Soccer/ English FA Cup Chelsea 2 Birmingham City 0: The faces change and the performance does not. Though there were perhaps only four members of Chelsea's strongest line-up present at the start of the match, Jose Mourinho's side did not suffer from disjointedness.

Fringe players and stars alike are programmed carefully and any neutral onlooker waited in vain for a glitch that would have given this FA Cup tie an element of surprise.

So far as Birmingham City were concerned, there was only confirmation of the worries that make Steve Bruce so eager to buy Craig Bellamy from Newcastle United for £6 million.

Carlo Cudicini did make a save or two, but there was no one with the pace to get behind the Chelsea back four.

Bruce will not have to agonise for much longer since Bellamy has been set a deadline of nine o'clock this morning to give his answer. "After that, it's not going to be possible to get the deal through in time," he said, conscious of the medical and the contractual matters that need to be completed before the transfer window closes tonight.

The manager lunched with Bellamy on Saturday. "I reassured him that we can fulfil his ambitions," said Bruce, who had no difficulty in explaining why he, and a few rival managers, should court a bothersome player. "He's fast, he's a centre forward, he's British and he's 25. He's fiery but all the good players seem to have that."

Directing Bellamy's career would be one of Bruce's lesser challenges at present.

Birmingham have faced Premiership opposition five times in 2005 and lost on every occasion. At least a defeat at Stamford Bridge does not leave any team keening in despair.

Shrugs rather than howls of misery are the order of the day for visitors to Chelsea's ground. Whatever side Mourinho picks will be so compact that there is never much space through which an opponent can wriggle.

It made no difference at all that Robert Huth was given an outing instead of William Gallas and the young German even scored an opener that would, if need be, have done as a decider.

After five minutes Mateja Kezman helped the ball on and the vibrant Damien Duff was denied only by Maik Taylor's fingertip. The Dubliner's first corner kick was cleared behind, but the next was headed home strongly by Huth for the second goal of his Chelsea career.

The circumstances were, all the same, ambiguous. Martin Taylor was sluggish as Huth bolted for the near post and when he did make off in pursuit of the centre-back he ran straight into John Terry. If the referee Mike Dean gave that any thought at all, he must have classed the contact as an accident.

Terry, though, spoke of a "training ground" routine. Taylor, aware of his sluggishness at the start of the incident, did not protest and might have accepted, too, that corner kicks are a natural habitat for such gamesmanship. The congestion and confusion put officials at a disadvantage.

"For 20 years that's been going on, but you just hope that the referee sees it," said Bruce.

No one could ever claim that the visitors were victims of an injustice. They were to blame for an insipid first half and while they became more adventurous, Cudicini's best moment, when he touched over a drive from Darren Anderton, was simply a capable save.

Chelsea, for whom the substitute Frank Lampard could have scored, had far more to offer. Mourinho never disguises his exacting streak. He was in good humour while joking that he would select John Terry as this country's footballer of the year, with Lampard as runner-up, but when someone jokingly proposed Arjen Robben for third place the Chelsea manager snapped that he hadn't liked the Dutchman's display as a second-half substitute.

Not even Robben can take his place for granted. Huth is typical of the depth of resources and might be pressing for a first-team place by now were it not for the ankle problem that has beset him this season. Now, however, he is injured again, having damaged a knee ligament here.

Chelsea are unsure of the severity, but are clear that he will have to withdraw from the Germany squad for next week's friendly with Argentina.

Mourinho took him off once Chelsea had increased their lead through Terry's header from a cross by Lampard and, with all three substitutes already committed, saw out the last 10 minutes with a player fewer than the visitors.

A heavier handicap than that would have been required to keep Birmingham in the running. Chelsea are even better equipped to plug any gaps that arise now that Jiri Jarosik has been signed.

He slipped the ball around deftly while in midfield and then used his height well when taking over Huth's duties.

Chelsea never lack stature of any kind at the moment.

Mourinho was upset that Huth had suffered a knee ligament injury after putting Chelsea ahead in the fifth minute.

"I am very disappointed because the boy is injured again. He had a problem with an ankle and was out for a long period. He comes back and plays very well. But now he is injured again in the knee."

Guardian Service