Chelsea swept aside a below-strength Manchester City team containing five teenage full debutants to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini warned he would select a shadow side after the game was scheduled for late on Sunday, before Wednesday's Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine.
And he was true to his word as most of City's big players were missing and defender Tosin Adarabioyo and young midfielders Manu Garcia and Aleix Garcia were selected, along with Bersant Celina and David Faupala.
Faupala actually gave City hope when he scrambled in an equaliser, after Diego Costa headed Chelsea in front 10 minutes before half-time.
The leveller was met with several coins being thrown on to the pitch from the Chelsea supporters' end.
The hosts, however, over-ran City after the break with Willian scoring from close range and Gary Cahill putting the result beyond doubt with a powerful finish from Fernando's poor clearance.
The excellent Eden Hazard curled in a free-kick and Bertrand Traore's header looped over dreadful City keeper Willy Caballero to complete an emphatic win for Chelsea, who were even allowed the luxury of seeing Oscar's penalty saved.
Chelsea will travel to Everton in the quarter-finals.
There are two distinct sides to this argument - those who believe in the power of the FA Cup to such an extent that anything less than a full-strength side is abhorrent, and those who believe City have higher priorities.
Pellegrini, in his defence, has always played strong sides in domestic cup competitions and his anger (and consequently his selection) here came from this game being scheduled for 16:00 GMT on a Sunday before Wednesday's Champions League trip to the Ukraine.
A side with so many full debutants was on a hiding to nothing and so it proved as Chelsea's strength and superior class wore them down.
The eventual result will inevitably draw criticism for Pellegrini but he will insist he does respect the FA Cup, has a track record that proves it, and that his hand was forced by City's arduous schedule, which also includes the Capital One Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley next Sunday.
Hazard shows signs of life
Eden Hazard's form has come under intense scrutiny this season, with many Chelsea fans blaming his lack of impact for the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho.
He was also criticised for his display in the Champions League loss to Paris St-Germain, a club who - along with Real Madrid, have been strongly linked with the Belgian.
Here, he was back to something like his mercurial best, crossing for Costa's opener, playing in Willian for the second before getting his first home goal this season with a swerving free-kick that deceived City keeper Caballero.
Hazard still has some way to go before reaching the standards that inspired Chelsea's title win last season but this was another big step forward and history shows that when he plays well Chelsea are a very potent force.
And the chants at the end suggests he is back in the good books of Chelsea's fans.
So how did City's youngsters fare?
The answer is a simple one - just about as well as could be expected in the circumstances.
And to place their efforts in context against a Chelsea side that was simply too strong and too good for them, it should be noted that keeper Caballero (34), Martin Demichelis (35) and Fernando (28) were quite comfortably among City's worst players.
Caballero was uncertain throughout and might have done better with Chelsea's last three goals, although he saved Oscar's penalty. Demichelis was desperate, fouling Bertrand Traore to concede a penalty, while it was Fernando's clearance that fell invitingly for Cahill's third.
It was certainly not the youngsters who let Pellegrini down.
Young striker Faupala, his goal apart, showed great energy and promise. The 19-year-old almost opened the scoring in the opening moments, following up two nutmegs with a shot that brought a smart save from Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois.
And young defender Adarabioyo, 18, was dealt a tough hand in dealing with the bustling Costa but stuck to his task and acquitted himself better than the vastly-experienced Demichelis.
This was a very steep learning curve for City's kids and they can now return to the junior ranks having had a taste, albeit a painful one, of life at the highest level.
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
(BBC)
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