Chelsea 4-2 Leicester (Cucurella 13′, Palmer 45+1′, Chukwuemeka 90+2′, Madueke 97′ | Disasi 51′ OG, Mavididi 62′, Doyle red card 73′)
STAMFORD BRIDGE — Another utterly surreal afternoon in the life of Chelsea football club in which they somehow managed to self-destruct on what had started out as a relatively relaxing stroll through the FA Cup quarter-finals.
A two-goal lead built up then demolished by an astonishing mistake and an Leicester City goal, before Chelsea supporters turned on Raheem Sterling, for missing a penalty he probably shouldn’t have taken, and the manager, Mauricio Pochettino, for not subbing him off.
And then they made it through, anyway, with two goals in stoppage-time from substitutions Pochettino had been booed about, and, however it was achieved, a club never far away from its next crisis is into another semi-final and now only 90 minutes away from a second cup final of the season.
Shouldn’t reaching cup finals, those Wembley afternoons, that one-game-away-from-silverware feeling, be what it’s all about?
Had a few shots fallen a few millimetres the other side of the posts Chelsea would have won the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
The Chelsea manager put out a strong starting XI against a Leicester side who are in the Championship but look destined to be back in the top-flight next season, showing what it means to him.
And they had got off to a perfect start with an early goal. Down one side of the pitch, Chelsea broke in the 13th minute, Cole Palmer moving the ball quickly to Nicolas Jackson. Meanwhile, down the other side, Marc Cucurella sprinted the entire length of the pitch to make sure that, after Jackson had beaten a player the full-back was in place for a close-range tap-in when the striker sent a low ball across.
If Pochettino wants to see the fight in his inconsistent players then Cucurella showed it in spades to reach the right place to score his first Chelsea goal.
The lead should have been doubled 10 minutes later. Despite Abdul Fatawu’s protestations, the penalty was blatant. Sterling had taken a touch to steady himself for a shot when the winger flew into the back of him.
What was less clear was why on earth Palmer did not take it. Palmer has been on fire from the spot this season but having won the penalty Sterling held tightly onto the ball and made clear this one was his.
The effort, however, was weak, the forward failing to connect properly with the ball and sending it practically down the middle so that Jakub Stolarczyk saved easily with his leg.
Player of the match: Cole Palmer
- Another fantastic performance, with a brilliant goal and assist to help Chelsea crawl into the semi-finals.
Sterling did make amends in first half stoppage time, breaking through the Leicester back line with a quick dart and header, passing across to Palmer to finish first time, but when things fell apart in the second it was not enough to win back the support of his own fans.
And how they fell apart. Not to make things too straightforward for themselves, Chelsea handed Leicester a goal back six minutes into the second half in one of those absolute WTF moments. Axel Disasi was dribbling towards his goal and did not realise goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had come to the edge of the box to receive a pass when he sent the ball the best part of 40 yards into his own net. From then onwards the travelling Leicester fans encouraged Disasi to shoot every time he had the ball.
It would get worse 11 minutes later when Stephy Mavididi levelled with a fantastic goal, two step-overs then a shot into the right of goal, right out of Sanchez’s reach.
When Sterling sent a free kick, right on the edge of Leicester’s box, sailing high and wide Chelsea’s fans booed and chanted for him to be subbed. And they directed anger at Pochettino when he made changes and left Sterling on.
Then after all that, with Stamford Bridge turning toxic, Chelsea won it anyway, Leicester a man down and Pochettino’s side scoring two stoppage-time goals from substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke.
And Chelsea lurch into the next round.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/y2ldgHV
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