Despite the freezing cold and solid turf, Chelsea Ladies accomplished the perfect start to an FA Cup campaign with a 10-goal thriller against Rotherham United.

Only one of those 10 goals went against the Blues, as an Eniola Aluko hat-trick before the break helped put Chelsea in good stead for the second half.

A triumphant display all round continued as the Ladies pressured the visitors into an own goal before Drew Spencer completed the nine, with the 16-year-old finding the net with only two minutes to go.

Initially the game was even after six minutes, with each side laying claim to a goal a-piece, but before the first 10 minutes were out, Chelsea were back in the lead.

Those first two goals came from summer signing Brooke Chaplen and captain Casey Stoney, who smashed a low shot into the back of the net from 20 yards out.

That was the first of our captain's goals and she soon followed up Chelsea's second with a clinical finish after latching onto a deflected Aluko shot, 3-1 with barely 15 minutes played.

With 16 minutes played, Aluko was in on the act, tipping a Dunia Susi cross over the line for four.

The goals were becoming contagious, as within 22 minutes of football, Susi's name was on the score sheet and merely five minutes later Aluko was celebrating once more before scoring her hat-trick five minutes from the break.

Elsewhere in FA Cup action there were fewer goals than at Imber Court, but plenty of entertainment.

Derby County's clash with Lewes brought a 3-3 finish as both sides stubbornly refused to give up their FA Cup dreams. After a tense period of extra time, Derby eventually progressed 4-3 on penalties.

Liverpool triumphed 1-0 over Nottingham Forest and Sunderland denied Cardiff further progression in the competition with a 4-1 thrashing.

Middlesbrough scuppered Leicester's hopes of Cup glory with a convincing 4-2 win, while Doncaster Rovers' cup-run was cut short by Millwall, who beat our Premier League rivals one goal to nil.

However, weather conditions forced postponement of eight matches on Sunday, including Colchester's trip to Arsenal, meaning a large percentage of the fifth round draw is yet to be decided.

There are only two definite fixtures. Chelsea's 9-1 win takes the Ladies to Derby County in the next stage of the competition while Curzon Athletic host Liverpool.

Middlesbrough will face either Arsenal or Colchester, Sunderland will play Barnet or Portsmouth and Millwall will line-up against either Blackburn Rovers or Luton Town. A full list of fixtures can be seen on the FA website.

Luton Town have already received the E.ON Team of the Round Award for the third round following their shock 1-0 victory over Brighton on 14 December, and the winner of their clash with Blackburn will face Millwall in the fifth round.

Chelsea's match against Derby County will be a testing affair, especially considering Derby's grit determination to progress past Mewes, 120 minutes of football and a tense penalty shoot-out will have helped prepare the side for another tough game.

The Ladies will be raring for cup progression however, especially considering our early eviction from the League Cup.

That match will take place on Sunday 25 January and there will be a full preview and match report on chelseafc.com. Keep up-to-date with all everything that happens inside the Ladies' camp by visiting Chelsea Ladies.

Chelsea Ladies will face Nottingham Forest this Sunday at Imber Court, kick off is at 2pm and it's £3 for admission.