Manuel Pellegrini stands by decision to field youthful Manchester City lineup in FA Cup thrashing by Chelsea

Manuel Pellegrini defended his decision to play a Manchester City team full of kids against Chelsea in the FA Cup by making the astonishing claim that he did it for England.

City manager Pellegrini started with six teenagers at Stamford Bridge and saw his young team thrashed 5-1 by Chelsea ahead of the Champions League trip to Dynamo Kiev.

Chelsea will now travel to Everton in the quarter-finals, in a replay of the 2009 FA Cup final that Guus Hiddink won during his first spell as caretaker.

Pellegrini had forewarned City’s travelling fans that he would play a weakened team in the FA Cup after the club failed with attempts to have the fifth-round tie moved forwards from Sunday to allow more time between facing Chelsea and Kiev.

Despite the scale of the defeat, Pellegrini was unrepentant for his decision and said: “If we played on Saturday it would have been better for us because we have to play for England in the Champions League on Wednesday, so it is better for England (to play a young team),” said Pellegrini.

“I don’t think I need a defence. We played two rounds before, we had in both rounds draws with Premier League teams and we won 4-0 and 3-0 with the players we had in that moment.

“One of the most important things we must do in England is to try to help English teams which are playing in the Champions League. We cannot take the risk, if I have just 13 players in this moment. If I have 20 players then maybe I can, but if I have just 13 players I cannot take the risk to not recover the players who have a long flight on Monday or have one more player more injured. I think we did the correct thing. The best decision for our club.

“I think if one team respects all the cups it’s this team, that’s why we’re in the final of the Capital One. That’s why we won two previous games in this cup. Today we couldn't because I think we had more important things at the current moment. Right now we try to reach the quarter-final of the Champions League, with 13 players, it’s a sensible decision.”

Chelsea interim manager Hiddink fielded his strongest possible team against City and was rewarded with goals from Diego Costa, Willian, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and substitute Bertrand Traore.

“The programme for many clubs is rather harsh on one hand,” said Hiddink. “On the other hand, I think one can play every three or four days, especially when you have a squad with quality, of 16, 17, 18 players who have big quality.

“We must not forget the tradition of English football. Winning the FA Cup is beautiful, world-wide, so we must be careful not to devalue it.”

On the prospect of facing Everton at Goodison Park in the last eight, Hiddink said: “I have good memories of the 2009 final, but that is in the past. But they may well remember that game as well and want some revenge. We had a difficult game against them here, so we hope to maintain our flow a bit when we play them over there. Not easy.”

Arsenal may be forced to play their fifth-round replay against Hull City for the right to face Watford on the quarter-final weekend because of their Premier League and Champions League commitments.