Chelsea cruise through as FCK bow out

Chelsea FC eased into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after a goalless draw against FC København having done much of the hard work three weeks ago.

Carlo Ancelotti's men won 2-0 in Denmark in their round of 16 first leg, and although they dominated possession and created the better chances at Stamford Bridge, they will want to improve their finishing in the last eight. FCK had become the first Danish side to reach this stage and while they rarely threatened to turn the tie around, their noisy following clearly showed they had enjoyed their landmark campaign.

Both sides took a while to warm up on a bitterly cold night in west London. Didier Drogba tried his luck with a stinging 25-metre shot but the hosts' first real chance arrived from a well-worked move in the 17th minute. Yuri Zhirkov put Drogba through on the left, the Ivorian's clever back-heel found Ashley Cole and the full-back played in Zhirkov – only for the midfielder to steer his shot wide.

Nicolas Anelka, whose two goals had settled the opening leg, then drew a smothering save from Johan Wiland two minutes later as Chelsea started to punch holes in the FCK rearguard. The Danish league leaders may have struggled to pass their way into scoring positions, but they came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 24th minute when Dame N'Doye swung a 25-metre free-kick against Petr Čech's post with the Blues keeper rooted to the spot.

Zhirkov had no better luck when Anelka squared the ball from the right on the break and the 27-year-old, under pressure, could only skew his shot wide of the near post. The Russian international was not the only one to struggle in front of goal for Chelsea, who could have been ahead within five minutes of the restart. Drogba picked up José Bosingwa's curling cross but swept the ball wide, Anelka had a shot charged down on the break and John Obi Mikel headed on to the bar and over.

Ramires was the next to try his luck, connecting awkwardly with Drogba's cutback and flashing his shot wide of the right-hand upright. If the momentum was coming from Chelsea, FCK still had their share of possession. Their problem was finding a way through Chelsea's defence. It may have been a nostalgic return for former Blue Jesper Grønkjær, but the winger fared no better than his team-mates in creating clear chances.

Ancelotti, meanwhile, tried to sharpen things up at the other end by sending on Fernando Torres for Anelka in the 68th minute. The Spanish international showed plenty of desire and drew a sharp save from Wiland with an angled shot after a surging run into the area. However, like the rest of his colleagues, his luck in front of goal was clearly being saved for another day.