Centrebacks Robert Huth and John Terry headed Chelsea into the last 16 of the FA Cup in a 2-0 victory over Birmingham City on Sunday.
The German and English internationals scored a goal in each half as Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho stayed on course for four titles in his first season in English soccer.
Chelsea are 10 points clear atop the Premier League, face Liverpool in the League Cup final and are going strong in the Champions League.
In Sunday’s other FA Cup game, Bolton scored a 1-0 victory at League One Oldham.
Mourinho, who moved to Chelsea after guiding FC Porto to a Champions League triumph last season, rested eight of the players that beat Manchester United 2-1 on Wednesday to reach the League Cup final.
His team soon went ahead at Stamford Bridge when Huth arrived unmarked at the near post and headed home a left-wing corner in the sixth minute.
Chelsea made sure of a place in the last 16 when Frank Lampard floated a ball into the area and Terry guided a long-range angled header inside the far post in the 80th minute.
Damien Duff should have added another before half-time but shot wide with only Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor to beat.
Preferring to take no chances and pack the midfield, Steve Bruce’s visitors rarely troubled the home defence.
Mourinho sent on Didier Drogba and Lampard midway through the second half, and the tall Côte d’Ivoire striker set up a chance for the England midfielder. His first-time shot was pushed round the post by Taylor.
Having also sent on Arjen Robben, the Chelsea manager had a problem when Huth picked up an injury and was struggling to keep going.
With 10 minutes to go and with a 2-0 lead, Mourinho pulled Huth from the field and Chelsea played the final moments with 10 men.
Teenage Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te fired Bolton into the fifth round and made sure League One Oldham didn’t claim another Premier League victim in a 1-0 victory for Wanderers.
Oldham were out to add to their upset victory over Manchester City in the previous round.
But Vaz Te, an 18-year-old Lisbon-born forward who joined Bolton as a trainee, struck in the ninth minute at Boundary Park, although his close-range header should have been saved by Oldham’s Australian goalkeeper, Les Pogliacomi.
Ricardo Gardner swung in a cross from the left wing and Vaz Te dived between two defenders to head goalwards. Pogliacomi got a hand to the ball but it slipped past him and inside his left-hand post.
The results mean that the weekend’s 16 fourth-round games didn’t have a single upset.
Defending champion and record 11-time winner Manchester United marched into the last 16 with a 3-0 beating of Middlesbrough on Saturday with Wayne Rooney scoring two spectacular goals.
His first was a 35-yard lob over stranded Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and the second was a first-time volley from the edge of the area.
”They are two of the best I have ever scored,” the teenage England striker said. ”That’s three in the FA Cup now, so hopefully I can carry on and get a few more in the next round.”
Nine-time winner Arsenal beat League Championship Wolves 2-0 and Blackburn, Newcastle and Everton comfortably beat teams from the lower divisions.
A penalty in the third minute of injury time gave Southampton a 2-1 victory over neighbour Portsmouth as Saints’ new manager, Harry Redknapp, ousted the club he left six weeks ago.
Charlton edged League Two leader Yeovil 3-2 and Fulham were held 1-1 by Derby, while a meeting of two Premier League clubs, West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham, ended 1-1. — Sapa-AP