Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn: Benoit Badiashile and Raheem Sterling score in either half as Pochettino's Blues cruise into Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Mauricio Pochettino has been caused so many headaches by injuries that the sight of one of his stars returning from one to help Chelsea through would have been an especially welcome one.

On his first start since recovering from a serious hamstring problem suffered back in May, Benoit Badiashile set Chelsea on their way to the quarter-finals.

He was back in the starting line-up along with Reece James, who has had his own fitness problems, the pair coming off unscathed on 61 minutes following positive nights individually and just after Raheem Sterling sealed Chelsea’s last eight place against mid-table Championship side Blackburn.

Were it not for their long list of injury issues Chelsea’s Premier League prospects might look more encouraging than they currently do.

And with no European football this season too, it has left the domestic cups looking like the clearest route to some form of success. They are now just two rounds from the final.

Reaching that is prospect that increased last night with Arsenal and Manchester United joining the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham in already crashing out of the competition.

Pochettino said: ‘I think we can start to think about winning the competition because we are not in Europe. Like the Premier League it should be a big opportunity for us.’

What would have topped things off for Chelsea was a goal to boost Nicolas Jackson’s confidence after he found himself in the firing line of pundit Alan Shearer, requiring Pochettino to come to his defence.

But, while Jackson’s application could not be faulted, his touch was uncertain and he blazed well over his best chance to silence Shearer.

He was not the only guilty party though. Chelsea squandered plenty of other opportunities to win more comfortably.

And, as they will well know, they cannot be so profligate in the Premier League and almost certainly not when they travel to league leaders Tottenham on Monday.

Pochettino’s starting line-up was unsurprisingly strong and Chelsea began like they meant business.

Their start included a penalty appeal after Raheem Sterling was brought down by Lewis Travis though Blackburn had a strong shout too later after a cross hit Conor Gallagher’s hand.

‘You saw it,’ Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson said. ‘Decision making, small moments can change games but Chelsea also had a lot of chances.’

The first they converted fell to Badiashile on the half hour. Seconds after Blackburn goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt pushed away Enzo Fernandez’s shot the visitors would have remained level if he had dealt with Gallagher’s cross as effectively.

But he could only paw it poorly straight to Badiashile who side-footed Chelsea ahead.

Blackburn had their best chance to level when Harry Leonard raced through early in the second half but fired wide before Sterling punished them for making a mess of possession near their goal when he curled in Chelsea’s second.

Chelsea spent the final half hour continuing to rack up the chances and the only surprise was they finished with just two goal while an impressive late Robert Sanchez stop denied Amor Sigurdsson a consolation.