Reading 0 Chelsea 1: Chelsea made heavy weather of defeating Reading to move into the quarter-finals last night. A sequence of wasted opportunities, allied to and good goalkeeping by Marcus Hahnemann, ensured they only squeezed through a game they almost completely dominated.

As chance after chance went begging, it was almost possible to believe they are trying to make matches more interesting for themselves.

Eventually Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made the breakthrough, though it subsequently needed a goal-line clearance by Frank Lampard, Chelsea's best performer, to keep out a header by Ivar Ingimarsson. Reading would not have deserved a draw, having forced Neil Sullivan into just one save, but it would have taught a lesson to Chelsea, who will trust their profligacy is not repeated.

Few had anticipated anything other than a victory for Chelsea, who had gone top of the Premiership by beating Manchester United on Sunday. Although Claudio Ranieri had, as expected, made several changes from Sunday's team, this was hardly a weak Chelsea starting XI - if there is such a thing these days.

It was an indication of what this meant to the First Division club that the Tannoy announcer described it as "one of the biggest games" the stadium has seen.

It was Hahnemann, though, who had far more to concern him. At times in the first half he was a one-man barrier against Chelsea, making five notable saves.

Chelsea's wastefulness carried a danger because Reading were not without glimmers of threat on the break but finally the breakthrough came. Lampard passed to Crespo, who squared for Hasselbaink to score first-time with a low shot.

READING: Hahnemann; Murty, Mackie, Ingimarsson, Shorey; Watson; Savage, Sidwell, Hughes (Murray 61), Salako (Tyson, 74); Forster. Booked: Watson, Savage

CHELSEA: Sullivan; Johnson, Terry, Desailly, Babayaro; Geremi, Lampard, Cole (Makelele, h-t), Gronkjaer (Mutu, 78); Crespo, Hasselbaink (Stanic, 72). Booked: Hasselbaink, Makelele

Referee: S Bennett

Guardian Service