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A second-half strike by Tammy Abraham was enough to give Chelsea a narrow 1-0 victory away to Barnsley in the FA Cup fifth round.
The visitors named a much-changed starting line-up on Thursday, with manager Thomas Tuchel giving several fringe players an opportunity to test themselves.
A slow start to the first half saw both sides struggle to create, although the best chance of the opening 45 minutes fell the way of the hosts. Chelsea failed to clear their lines properly, allowing Callum Brittain to shoot at goal. However, Kepa was on hand to make a stunning save from point-blank range.
This proved to be the only goalmouth action of a largely forgettable first half but the visitors had two strong penalty appeals waved away.
The second half continued in the same fashion, with Chelsea controlling most of the possession but failing to make it count.
The visitors finally got the breakthrough in the 64th minute. A well-worked move allowed substitute Reece James to run down the right flank before teeing Tammy Abraham up in the box with a pin-point cutback.
The England striker made no mistake from six yards out to put Chelsea one goal ahead.
Despite some late pressure from the hosts, the Blues held on to secure a win in an instantly forgettable fixture.
The victory sees them book their spot in the last eight, where they will take on Sheffield United for a place in the semi-final.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Impressive Barnsley push Chelsea to the limit
There were 27 places on the English league hierarchy between Chelsea and Barnsley coming into this fixture.
Despite the gulf in class, the Championship side held their own against their more illustrious opponents.
The capital side expectedly had more of the possession, with Barnsley having just 27% of the ball. The hosts, however, made every second of it count and fashioned more chances than the Stamford Bridge outfit.
In total, they had 14 shots to Chelsea's six, four of which were on target, compared to one for the visitors. Furthermore, they had seven corners compared to Chelsea's two. The hosts can count themselves unlucky not to have gotten on the scoresheet.
In many ways, Barnsley were the better side on the night. Although Chelsea secured a much-needed victory, Valérien Ismaël's men can hold their heads high after what was a convincing performance.
#4 Fringe players fail to take opportunity
Thomas Tuchel is barely two weeks into his tenure as Chelsea manager. As such, his preferred starting line-up cannot exactly be inferred yet.
However, the German tactician had shown his hand in his first four games in charge, and a comparative list of starters could be drawn from the teams he named.
The clash with Barnsley saw Tuchel hand rests to several players who have featured regularly under him. Opportunities were given to others who had not been afforded much playing time.
This was an opportunity to state their case and give the manager selection headaches, but most of the players hardly did their cause a world of good.
The likes of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, and Billy Gilmour were largely anonymous against lower division opposition.
With opportunities to impress coming at a premium for several of Chelsea's players, the Barnsley game offered an excellent opportunity to show what they are capable of.
They, however, failed to take it, which might make Thomas Tuchel's selections much easier in future.
#3 Patchy pitch contributes to snooze fest
Most of mainstream Europe has been ravaged by extreme winter in recent weeks, and this might have contributed to Chelsea's poor performance.
The state of Barnsley's pitch was nothing to write home about, with large swathes of grass missing on several portions of the field.
This severely affected the state of play, considering that the Chelsea players are more used to playing on lush green fields.
They were largely lacklustre in their passing sequences and lacked the normal fluidity associated with top-flight sides.
The hosts, by contrast, seemed more comfortable on home turf. Although the Blues ultimately got the job done, the state of the field did them no favours.
#2 Even in victory, Chelsea still have questions to answer
Although Chelsea might have gotten the job done, it was hardly a memorable performance from the Premier League side.
A case can be made that most of the players have not had ample time to play under Thomas Tuchel. Meanwhile, the state of the field also contributed to a haphazard performance.
However, that does not excuse the lack of cohesion and precision shown by the visitors.
Questions must be asked of why Chelsea did not force former academy starlet Bradley Collins into a save. Tammy Abraham's goal represented their only shot on target across the 90 minutes.
Tuchel started the game with his now-familiar wing-back system. A lacklustre first half saw him effect changes, with Marcos Alonso going off for Reece James. This prompted a shift to a flat back four, although there was no requisite change in tempo from the visitors.
The brightest spark of the second half resulted in the sole goal for Chelsea, but games like this against lower opposition should not have fans sitting on the edge of their seats.
A more composed side would have punished the Blues with the chances Barnsley created.
It is still early days in the Tuchel era, but criticisms have risen over his side's lack of cutting edge. Chelsea's tame display against Barnsley did little to quell those voices.
#1 Tammy Abraham steps up to spare Chelsea's blushes
Tammy Abraham has consistently delivered the goods in front of goal for Chelsea, but the jury remains out on whether he is the right man to lead the line.
Having ended the Lampard era with a hat-trick in the victory over Luton Town, Tammy Abraham came to the fore once more to secure Chelsea's place in the last eight.
He was well-placed to finish off an excellent pass by Reece James to break the deadlock.
The 23-year-old also showed his usefulness in his own box by clearing a goal-bound shot off the line, with Kepa well and truly beaten.
The battle to be Chelsea's starting striker under Tuchel is an intense one, but Abraham did his chances a world of good with his rounded display against Barnsley.
