Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester City avoided potential banana skins as they fashioned comfortable wins to in their respective FA Cup Fourth Round matches.

After Liverpool’s ignominious exit at the hands of West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, the Blues were eager to avoid a similar path on Sunday and thanks to a first-half brace from Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi, Antonio Conte’s men thumped Newcastle 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City were made to work harder for their win, but at no time were they in danger of crashing out as Kevin De Bruyne’s deft free-kick and a Raheem Sterling header enabled them to beat Cardiff City 2-0 in Wales.

Earlier in London, the Blues were up against their former manager Rafa Benitez, but the Spaniard tactician was up against a team that were simply too good for his own, in every department, despite Antonio Conte resting several big stars.

However, the scoreline could have been vastly different had Willy Caballero not been alert to the danger as the South American twice denied Jonjo Shelvey with smart saves to preserve the hosts’ clean-sheet.

Right on the half-hour mark Chelsea would have their goal and it was the popular figure of Batshuayi who tapped into an empty net after good work from Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso.

The Belgian striker, who has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge due to his lack of playing-time, would then double his tally for the night with a deflected effort on the edge of half-time to put the Blues in command of the tie.

Post the interval, Chelsea continued to dominate but perhaps with one eye on a mid-week Premier League clash with Bournemouth, took their foot off the gas. The Magpies, however, were unable really get back in the tie and Blues fullback Alonso would make sure of the result in the 70th minute when he swung in a sumptuous free-kick.

Later on Sunday, City travelled to Wales and while they were never really in danger of suffering an upset at the hands of their lower-league opposition, there was cause for concern as star winger Leroy Sane went down in agony after a horror tackle and had to be subbed off at the interval.

Key VAR decisions, such as the aforementioned Sane incident and a Bernardo Silva goal which was disallowed later, went against the Citizens but thanks to De Bruyne’s free-kick which went under the ball and Sterling goal, the visitors were effectively home and dry early on.

Cardiff did send in some crosses to ask questions of a backline that hasn’t been resolute of late, but somehow City’s back-four held on for the win and kept their quest of an unprecedented quadruple on track.