The last two men to win the FA Cup as both player and manager have tasted Wembley glory with Chelsea. The class of 2020 will have to improve on this if Frank Lampard is to emulate Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Di Matteo but he could at least savour the sight of Chelsea taking their place in the last 16.
Michy Batshuayi and Fikayo Tomori struck to see off a spirited Hull side as Lampard, a four-times winner during his days in Chelsea’s midfield, was able to make eight changes and advance. “The good news is that we are in the hat,” he said. “The bad news is that it was a small story of our season.”
The failure to put away chances and to keep a clean sheet left Lampard frustrated. The slipshod nature of the performance meant Hull almost earned a replay. “We caused our own problems,” he said.
If some of the excitement was unwanted, Lampard could enjoy the initial action. The goals came from two players he introduced. Batshuayi can seem the ideal back-up striker in such fixtures and he deputised adeptly for the injured Tammy Abraham.
The Belgian may be accused of being a flat-track bully but he tends to be the scourge of lower-league opponents and he again displayed his habit of striking against Chelsea’s inferiors. He ended a 13-game drought in scruffy fashion. “His goal was slightly fortunate but I like that,” said Lampard.
A deflection off Ryan Tafazolli looped over George Long but a free-flowing move involving Mateo Kovacic, César Azpilicueta and Mason Mount suggested it would be an easy afternoon. Chelsea ensured it was not. “I feel like a broken record,” Lampard added. “We have the larger share of possession and shots on goal but are not making those count.”
Kovacic opened Hull up at will in the first half, piercing their defence with enviable class, but the overworked Long saved well from Mount, Ross Barkley and Azpilicueta and Chelsea had to wait for almost an hour to double their lead.
Tomori, who did not score in his season on loan at Hull, found the net against his old employers by heading in Ross Barkley’s far-post free-kick. Yet profligacy was a problem again when Pedro and Tomori each spurned two chances in swift succession. Chelsea almost had cause to rue it. “We made it harder than we had to,” Lampard said.
Hull’s was a valiant attempt to bridge a gap of 28 league places. “The boys gave it a really good shot,” said their manager, Grant McCann. Buoyed by the KCom Stadium’s first capacity crowd since 2017, Jarrod Bowen was outstanding, tormenting Marcos Alonso and displaying the quality to appeal to Premier League suitors. “A top player,” McCann added.
The winger came agonisingly close to a 40th goal in the last two seasons with a rising shot that just cleared the bar. Had his usual accomplice, Kamil Grosicki, started instead of the wasteful Mallik Wilks, perhaps Hull would have had the firepower they needed.
Instead the Pole came off the bench and scored with a free-kick that took a sizeable deflection off Kovacic. If that was unfortunate, Chelsea – who conceded two equalisers to Arsenal’s 10 men on Tuesday – then threatened to give up another advantage. “We are making mistakes,” Lampard said.
On this occasion, at least, it did not cost them.
