Chelsea started the road to recovery after the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas by reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals with victory at Birmingham City.
Roberto di Matteo took control after being handed the job until the end of the season – but had to wait 45 minutes for Chelsea to move through the gears before finally finding the quality to see off their Championship opponents in this fifth-round replay.
Juan Mata enlivened a dour encounter with a scrambled finish just after the interval and Raul Meireles swiftly followed up with a spectacular second to confirm a sixth-round meeting with Leicester City at Stamford Bridge.
Mata also saw a penalty saved by Birmingham keeper Colin Doyle – as he did in the first game at Stamford Bridge – on a night when Chelsea’s supporters delivered their own vociferous verdict on who they want to see replace Villas-Boas, sacked by owner Roman Abramovich on Sunday after only nine months in charge.
The name of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was chanted within seconds, along with support for Abramovich, but there was a chorus of abuse and disapproval at the prospect of former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez emerging as a potential contender to succeed Villas-Boas.
At the final whistle Chelsea were able to see a shaft of light at the end of a dark tunnel as an ultimately comfortable victory ensured they moved a step closer to Wembley.
Chelsea captain John Terry was fit well ahead of schedule following knee surgery to take his place on the substitutes’ bench, where he was joined by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
Di Matteo called for Chelsea to show unity and passion at the start of yet another new era at the club and Mata almost gave the Italian the perfect start in the opening seconds when was denied by Birmingham keeper Doyle.
The giant figure of Nikola Zigic was leading Birmingham’s attack and he was galvanised into action by anger when caught late by Chelsea defender David Luiz, sustaining a nasty gash near his eye.
He required lengthy treatment, returning as a man on a mission. The Serb picked up a yellow card for a reckless lunge at Gary Cahill then forced Chelsea keeper Petr Cech into a fine save as he headed Jordon Mutch’s cross towards the top corner.
Fernando Torres had been involved in plenty of Chelsea’s approach play but summed up his current plight on the stroke of half-time when he turned superbly on the edge of the area before sending his finish hopelessly wide.
Chelsea started with greater purpose after the break and went ahead nine minutes after the restart. Birmingham failed to clear Ramires’s cross and in the subsequent scramble Mata bundled in a finish Doyle touched but could not keep out.
Mata almost added a second minutes later when Branislav Ivanovic’s cross touched off Curtis Davies, a deflection which slightly wrong-footed the Spaniard, who could only poke his shot wide.
It was only delaying the inevitable as Chelsea finally exerted their authority and Meireles sealed their place in the last eight in spectacular style on the hour. The Portuguese, signed by Villas-Boas, met Ramires’s touch with a crisp strike from 20 yards that was still rising as it hit the roof of the net.
Meireles’s celebrations were subdued, perhaps out of respect to his fellow countryman Villas-Boas, in sharp contrast to Di Matteo and his cohorts on the Chelsea bench.
Birmingham began to flag, understandably given the depleted nature of their side, and Chelsea had the opportunity to add a third after 69 minutes when Torres was hauled down by Guirane N’Daw.
Chelsea’s fans chanted for Torres to take the spot-kick – as did the Birmingham supporters who mocked the struggling striker throughout – but Mata stepped forward and saw his effort blocked by Doyle.
Substitute Daniel Sturridge then wasted a chance before Mutch squandered an opportunity to give Birmingham hope, lifting a wayward finish over the top from Chris Burke’s excellent pass.
Birmingham had been a credit to manager Chris Hughton, battling to the end despite the cause being lost, with Marlon King’s shot forcing Cech to punch his volley to safety.
It was the final moment of anxiety as Chelsea survived in comfort to allow Di Matteo to start his time in charge with victory and another step towards Wembley.
Meanwhile, Arsenal scored three first-half goals but could not complete an epic comeback against AC Milan, who held on to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Milan, leading 4-0 from the first leg, were rocked when Laurent Koscielny headed home a corner and a mistake let Tomas Rosicky slot in Arsenal’s second.
Robin van Persie’s penalty increased the Gunners’ momentum before the break.
But the Dutchman missed a golden chance from close range and Milan had the best openings in a frantic end to the game.
Arsenal’s night ultimately ended in glorious failure but the spirit and verve with which they went about a seemingly impossible task means they bow out of Europe with their heads held high.
That seemed unlikely after the insipid display by Arsene Wenger’s side in the first leg last month, but this time it was Milan who quickly found themselves crumbling at the back.
Arsenal made the perfect start when, after just seven minutes, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s dipping corner found Koscielny leaping unmarked at the near post to beat Christian Abbiati with a bouncing header.
Milan looked rattled and the Gunners kept finding gaps in their defence, with the in-form Van Persie a constant threat.
The Dutchman had two efforts saved by Abbiati and only a poor ball by Rosicky stopped him testing the Rossoneri keeper again after Urby Emanuelson gave the ball away in a dangerous position.
The Italian side, so dominant at the San Siro, were unable to impose themselves up front and were punished for another defensive error when Rosicky made it 2-0 after 26 minutes.
Walcott surged down the right past Djamel Mesbah – floundering on his Champions League debut – and when Thiago Silva was unable to clear his cross, Rosicky was in the right place to squeeze his low shot past Abbiati and inside the post.
Milan’s only response was a long-range effort by Ignazio Abate which was easily dealt with by Wojciech Szczesny and things got even better for the Gunners just before half-time.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ran at Mesbah and was sandwiched between the hapless Milan defender and Antonio Nocerino inside the box, with Van Persie slamming home the resulting penalty after referee Damir Skomina pointed to the spot.
At that stage, what would have been the biggest comeback in Champions League history looked within Arsenal’s grasp.
Milan, who needed to score one goal to leave Wenger’s side needing six to progress, missed their only real chance of the half when Stephan El Shaarawy fired into the side-netting after finding space inside the box.
Arsenal continued to threaten immediately after the break but their cause was not helped by a hamstring injury to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was eventually forced off.
Their final clear-cut chance of the night came just before the hour mark, when Gervinho’s deflected shot was saved by Abbiati, who got up brilliantly to keep out Van Persie’s delicate follow-up.
While the Gunners tired, Milan at last seemed to find some organisation at the back and also began to come forward with intent at the other end.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic dragged his shot wide after latching on to a poor Szczesny clearance, but the Arsenal keeper also made crucial stops from the Swedish striker and El Shaarawy.
Nocerino wasted Milan’s best chance when he fired straight at Szczesny from close range but, with the Gunners running out of ideas and seemingly out of steam in the closing stages, his poor finish did not affect the outcome.