THIRD ROUND (January 3, 2010) v Watford (h) W 5-0
A one-sided game kick-started Chelsea's campaign. The Blues were 3-0 up inside 22 minutes with Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda scoring either side of a John Eustace own goal. Sturridge and a long-range effort from Frank Lampard completed the scoring against the Championship side.
FOURTH ROUND (January 22, 2010) v Preston (a) W 2-0
Goals either side of the break from Nicolas Anelka and Sturridge ended Preston's resistance at Deepdale and put the Blues into the fifth round. Anelka's opener undid the hosts on the counter-attack while Sturridge pounced after a header from John Terry had been parried into his path.
FIFTH ROUND (February 13, 2010) v Cardiff (h) W 4-1
Championship side Cardiff tried hard to make life difficult for the Blues and succeeded when Michael Chopra cancelled out Didier Drogba's opener. But a second-half onslaught brought Chelsea goals from Michael Ballack, Sturridge, and Salomon Kalou and a place in the last eight.
QUARTER-FINAL (March 7, 2010) v Stoke (h) W 2-0
Goals from Lampard and a near-post Terry header clinched a place in the last four for Chelsea. Stoke had accounted for Arsenal and Manchester City but found Chelsea just too difficult to overcome at a packed Stamford Bridge.
SEMI-FINAL (April 10, 2010) v Aston Villa (Wembley) W 3-0
Chelsea clinched a place in their third FA Cup final in four years with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Drogba, Malouda and Lampard put the Blues into the final against Portsmouth and gave Carlo Ancelotti the chance to win a major piece of silverware in his first season in England.
