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Chelsea made short work of Newcastle United on Sunday and thus advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the 18th time in the last 20 seasons (the only exceptions: 2014-15, i.e. the Bradford City shock, and 2010-11 when we lost to Everton in a 4th round replay penalty shootout).
With a couple of the heavy hitters already out, including Arsenal and Liverpool, and at least one fourth division cupcake left in the draw, Chelsea had every possibility for an advantageous draw in Monday night’s ball swirling on the BBC.
And so it proved, as Chelsea were drawn at home to Hull City, who are battling relegation in the Championship and are currently safe just purely on goal difference. The Tigers are home to no less than three Chelsea loanees at the moment stemming from the relationship between Abramovich and recently sacked Hull manager Leonid Slutsky. Ola Aina, Fikayo Tomori, and Michael Hector remain key players for them.
Chelsea and Hull last met in the Premier League almost exactly a year ago, in a 2-0 win for the Blues that’s remembered more for the sickening clash of heads between Gary Cahill and Ryan Mason, with the Hull City man requiring surgery on a career-threatening fractured skull. Mason’s road to recovery continues as he maintains hope of returning to the pitch as well.
It’s hard to put into words the year I have had. It’s been a physical and mental challenge that I am proud to have overcome, and to end the year holding my son in my arms is a special feeling. Coming back stronger! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/abAZLRAdIS
— Ryan Mason (@RyanMason) December 31, 2017
The FA Cup fifth round matches are set to take place the weekend of February 17, which for Chelsea comes just a couple days before our trip to the Nou Camp to we take on Barcelona at the Bridge in the first leg of our Champions League Round of 16 matchup. So that’s should be fun, and another opportunity to rotate the squad and get some playing time for the backups and kids.
The draw in full for the FA Cup 5th Round is as follows:
Sheffield Wednesday vs. Notts County OR Swansea City
West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton
CHELSEA vs. Hull City
Leicester City vs. Sheffield United
Huddersfield Town OR Birmingham City vs. Manchester United
Millwall OR Rochdale vs. Newport County OR Tottenham Hotspur
Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Coventry City
Wigan Athletic vd. Manchester City