LONDON // The scoreline might have flattered them, but Chelsea were at their ruthless best as they eased into the last eight of the FA Cup.
So too was their manager Carlo Ancelotti, who left Joe Cole in no doubt that he needs to raise his game if he is to play a bigger role at the club. Out of contract in the summer and struggling to justify a place in England's World Cup squad, it has been a difficult time for Cole since his return from a knee ligament injury.
He was particularly ineffective in the first half as Chelsea struggled against Cardiff. Ancelotti replaced him at the break with Salomon Kalou, who gave the home side more energy and rounded off the scoring four minutes from time by twisting to steer a header past David Marshall.
Ray Wilkins, the Chelsea assistant coach, said: "Joe wasn't injured, it was a tactical thing. We have got a squad full of quality and therefore the manager will change things if he sees fit. We take Joe off and we bring quality on, so we are fortunate. When you have had a long lay off like Joe, it really is a shock to the system and it does take a while to get back into your tip-top form. That will come. He is working extremely hard day-by-day, so we don't see any problems."
Wilkins's words might be reassuring, but there are obvious problems. Cole looks to lack the confidence that made him such a threat for club and country.
That is not a problem for Didier Drogba, who continued his fine form. He scored his 23rd goal of the season and was involved in strikes for Michael Ballack and Daniel Sturridge. Wilkins praised Drogba, Ballack and Frank Lampard for guiding the cup holders through a tricky tie.
"It's not so much their class, but their professionalism that shines through," Wilkins added. "Some people might think this was going to be a cushty game for us, but those guys took it by the throat and pulled us through when we weren't playing particularly well. Our team was changed, but we took quality out and quality came back in. We want to win every game we play."
They may be in different leagues, but how Cardiff's defence were not alive to Drogba's danger is baffling. Less than two minutes had gone when he found acres of space to run onto Mikel John Obi's pass, let the ball drop and volleyed past Marshall.
Six minutes after the break, Drogba was the architect for Chelsea's decisive second, picking out the run of Ballack, who coolly flicked the ball past Marshall.
In between, Chelsea's approach and ability to defend set pieces again left a lot to be desired. With John Terry missing, Alex and Ricardo Carvalho struggled.
Peter Whittingham's delivery was dynamite - a "Premier League left-foot" according to Wilkins - and produced moments that left Ancelotti anxious.
Cardiff's Hungarian defender Gabor Gyepes forced Alex to make a crucial block before Hilario, replacing Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal, stretched superbly to his right to push out a powerful hea-der from Anthony Gerrard.
Michael Chopra did level at 1-1 in the 34th minute. Chris Burke swung in a left-wing cross that the striker glanced past Hilario.
But Chelsea learned their lesson after the break and Ballack's goal began a period of dominance against the Championship side.
Sturridge squeezed in a third after combining with Drogba, before Kalou headed home Paulo Ferreira's cross.
It left Dave Jones, the Cardiff manager, and his players deflated. "It's hard on them. The scoreline looks like it's been a bit of a drubbing, but it was far from that.
"Probably just little bit, or a lot of, quality, has come through for them. I decided to come here and have a go rather than shut up shop. That's not what we are all about. You don't come to places like this and play as well as you have and be downhearted, so we go again."
akhan@thenational.ae
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
SPECS
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
MATCH INFO
Tottenham 4 (Alli 51', Kane 50', 77'. Aurier 73')
Olympiakos 2 (El-Arabi 06', Semedo')
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full