With City due to make the long flight to the Ukraine on Monday ahead of their Champions League last 16 first leg tie at Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday, Pellegrini had pleaded with the FA not to bow to demands from television networks to move the Chelsea game from its original Saturday date.
But Pellegrini’s request was ignored and, concerned that injury-hit City were in danger of being stretched to breaking point, the Chilean boss prioritised European success and next weekend’s League Cup final against Liverpool, admitting that he didn’t consider the Stamford Bridge showdown “a real game”.
Diego Costa put Chelsea ahead and, although David Faupala equalised for the visitors, second half goals from Willian, Gary Cahill, Hazard and Bertrand Traore handed City a third successive defeat.
Pellegrini will face accusations of disrespecting the FA Cup, but he won’t care about that if City can take a step towards the Champions League quarter-finals and win the League Cup this week.
A rare goal by Martin Kelly earned Crystal Palace a 1-0 win away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The South Londoners are now hoping to reach their first FA Cup final since 1990, when they were beaten by Manchester United in a replay.
Kelly’s goal — his first since netting for Liverpool at Chelsea in November 2011 — also ended Tottenham’s hopes of a league and domestic cup double.
Earlier, Nigeria’s former Al Ain loanee Emmanuel Emenike and France’s Dimitri Payet both scored twice as West Ham came from a goal behind to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-1 win at second-tier Blackburn Rovers.
