Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel praised his players for remaining focused on the job in hand after their 2-0 win against Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Saturday evening.
The Blues reached the semi-finals thanks to goals from Hakim Ziyech and Romelu Lukaku, with Mason Mount assisting both strikes. The other three quarter-finals are yet to be played and the draw for the next round will take place on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea are operating under a special license after their owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government for allegedly having ties to Vladimir Putin, who is currently waging a violent war in Ukraine. Abramovich has denied these allegations.
"We were very focused and very serious from the beginning," said Tuchel at full-time. "We showed quality in decisive moments and scored two early goals which gave us a comfortable lead, but the effort was huge to not allow big chances.
"I'm very happy, it was a very deserved win. I'm impressed with the players' focus. We accepted the [ownership] situation because we didn't cause it. It isn't in our hands, but it was important we showed the right spirit and took responsibility. This is very, very good. If you have the talent, it is a responsibility to show it."
Championship outfit Middlesbrough, who are battling for promotion to the Premier League, posed a significant threat to Chelsea before the game. They'd knocked out both Manchester United and Tottenham en route to the quarter-finals.
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"We saw that they were brave," added Tuchel. "We were totally aware of their strengths, of their structure. They push the wing-back on the right side up so he's almost a winger, so we adapted to that and decided to play a 4-1 [at the back, with a deep-lying midfielder] and not our usual 3-2 shape.
"We had Malang Sarr at left-back to have a close connection with their right wing-back [Isaiah Jones] and played with the other defenders in a three against two with their two strikers. That was impressive, for the guys to show the discipline and fulfil the plan. They were reliable and, within the plan, they showed the individual quality and determination that is needed."
Mount added: "Middlesbrough have been on an unbelievable run, you've seen the teams they've beaten recently in the cup, so it was never going to be a comfortable night. We didn't have many fans here tonight but I felt that we let our football do the talking.
"We played some good stuff, and that was the main goal for us tonight. We really have that winning mentality within the group. Any competition, any game, we want to win, and we want to keep that going. It's been a tough couple of weeks but for us, as a team, we're just focused and ready to play.
"We're so hungry for a domestic title, we just need to keep going. It's not been the best of runs for us at Wembley but we want to right that wrong. We've already had one final at Wembley this season and lost it so we're hungry to win [the semi-final]."
Abramovich has put Chelsea up for sale and several parties - including a consortium associated with John Terry - have submitted offers. Chelsea's preferred bidder will need to be vetted by the government to ensure no proceeds go to the Russian oligarch.
"Chelsea has been such an important part of my life for 22 years," confirmed Terry. "I want to see the club's history and heritage protected as we go into a new era with like-minded people who have the same long-term vision of building the best football club in the world and understand how important our DNA is.
"Having met with and heard what The True Blues consortium is about, I know they understand. They're a group of lifelong Chelsea fans and season ticket holders who have created a concept that will complement and assist any preferred bidder running the club while adding fan connection and engagement with the board.
"This innovative structure is designed to be inclusive of all Chelsea fans to protect our club. I'm thankful for the Chelsea Pitch owners and Chelsea Supporters Trust's time and support on this, and we hope we will be welcomed investors into the Club's new structure."
