Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff: The Sunday Mirror match report

One ONE question was answered emphatically at Stamford Bridge yesterday – but another remains in a cloud of uncertainty.

First things first – Chelsea are both motivated and focused on retaining the FA Cup as they proved in the clinical fashion with which they disposed of Cardiff to reach the quarter-finals. The presence of an Italian manager is clearly a factor. Success is in the DNA of Carlo Ancelotti.

Combine that steely streak with the refusal of class players such as Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack to accept anything less than victory, and there is the recipe for a sustained pursuit of glory at home and in Europe.

But just how significant a part Joe Cole will play in that run-in is in doubt.

Cole is arguably the most talented English player of his generation, but Ancelotti has clearly still to be convinced. He gave Cole a start against Cardiff but, after 45 minutes, he had seen enough and the man who is such an integral part of one Italian’s plans clearly has yet to win over another.

Fabio Capello may see Cole as a certainty for the World Cup finals, but Ancelotti is not as easily swayed by the free spirit of the midfield player. Hence his substitution at half-time.

“No, he wasn’t injured,” confirmed assistant manager Ray Wilkins. “It was tactical. Joe has been out for a long time with an injury and it takes a while to come back to your best. I am not worried and not surprised. We have a squad full of quality and the manager will change things if he feels it is needed.”

Cole was probably guilty of trying too hard, of trying to prove to Ancelotti and the club that he is worth every penny of the new contract he is currently negotiating.

But he only succeeded in overplaying – and the more he worked, the worse it got. As it turned out, Cole may well have been a major beneficiary from the way the match evolved.

For an hour, Cardiff were the equals of their Premier League opponents but when they began to tire Chelsea had the men to exploit the gaps. And above all, they had Drogba.

He was, quite simply, immense. When the fourth official held up his number to be substituted with two minutes left, the Cardiff defence sighed with relief. But, in reality, it came 88 minutes too late for them. The damage had been done.

Just two minutes into the game, Drogba made his mark as he accelerated onto a through ball from Jon Obi Mikel, left a hesitant defence standing and hammered the ball past David Marshall.

“We tried to play offside and I just don’t know why,” said bemused Cardiff manager David Jones.

But he will have taken heart from the way his men res-ponded and they deservedly equalised in the 34th minute when the ever-dangerous Chris Burke crossed from the left and Michael Chopra scored with a neat near-post header.

The 5,800 fans who had travelled from South Wales – and inspired the most comprehensive police security operation for 15 years in South West London – were prompted to celebrate in full voice.

But their joy was tempered just six minutes into the second half when Drogba set up Ballack to restore the lead and, come the 69th minute, it was game over. Drogba was the inspiration again by causing more confusion, the ball broke clear and Daniel Sturridge scored the third.

Cardiff continued to give their all, but the tide had turned in irresistible fashion and Chelsea now smelled blood.

They had players with the pace and venom to capitalise on Cardiff’s wilting resistance and, three minutes from time, Paulo Ferreira crossed from the right and Salomon Kalou used all the elasticity in his neck muscles to leave Marshall clasping at thin air.

Job done for Chelsea. And as Wilkins said of the win-the-lot ethos at Stamford Bridge: “It has been that way for the past couple of years and it shows the professionalism of players like Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack that they showed how much they wanted to win.

“People thought this was a nailed-on game for us, but for an hour Cardiff really made it hard and worked their socks off.”