Chelsea beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in the fifth round of the FA Cup thanks to second-half goals from Pedro and Diego Costa.
The best chance of the first half fell the way of the hosts, as midfielder George Saville sent a shot against the post when picked out unmarked inside the box.
Premier League leaders Chelsea plugged away in the second period and were rewarded when Pedro headed home on the hour, before Costa added a second late on by picking out the bottom corner to seal the win.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the FA Cup fifth-round tie between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux. We have already witnessed one almighty upset elsewhere this afternoon, as Lincoln City became the first non-league side in more than a century to book their place in the quarter-finals of this great competition with victory over Premier League outfit Burnley.
Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Manchester City are also being held against lower-league opposition, so do not rule out this match at Molineux potentially going against the grain. Updates from the other three matches currently taking place to come over the next hour or so, but for now all attention switches to the West Midlands as Premier League pacesetters Chelsea take on Championship strugglers Wolves for a place in round six.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Begovic; Zouma, Terry, Ake; Moses, Chalobah, Fabregas, Pedro; Willian, Costa, Hazard
SUBS: Eduardo, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Kenedy, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Batshuayi
Wolves are making us wait another 10 minutes before releasing team information for some reason, so we will start by checking out the visiting team which shows seven changes from last weekend's draw with Burnley. More than half of the squad has been rotated, but it is still a pretty strong looking XI named by Antonio Conte; a lineup that includes all four of their attacking quartet - Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian.
That will likely mean Pedro playing in a wing-back role, with Marcos Alonso missing out this evening due to a knock, while on the other flank Victor Moses is one of four players to retain his place in the side. It is a new-look backline, meanwhile, as Asmir Begovic comes into the side between the sticks, and the back three is made up of Nathan Ake, Kurt Zouma and John Terry - each talented, but will they click into gear or take time to settle?
Pedro has scored three and set up two in his two outings in this competition so far this year, so he will be a big threat down the flank this evening. No disputing the quality of the Blues' attacking ranks, with Michy Batshuayi given no look-in yet again, but it is at the back where they can be targeted by Wolves. Ake has played just once for Chelsea since returning from Bournemouth; that coming in the win over Brentford last time out in this competition. Terry, Zouma and Begovic will also be more than a little stale.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ikeme, Coady, Batth, Hause, Doherty, Price, Saville, Costa, Edwards, Weimann, Bodvarsson
SUBS: Burgoyne, Stearman, Evans, Saiss, Ronan, Gibbs-White, Enobakhare
Wolves boss Paul Lambert made seven changes to his side for that trip to Anfield last month, remember, and he has rotated slightly today. Lonergan, Iorfa, Williamson, Borthwick-Jackson and Gladon are all absent, while as many as six others are unavailable. Andreas Weimann was expected to be recalled to the team today, and he does indeed start out wide for the hosts.
Harry Burgoyne had to man the goal at Anfield in that fourth-round tie, but he is back on the bench today following the return to action of Karl Ikeme. Helder Costa was without question the star man on Merseyside and, having since made his move permanent in a £13m switch, the Portuguese trickster is one to keep an eye on today as he retains his place in the starting lineup. Kortney Hause and Conor Coady both return in the backline.
All-in-all, Lambert makes a total of five changes from the disappointing 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic here in midweek. Hause and Coady are joined by George Saville, Jack Price and Weimann in returning to the fold, the latter of whom has yet to complete the full 90 minutes since joining the club on loan from Midlands rivals Derby County. Wales international Dave Edwards among the six players to retain his spot; a player with a knack of scoring important goals.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was expected to name close to his strongest possible XI this evening, but his selection is pretty mixed. The Italian has gone with his strongest attacking options, including Pedro presumably in a wing-back berth, but at the back John Terry, Nathan Ake, Kurt Zouma and Asmir Begovic are all handed rare starts. In terms of Wolverhampton Wanderers, they show five changes from their last outing - a 1-0 defeat to Wigan here.
RESULTS! Time to bring you up to speed with all the goings on from elsewhere this afternoon across the FA Cup. We already know all about Lincoln City's incredible 1-0 win over Burnley in the day's early kickoff, well Millwall have pulled off a scalp of their own by beating a doomed Leicester City side and Huddersfield Town have held Manchester City to a goalless draw. Oxford United could not quite join the list of shocks, as they fell to a late 3-2 defeat to Middlesbrough.
Rather incredibly, Millwall and Lincoln are two of the three teams in the hat for the last eight, being joined by Premier League Boro. Now it is the turn of Wolves to potentially pull off a big upset, as they look to lift the cup for a fifth time in their history and for the first time since 1960 - also their last appearance in the final. In terms of their Championship aspirations, it has been another campaign of disappointment as they have been dragged into a relegation battle.
A handful of games took place in the Championship this afternoon, and after the conclusion of those matches Wolves are now just five points above the relegation zone. It looked like being a campaign of mid-table mediocrity for large parts, but three defeats on the spin - including that shocker of a result at home to bottom-three side Wigan - has left them desperately looking over their shoulder. Two of their next three games are against the division's top four, too, so they cannot breath just yet.
If recent league results have helped to show the worse of Wanderers, then the display at Anfield just under a month ago was very much peak Wolves. It was a performance built on counter-attacking speed and power, with Costa in particular taking Liverpool apart at times to help the second-tier outfit to a 2-1 away win and into the fifth round for the first time in nearly a decade. On that occasion they went on to lose to Cardiff City - a packed Molineux will be hoping for better today.
As well as beating Liverpool last time out, Wolves also went to Stoke City in round three to pick up another hugely impressive win. Not since 2002-03 have they made it any further than this stage of the competition, though, when being edged out by eventual finalists Southampton in the last eight. That season also marked the last time Wanderers beat a Premier League side in the FA Cup, as they beat Newcastle United 3-2 in the third round.
DID YOU KNOW? As already touched up, Wolverhampton Wanderers have already beaten two Premier League teams to make it to this fifth-round stage. Not since winning it back in 1960 have they knocked out more top-flight opponents (4), while the last team to get the better of three or more was Wigan Athletic during their impressive run in 2013-14. Their task will certainly be tough; arguably the toughest of the lot, bar this fixture being played at Stamford Bridge.
If recent results are anything to go by then any hopes Wolverhampton Wanderers have of causing an upset today can be quickly forgotten about, having lost four of their last five in the Championship either side of that victory over Liverpool. Paul Lambert's side certainly boast proven pedigree in the FA Cup thanks to four previous successes in the final, but not since 1960 have they made it all the way.
Chelsea are winners of this competition on seven previous occasions, meanwhile, but they have not done so since 2012 when lifting the cup for a fifth time since the turn of the century. Many neutrals now consider them as champions-elect, having opened up an eight-point lead over Man City and 10 points over the other pretenders, and Conte is now desperate to become one of the rare managers in English football to have achieved a league and cup double - in his first season, too!
The Blues may have slipped up in their last outing, dropping points against Burnley at Turf Moor six days ago, but that is just one of three occasions since the end of September that they have dropped league points. It has been a stroll for Conte since tweaking formation and going with five along the back when including the two wing-backs, while their FA Cup campaign has also been a walk in the park so far after scoring eight times to overcome Peterborough United and Bristol City on home soil.
Should Chelsea go on to win the Premier League and FA Cup double, as many bookmakers believe they will, the Blues will join Arsenal and Manchester United in an elite club to have achieved that feat on more than one occasion. Conte was asked about it in the week and admitted that it is his big ambition to lift two trophies in his maiden campaign on these shores, but he knows that the cup cannot be taken lightly - just ask Burnley and Leicester who have both slipped up today.
Not since 2007-08 have Chelsea been knocked out by a Championship club or lower on their travels, when losing to eventual finalists Barnsley, but they did suffer a shock defeat to Bradford at Stamford Bridge at Stamford Bridge a couple of seasons ago. The Blues may currently be the most impressive side in the land, scoring over half-a-century of goals and shipping just 13 since defeat to Arsenal in September, but it is worth mentioning that they have won just one of their last four away games.
That run includes defeat to Tottenham Hotspur to end their record-equalling run in the Premier League, while also being held by Liverpool and Burnley. This may well be a good time to face the Blues as far as Wolves are concerned, then, although that said they have only failed to score in one of their last 11 away outings and are rightly now the outright favourites to go all the way and win the competition.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the fourth time that these two sides have met in the FA Cup, the last of which came in 1994 when Chelsea won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. All the other ties have seen Wolverhampton Wanderers play at home, losing in 1911 but winning 12 years later in the only other encounter. The Blues have won nine of the last 10 fixtures overall, though, keeping seven clean sheets in that time - including in the 6-0 League Cup thrashing the last time they faced off in 2012.
With kickoff in the West Midlands now a little over 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Paul Lambert: "On any given day we can win. But we have to perform. As long as we play the game and not the occasion we'll see what happens. We've got to stay in the game. In the FA Cup we've won the club's first game in six years, which is incredible, then the Liverpool game was iconic which will live in a lot of people's memories. Now there's another chance of something special. I'm delighted for the supporters because these are the games you want to be involved in. They don't happen every week, so when you do get one you make sure you have no regrets as a supporter as a player."
Antonio Conte: "Usually I like to win and I like to try to win with my team, every competition in every season. We must have this winning mentality. When you are Chelsea's coach or you are a Chelsea player, you must have this ambition to try to win every competition that you play. For sure it won't be easy. In the league there are six teams very strong to fight until the end to win the title. In the FA Cup there are 16 teams. Our target now is to go into the next round. This game won't be easy. Don't forget Wolverhampton won against Liverpool away, won against Stoke away."
Lambert has a sense that "something special" is happening in these parts, clearly referring to this cup run rather than their league aspirations. Wolves are just five points above the Championship relegation zone and face a real tough run of games over the next few weeks, but should they overcome Chelsea today they will be in the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time since 2003. They have already defeated Stoke City and Liverpool away, so why not the Blues on home soil?
Conte rightly pointing out that Wanderers cannot be taken lightly, citing those aforementioned results against Stoke and Liverpool as reasons to be wary. No European football for the Blues this season, of course, so all focus has been on the league and cup competitions right from the first whistle. They are storming their way to the title and look good value to now lift this famous cup for the first time since 2012 - not bad going for Conte in his first campaign outside of his native Italy!
PREDICTION! Wolves have a terrible recent record against today's opponents, losing nine of the last 10 - including a 6-0 cup defeat the last time they met five years ago. Wanderers boss Paul Lambert has also won just one of 10 games managed against Chelsea, so you really have to fancy the visitors to pick up a straightforward win if recent history is anything to go by. That said, this is the FA Cup so I will go with a hard-earned 1-0 victory.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff at Molineux just four minutes or so away now. A reminder of the team news for you: Chelsea make seven changes from last time out, including a new-look backline that includes just one player from last time out - Victor Moses - while Wolverhampton Wanderers make five alterations from their 1-0 loss to Wigan Athletic here in midweek.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, winners of this competition on four previous occasions, up against Chelsea - seven-time winners - for a place in the quarter-finals. Who will join Middlesbrough, Millwall and Lincoln City - yes, you read that correctly - in the hat for tomorrow's draw? We are about to find out...
KICKOFF! Wolves, sporting their traditional gold and black home strip, get us up and running in the West Midlands. An early attack leads to Coady sending in a cross from wide for Begovic to help over his bar for a corner.
OFF THE POST! Almost a dream start for Chelsea youth product George Saville, who made the most of Zouma's sloppy defending to smash the ball back off the post. The youngster was unmarked 10 yards from goal and probably should have buried that.
Wolves starting the brighter here, then, with that big chance for Saville early on. Cannot be easy for the Blues' defenders to click into gear, with Terry and Zouma featuring little this term and Ake only recently rejoining from Bournemouth.
Costa peels off the last man and is seemingly through on goal, only to stumble and go to ground asking for a free kick. The referee was having none of it and waved play on. Lively start to this cup tie at Molineux.
Weimann pushed high up the pitch alongside Bodvarsson, and he was nearly picked out by Costa if not for a good interception. Up the other end, Hazard has the ball at this feet on the edge of the box but cannot find a teammate.
CHANCE! Fabregas, one of those seven players to come in from last time out, sends a delightful ball into the path of Willian. Just Ikeme to beat but the Brazilian cannot get the better of him as he stood tall and blocked the shot with his arm.
From the corner Saville got to the ball first but a clash of heads leads to a break in play. Saville is now up but Costa is still receiving some treatment. The striker hobbled over to the sideline but does seem OK to continue.
Hazard is quick off the mark to chase down Willian's ball around the back, but Ikeme was also alert to the danger and got to it first. Chelsea have looked bright over the past five minutes following a really bright Wolves start.
Doherty a little unlucky as he attempts to cut inside from the left, earning a corner for his efforts. Begovic came out to deal with the ball when it came into the box, as Wolves wrestle back control of the match.
Coady sends a cross into the box for Edwards to power wide with his head. Wanderers, bar a five-minute spell of Chelsea pressure, have looked the brighter so far in the last of the day's FA Cup ties. Lincoln, Millwall and Middlesbrough the teams already through.
Begovic taking no chances when a ball bounces towards him, booting it straight out of play as he felt Ake's touch would see him penalised for a back-pass if picking it up. Another Wolves attack ends with the ball flying right through the box.
Weimann wants a penalty after being barged into by Willian inside the box, but the referee rightly was having none of it. The on-loan Derby attacker was rather looking for it, desperately awaiting some contact from the Brazilian.
A nice flowing Chelsea move ends with Costa's attempt to cut inside hitting a Wolves defender and rolling back to Ikeme. Not seen a great deal of the Spaniard, who is on his longest scoring draught for the club since joining.
Costa in the thick of the action now, as he attempts to chase down a ball over the top. Batth blocks him off and Ikeme is there to collect, but the Spaniard is unhappy with the way his opponent blocked his path through.
Moses with a nice touch to take him in behind, but the angle is against him and he cannot squeeze it through. To make matters worse, the ball ricochet back off him and out for a Wolves goal-kick. A well-contested match so far.
A quiet spell in the game over the past couple of minutes, with Chelsea looking the more threatening. A number of times they have looked for the ball in behind but Costa just cannot get on the end of them at the moment.
Doherty with another teasing delivery into the box, which was crying out for Bodvarsson to head home from close range. Just caught on his toes, though, and it went straight through. Weimann joins Saville in being shown a yellow for his strong challenge.
Lambert will be happy with the way the opening 35 minutes of this match have panned out, but it could have been so much better had Saville taken that early chance - the best of the game so far by quite some distance.
Costa loses his personal battle out on the left and Wolves can get bodies forward. Saville sends the ball in but it is right at Begovic who could easily collect with nobody in amber and black around him in the six-yard box.
Not quite happening for Chelsea in attack in this first half at Molineux. The final ball is often lacking, with just the one real opening so far, which Brazilian forward Willian failed to take when up against a strong Ikeme.
Conte urging his Chelsea players to close Wolves down, which works well as they soon turn over possession and put together another attack. Fabregas sends an inch-perfect ball to Pedro, whose first-time cross is blocked behind for a corner.
This first half just petering out a little now as we enter the final couple of minutes. Been a real battle so far, with one real chance apiece; Saville striking the post a few minutes in and Willian being thwarted by Ikeme midway through.
Two minutes of added time to be played here, largely due to the injury sustained by Costa a little earlier. Moses runs at Weimann and get a cross into the box, which Costa can only send high and wide from an awkward position.
HALF TIME: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0-0 CHELSEA
The half time whistle sounds at Molineux to bring the goalless first half to a close, but only after Chelsea successfully defender a corner that never should have been awarded. A half of few clear-cut openings so far, the best of which George Saville sent wide of the target.
Wolves almost made a dream start to the tie when Chelsea youth-team graduate George Saville sent the ball back off the post from an unmarked position in the box just four minutes in. It looked like being a lively encounter when Willian got on the end of an inch-perfect Cesc Fabregas pass, only to be thwarted by Carl Ikeme with only the Wanderers keeper to beat.
Those two chances would ultimately prove to be the closest either side came to scoring in the first half, with plenty of battling displays across the pitch but a lack of real quality in the final third. Chelsea were playing the better football, putting together a few flowing moves which ended without a serious attempt on target, while Wolves saw a few decent deliveries into the box come to nothing.
The only other incident in the opening 45 minutes saw Andreas Weimann, the matchwinner against Liverpool in the last round, barged to the ground by Willian inside the box. Referee Jonathan Moss felt that the contact was too minimal, however, meaning that the tie remains delicately poised at the midway stage. Here is a quick remainder of the two benches...
WOLVES SUBS: Burgoyne, Stearman, Evans, Saiss, Ronan, Gibbs-White, Enobakhare
CHELSEA SUBS: Eduardo, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Kenedy, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Batshuayi
RESTART! No changes made by either manager at the break, by Conte's subs went through a fairly warm-up during half time. Helder Costa sends a ball into the box early on after cutting inside, but Terry was there to block it behind.
A very sloppy start to the second half, with that early positive play from Costa belying what was to following over the next few minutes. Pedro has committed a foul out wide, though, and Wolves now have a chance to get the ball into the box.
Pedro was shown a yellow card for that foul, incidentally, which ultimately came to nothing in the end as Ake headed clear. Azpilicueta looks to be ready to come on and could well replace the cautioned Pedro in the next few minutes.
Not too dissimilar to that Lincoln game earlier today so far; the underdogs restricting their Premier League opponents to minimal chances while also looking to get forward themselves. Chelsea have so much quality in their ranks, though, and you expect them to move up the gears soon.
Moses, one of just four players to retain his place in the side from the draw with Burnley six days ago, delivers a ball into the box that is easily cleared away. Fabregas's pass to Pedro is then overhit and goes out for a throw.
Conte must surely be thinking about a change or two now, as Pedro drags an attempt wide from close to 35 yards out. Chelsea bossing possession in this second half but Lambert will be happy enough for the game to continue in this manner.
Zouma the latest to pull the trigger from 25 yards out. Closer than Pedro's attempt in terms of distance struck, but just as woeful as it ends high in the stands. Still Conte waits for that first alteration of the evening.
This is turning into a frustrating evening for the Blues who, in truth, look a tad desperate at the moment. Still half-hour to go, though, so you certainly would not bet against them clicking into gear sooner rather than later.
Bodvarsson on his own up top, struggling to get the better of Terry wen finally given something to chase down. Wolves do win a free kick soon after, though, which Batth heads into the arms of Begovic from six yards out.
CHANCE! This is Costa at his finest, shrugging off the challenge of one player when getting in behind but only sending the ball into the side-netting when finally working the angle. Closest he has come all evening to a breakthrough.
GOAL! WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0-1 CHELSEA (PEDRO)
A well worked opening goal for the Blues; a move that saw all four of their attacking stars get on the ball. Costa and Hazard both played a part, but it was Willian's cross to an unmarked Pedro that proved the killer, with the Spaniard making no mistake by heading past Ikeme.
The attendance has just been announced and it is the biggest crowd since 1981. The home fans were well up for the match, but that Pedro opener may well take the sting out of things. Azpilicueta is now finally being readied to come.
Brilliant cross from the right which Zouma gets the faintest of touches to to prevent Edwards getting a clean header behind him. Fine margins, indeed, but Wanderers now need to find some sustained pressure if they are to find a leveller.
CHELSEA SUB! Moses with a blaster that is well blocked aside before it can reach Ikeme. Pedro, on a yellow card, is replaced by Azpilicueta in a change that Conte appeared to be ready to make about 20 minutes ago - good job he didn't!
WOLVES SUB! No real chances since the Chelsea breakthrough goal, with play again being disrupted by the introduction of Wilson for Weimann. The Derby loanee still yet to complete 90 minutes since joining, but he has put in a good shift here.
A second Chelsea goal will kill off the tie but, for as long as it remains 1-0, Wolves fans will fancy their chances of seeing their side pull one back. Bodvarsson sends a cross into the box which is blocked behind for a corner.
A cross from the left is well handled by Begovic, who also punched clear the initial corner. Kante is about to be brought on for Chelsea, who may have had a second had Willian kept his balance after being played in over the top.
CHELSEA SUB! Willian, with an assist to his name this evening, is replaced by Kante. Blues boss Conte happy to go defensive now for the remainder by bringing on arguably the world's best player in that deep-defensive-destroyer role.
Wanderers remaining tight at the back, but they really need to go all out in attack in these remaining eight minutes. Problem is, they cannot seem to win the ball back off their opponents for long enough to sustain any pressure.
WOLVES SUBS! Saville, with Wolves' best chance of the evening, joins Bodvarsson is departing the action. Saiss and Ronan on for these last six minutes or so in a double change for the hosts. Loftus-Cheek will be the next to come on.
CHANCE! Chelsea make the most of some gaps at the back, as Costa nods Hazard through on goal. The angle is against the Belgian so he picks out Fabregas, but the attempt was weak and in the end deflected behind.
CHELSEA SUB! Loftus-Cheek is the sixth and final change of this second half, coming on for Hazard. Chelsea have just two more minutes of normal time to see out and they will be in the hat for tomorrow's quarter-final draw.
GOAL! WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0-2 CHELSEA (DIEGO COSTA)
Diego Costa settles the contest by sending a loose ball into the bottom corner of the net, ending his wait for a goal in all competitions. A sloppy one for Wolves to concede, but credit to Chelsea for stepping things up in the past half-hour.
FULL TIME: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0-2 CHELSEA
The full-time whistle sounds at Molineux, meaning a comfortable victory for Chelsea in the end. They were made to work hard for their opening goal, with Pedro ghosting in to nod past Carl Ikeme, but once it did arrive they came under little threat and sealed things late on through Diego Costa. There was to be no third-successive top-flight scalp for Wolverhampton Wanderers, then, who can now focus on their league aspirations.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Molineux. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and all the day's other FA Cup ties can be found elsewhere on the site over the next few hours. Thanks for joining!
