Chelsea too good for Norwich

Chelsea players celebrate the opening goal

Chelsea 4-0 Norwich City
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Gianfranco Zola sprinkled a little piece of magic on a comfortable Chelsea victory over Norwich as the Premiership side booked an FA Cup fourth-round tie against West Ham.

The Italian scored an exquisite goal to put Chelsea 3-0 up and secure a game in which they proved too good for Norwich.

Zola met Graeme Le Saux's 62nd-minute corner at the end of a diagonal run and steered the ball into the net with an elegant flick through his own legs.

  Match facts

11 mins: Mario Stanic opens for the scoring

56 mins: Frank Lampard scores Chelsea's second

63 mins: Gianfranco Zola scores a peach to put 3-0 up

89 mins: Mikael Forssell slides in a fourth

Mario Stanic and Frank Lampard scored the opening two goals, while Mikael Forssell added a fourth with two minutes to go.

Chelsea dominated the early stages but they took the lead with a messy goal that belied the elegance of their passing.

Stanic and Darren Kenton both jumped for Zola's corner and the ball rebounded off their heads towards the goalmouth.

Lampard went to knock it in, and while he did not get a touch, the Englishman's raised leg prevented Norwich goalkeeper Richard Green taking a simple catch and the ball bounced into the net.

Lampard really did score 20 minutes after half-time. Stanic went for a speculative shot from 25 yards out, which Green fumbled, and Lampard was there for the rebound.

That was a fantasy goal, it was magic

Claudio Ranieri on Gianfranco Zola

Lampard's goal was a cruel blow for Norwich, who had started the second half in better form.

But the scoreline did not flatter Chelsea, who could have been three up by the time they opened the scoring, so complete had been their domination of the game.

Eidur Gudjohnsen had two opportunities - one which he guided wide and high and the other blocked by Green - and Zola had a point-blank header saved before Stanic's goal.

Norwich began to win some possession after about 15 minutes, when they changed formation to match Chelsea's five-man midfield.

That broke up Chelsea's fluency. The Premiership outfit continued to have the lion's share of the possession, but lost their cutting edge and had trouble creating clear-cut chances.

As a result, Norwich began to trouble the home side on the break.

But the closest the First Division side came to a goal was when a powerful header from Alex Notman bounced off the crossbar - but it mattered little, because he was in an offside position.

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Chelsea: Cudicini, Melchiot, Gallas (Zenden 69), Desailly, Le Saux, Stanic, Morris (Jokanovic 45), Lampard, Dalla Bona, Gudjohnsen (Forssell 62), Zola. Subs Not Used: de Goey, Keenan.

Norwich: Green, Kenton, Fleming, Mackay, Sutch, Nedergaard, Russell, Holt, McVeigh (Llewellyn 69), Libbra (Easton 76), Notman (Rivers 69). Subs Not Used: Crichton, Blois.

Booked: Mackay.

Att: 24,231

Ref: P Jones (Loughborough).