Cech: Cup win begins new era

Petr Cech believes the FA Cup success against Birmingham City can revitalise Chelsea as they begin life without Andre Villas-Boas.

The Blues progressed into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory at St Andrew’s and will now face Leicester City at Stamford Bridge in the next round.

And the Czech Republic international believes the win, under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo, can inspire the west London side to turn around their season.

“Today was the first step, and we managed to make it, and hope to continue improving,” Cech told the club’s official website.

“We just need to keep playing well, and keep winning.”

The 29-year-old went on to praise Birmingham, who kept their Premier League opponents out until the second half before goals from Juan Mata and Raul Meireles sealed Chelsea’s progression.

“It was tough, we had to fight,” he said. “They are from the Championship, so they know how to fight for long balls, and they also have experience of the Europa League. It’s also historically a tough place for Chelsea to come.”

“In the first half, we had the same levels of effort and running, and they made it tough for us.”

“The second half opened up when we got the first goal, but it was a shame we couldn’t have had more with the missed penalty (from Mata) and some other chances.”