20/02/2000  Chelsea 5 Gillingham 0

Chelsea landed a hat-trick of headers through Tore Andre 
Flo, John Terry and George Weah to emphatically end 
Gillingham's Wembley pipe-dreams.

Now Gianluca Vialli's Blues, who turned victory into a 
stroll with two more late strikes by Gianfranco Zola and Jody 
Morris, are set for their eighth major cup semi-final in seven 
years on April 9, against Newcastle at Wembley.

They also have a European Champions League programme coming 
up, too, but such is the price of fame - and nobody at 
Stamford Bridge was complaining.

Gillingham, eighth in the Nationwide League Second Division 
and already the possessors of two Premiership scalps in 
Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday, enjoyed their afternoon 
out at one of English football's finest citadels and caused a 
few early flutters.

But they were effectively beaten when teenager Terry - 
scoring his first-ever Chelsea goal - and Liberian ace Weah 
planted headers beyond ex-Arsenal reserve keeper Vince Bartram 
during a two-minutes spell early in the second half.

And Chelsea were able to indulge themselves with two more 
strikes in the last five minutes.

Zola - recalled to the side as captain - slotted home a 
penalty in the 87th minute after being brought down before 
Morris, stand-in for the suspended Dennis Wise, made it a nap 
hand when scoring at the second attempt after his initial 
effort had hit a post.

Flo's 15th-minute header had been the only material 
difference at half time between FA Cup favourites and gallant 
minnows as the battling Kent side made their glamourous hosts 
work hard.

But the gulf in class became a chasm in the second period 
as Chelsea unfurled a wide range of superior technique and 
also matched their opponents for work-rate.

Gillingham, playing an FA Cup quarter-final for the first 
time in their 87-year history, packed the midfield with five 
players in front of a rigid back-four and left Andy Thomson as 
a lone-striker.

It wasn't until the second half that boss Peter Taylor, the 
ex-Spurs and Crystal Palace winger, boldly sent an extra 
striker on in Carl Asaba.

Within seven minutes though, Gillingham's dreams were over 
as Terry notched his first-ever Chelsea goal with a header 
from Zola's corner and then Weah back-headed Didier Deschamps' 
chip beyond Bartram.

It should never have been a real contest and in the end it 
wasn't. But Gillingham's 7,000 travelling fans had reason for 
some hope even after Flo's 15th-minute opener.

Just when it seemed Chelsea might be in for a frustrating 
afternoon against a thick yellow wall of resistance, they 
scored from their first real opportunity.

Gus Poyet did the damage with a strong run down the left 
and put over a perfect cross to the far post where Flo had 
pulled away from his marker and headed his 14th goal of the 
season.

The breakthrough brought even more pressure on the 
Gillingham goal but they almost equalised in a brilliant 
breakaway in the 22nd minute.

Skipper Paul Smith released Mark Saunders and it needed a 
superbly-timed tackle by Bernard Lambourde to rob him just 
eight yards from goal.

A minute later, though, Bartram had to dive full length to 
turn away Poyet's fierce drive from 20 yards.

And Gillingham were rocking when Jon Harley's cross flew 
across a crowded goalmouth without anybody getting the touch 
which would have meant a certain goal.

But the pint-sized Gills worked tirelessly to close the gap 
in class and had a great chance to equalise when Nicky 
Southall put in a splendid cross from the left, eluding the 
lunge of Marcel Desailly only for Thomson to head inches over 
the bar.

It was to be their last real hurrah.

Asaba briefly threatened to turn things around with a 
couple of surging runs early in the second half, but by the 
time the flagging Thomson had been replaced as his strike 
partner, Chelsea had the tie in their pockets with the 
double-header response from Terry and Weah.

The rest was just a matter of how many Chelsea would get 
and the under-siege Bartram superbly blocked Morris when the 
midfielder was clean through and Lambourde lost control of the 
ball after dribbling past the keeper.

There were just three minutes left though when Zola's 
persistent probing brought him overdue personal reward.

Substitute Marcus Browning brought him down as he arrowed 
in on goal and the little Italian picked himself up to out 
away the spot-kick for his first goal since October.

It was almost too cruel on the gallant visitors when having 
seen Morris's shot crash away off a post their defenders were 
left for dead by the speed of his follow-up and a firm 
finish.