Chelsea hammer four past neighbours Brentford to reach FA Cup fifth round

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Antonio Conte's much-changed side hit their west London neighbours for four at Stamford Bridge

Conte rotated his title-chasing side (Getty)

Wholesale changes but no problem for Chelsea as they made it a perfect 10 straight wins at Stamford Bridge. In fact, this FA Cup tie turned into more of a farewell game for some old club favourites.

Branislav Ivanovic, on what may well be his final appearance before his expected departure ahead of Tuesday's deadline, put the seal on a tenth successive home win for Antonio Conte's side.

It might not have been the Premier League, but Chelsea still cantered home against Brentford thanks to goals from Willian, Pedro, Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi.

Antonio Conte rang the changes with Tuesday's trip to Liverpool in mind, but Chelsea still boasted a strong enough team to see off their mid-table Championship opponents with relative ease.

These two last met in 2013 with the Blues needing a replay to see off the Bees at the same stage of the competition. That year, their first meeting ended in a 2-2 draw at Griffin Park before Chelsea ran out comfortable winners on home soil.

Willian gave the Blues the lead (Getty)

There was no sign of repeat this time around. Chelsea had scored in each of their last 40 FA Cup ties, stretching back to 2000, and that run continued via Willian's 14th minute free kick. Lasse Vibe was adjudged to have upended Pedro and the Brazilian stepped up to curl home past Brentford goalkeeper Dan Bentley.

Brentford, who filled the Shed End with their 6,7000 supporters, remained in full voice but they rightfully began to fear the worst. History was also not on their side, with the Bees having not beaten Chelsea since 1939. It soon got worse for the visitors.

Batshuayi, making a rare start, was given too much space to pick a pass out for Pedro, who took one touch before firing underneath an exposed Bentley. 2-0 and just 21 minutes played.

Pedro continued his fine form of late (Getty)

It was all one-way traffic with Chelsea's pace and movement proving too hot to handle. Batshuayi could, and should, have extended the home side's lead by the half hour mark when he collected John Terry's knockdown but saw his attempt scrambled away by Bentley with it just inches from the goalline.

The Chelsea procession continued. Bentley was soon called into action again and made a fine fingertip save to foil Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Cesc Fabregas had picked out the youngster but Bentley, not for the first time, came to Brentford's rescue by pushing the low shot wide.

Asmir Begovic, likely making his last Chelsea appearance ahead of a £12million move to Bournemouth, had not been troubled in the home goal. The only time he was even slightly threatened was when Harley Dean headed wide tamely in a rare Brentford foray forward. Otherwise, the Serbian had been a spectator.

Brentford briefly threatened to change that a few minutes before the interval. However, Vibe, playing in place of Scott Hogan who was among the substitutes amid strong interest from West Ham, found himself crowded out of beating Terry to the ball.

It was a rare scare for the home side but normal service was soon resumed. Willian weaved his way through two challenges before shooting just over in the 52nd minute. Another strong run from Willian saw him feed Loftus-Cheek through, only for the midfielder's chip to bounce back off the crossbar.

Chelsea breezed through the game (Getty)

The game began to open up a little and Nico Yennaris was denied by Begovic at one stage, but Ivanovic, just five minutes after his arrival off the bench, ended the contest. In what will surely be his final act in a Chelsea shirt after nine years with the club, he drove a shot past Bentley on 69 minutes after being sent through by Pedro.

"I'm pleased for Ivan to score a goal and it's important to evaluate a lot of things," Conte said in his post-match press conference. "This season he is not playing a lot with us. It's not easy to accept this decision but he knows the situation. A player must make best decision for him and his family and I'm ready to accept every decision. He deserves great respect for his Chelsea career and has won a lot."

Ivanovic would be involved again when Yoann Barbet tripped the defender for a clear 81st minute penalty that was dispatched by Batshuayi with minimal fuss. Dean Smith, the Brentford manager, felt as though the scoreline was a bit harsh. In truth, this was just another routine Chelsea win.

Chelsea (3-5-2): Begovic, Azipilicueta (Kenedy 70), Zouma, Terry; Pedro (Costa 76), Chalobah, Fabregas, Ake; Loftus-Cheek, Willian (Ivanovic 64), Batshuayi.

Subs not used: Eduardo, Hazard, Moses, Matic.

Brentford (3-5-2): Bentley, Egan, Dean, Bjellland; Colin, Yennaris, McEachran (Kerschbaumer 78), Woods, Barbet; Sawyers (Hogan 64), Vibe (Jota 65).

Subs: Bonham, Hoffman, Clarke, Field.

Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland)

Attendance: 41,042