic and gliding through challenges to kickstart several attacking moves on the evening.
Bad: Thiago Silva not being here sooner
BBC coverage picked Thiago Silva out as the man of the match, and you cannot really contest that choice with much passion. Again, the Brazilian was predictably cool with his work, demonstrating a level of defensive excellence few will ever attain.
The shame of Silva's excellence is getting him at Chelsea in the twilight of his career, undeniably one of the club's greatest ever signings. He has transformed the defence and looks to be growing in stature each week.
Just a blessing to watch him wear a Chelsea shirt, and he is the clear frontrunner for player of the season.
Ugly: Scruffy Timo
On a night where recent fringe players like Lukaku and Loftus-Cheek excelled, Werner struggled again off the bench, scuffing his best chance. As we reach the business end of the season, being out of the group of regular starters can be difficult to overcome.
Werner is simply not doing enough, and his lack of minutes given by Tuchel are only being vindicated.
