Chelsea captain John Terry returned to the starting lineup for only the second time in 2017 after featuring in the game against Wolverhampton during the weekend.

John Terry was not the only player to make a return to the starting line-up, as manager Antonio Conte also recalled that Cesc Fabregas for this FA Cup game. The Spanish midfielder is no longer a first choice player under the Italian manager. However, it has not prevented Fabregas from making a major impact whenever he has played. Against Wolves, two second-half goals from Pedro and Diego Costahelped Chelsea progress into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The club remain on course for winning the domestic titles, as they have a substantial eight-point advantage over Manchester City in the Premier League. Due to the lack of European football, Chelsea have been playing only one game per week. It has meant that Conte has been unable to rotate the squad much. This has resulted in substantially lower game time for the likes of Terry, who is expected to leave the club in the summer, and Fabregas.

Even though there were transfer rumours about Fabregas potentially leaving Chelsea in January, these rumours eventually died down with the player happy to accept a role on the bench.

Fabregas, though, played the full 90 minutes against Wolves and was one of the best players.“They played very well. It is not easy when you don’t play a lot, and John and Cesc and all the players showed me they have good form and it means they are good professionals.It is great to have these type of players in my squad because I can count on them,” said Conte after the game. Diego Costa returned to scoring form after having failed to score in his previous four games in all competitions.