Demba Ba sent Chelsea into the FA Cup semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Monday, keeping his team on course for a cup double to make amends for a lackluster Premier League campaign.
The quarterfinal replay came to life four minutes into the second half when Ba exquisitely hooked the ball over goalkeeper David De Gea to set up a Wembley Stadium meeting with Manchester City.
While Chelsea also has a Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday, United is left only with the Premier League, where it holds a seemingly insurmountable 15-point lead.
United was denied an equalizer when Petr Cech pulled off a stunning one-handed save to block Javier Hernandez's close-range header.
Chelsea held on to produce the perfect response to Saturday's loss at Southampton, which saw the team drop to fourth in the league.