The diminutive Italian netted a double, with the other goals coming from Carlton Cole and Jody Morris, as Chelsea booked a place in tomorrow's fifth round draw.
Chelsea’s professional, controlled display against a brave Shrewsbury, once again proved the determination and resilience of a Chelsea side who are not afraid to travel. Ranieri’s side set out their stall from the very start, eager to battle and fight as well as give lessons in their "beautiful craft".
Such displays of control, craft and brilliance was epitomized by little Gianfranco. The man of the match, speaking to the BBC, was quick point out his return to form.
"I kept my composure and I'm back in business and I'm very pleased."
"When you enjoy it (playing) you don't feel the fatigue very much."
"We have shown that we can play good games, week-in week-out, against big teams and small teams," said Zola.
"We came here, we knew it was a difficult match. We didn't want to make any mistakes.
"We had to play our best football because they deserved our respect. We had to give a great performance to beat them."
With Franco once again setting the game alight, Claudio must once again face a difficult decision come Tuesday night against Leeds.