German medio nets twice to help Chelsea beat Ipswich in FA Cup
German medio nets twice to help Chelsea beat Ipswich in FA Cup
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Chelsea's Michael Ballack celebrates scoring against Ipswich Town during their FA Cup fourth round match at Stamford Bridge. PIC/AP |
Chelsea earned a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup thanks to a double from Michael Ballack and a terrific 35-yard free-kick from Frank Lampard on Saturday.
But the Premier League side again made hard work of overcoming lower-league opposition in a domestic cup competition. It had looked like being an easy afternoon for the Blues against Championship side Ipswich when Ballack put dominant Chelsea in front in the 16th minute.
But their failure to defend at set-pieces cost them again when Alex Bruce levelled matters before the break.
But while they find it difficult to defend set-pieces, Chelsea have no problems scoring from their own.
Two slices of pure free-kick magic from Ballack and Lampard ensured they will feature in the next round.
Meanwhile, West Ham also booked their place in the fifth round of this season's FA Cup after a 2-0 victory at League One Hartlepool in Saturday's clash. The hosts who had already accounted for Stoke in round three started brightly, but two goals in two minutes at the end of the first half were enough to see the Premier League side through.
FA Cup resultsChelseau00a0 3, Ipswichu00a0 1u00a0
Doncaster 0, Aston Villa 0u00a0
Hartlepool 0, West Hamu00a0 2u00a0
Hull 2, Millwall 0u00a0
Kettering 2, Fulham 4u00a0
Swanseau00a0 2, Portsmouthu00a0 0u00a0
Sheff Utd 2, Charltonu00a0 1u00a0
Sunderlandu00a0 0, Blackburnu00a0 0u00a0
Coventry 1, Torquay 0u00a0
Watfordu00a0 4, Crystal Palace 3u00a0
West Brom 2, Burnley 2u00a0
M'brough 2, W'hampton 1
