“Don’t underestimate Chelsea’s ability to create chaos. Despite being 2-0 up against a lower-ranked team in the FA Cup quarter-final, they ultimately needed a last-minute goal to advance in a second half filled with memorable moments such as Axel Disasi’s ridiculous own goal, intense reactions from the crowd, and an excellent assist from Cole Palmer to Carney Chukwuemeka, which helped improve the negative atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.”
Chelsea struggled with a lack of leadership and experience under pressure, but finally found success through Palmer’s composure and clever play, which set up Chukwuemeka for a 3-2 victory in the last moments of added time. However, Chelsea’s initial struggles almost led to a humiliating defeat, with Disasi’s mistake giving Leicester a glimmer of hope. This mistake caused Chelsea to lose their composure and eventually led to a meltdown, allowing Mavididi to score and tie the game for Leicester.
The crowd’s emotions were intense as they criticized Raheem Sterling for his missed penalty and failed opportunity in the first half. Leicester also suffered a blow when Callum Doyle was given a red card with 17 minutes left. Mauricio Pochettino was heavily criticized by the fans, who chanted “You don’t know what you’re doing,” when he substituted Chukwuemeka for Mykhailo Mudryk instead of Sterling.
Unfortunately, Pochettino’s youthful team was once again reminded that they struggle to maintain stability. They have a tendency to swing from one extreme to the other, displaying dazzling football at moments but also making confusing decisions far too often. Despite this, Chelsea managed to secure their spot in the semi-finals, thanks to goals from Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke. They will now face Manchester City at Wembley in their second semi-final appearance of the season.
Even though Pochettino still has a chance to finish the unpredictable season well, Leicester made it a difficult journey. Enzo Maresca’s team has been struggling lately, with their top position in the Championship slowly diminishing after only one victory in five games, but they did not let themselves be intimidated.
Chelsea had to be in top form to take advantage of hosting a second-tier opponent for the third time this year in the competition. Leicester posed issues in the first half, with Patson Daka and Wout Faes missing wide shots from favorable positions. This was after the questionable Robert Sánchez failed to successfully gather a corner.
Despite Leicester’s brave efforts, several of their players did not meet the expected level in the Premier League. Harry Winks, who performed admirably alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the midfield, has not maintained the same level he had when he started for Pochettino’s Tottenham in the Champions League final five years ago.
Leicester is currently in a transitional phase, operating between two time periods. The consequences of their previous relegation are still evident, and there is the possibility of a points penalty for breaking financial regulations if they are promoted. Of all the players on the field, only midfielder Wilfried Ndidi from Nigeria was present during Leicester’s victory over Chelsea in the 2021 final. The defensive duo of Faes and Jannik Vestergaard did not instill much confidence.
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Rewritten: Chelsea had confidence in their abilities. Pochettino responded to Enzo Fernández’s suspension in the midfield by implementing a 4-2-3-1 formation. Mudryk began on the left, with Sterling playing through the center, and Chelsea quickly gained the lead.
The objective was ignited when Moisés Caicedo made a challenge on Abdul Fatawu. The ball ended up with Palmer, who passed it to Nicolas Jackson. Confronted by Vestergaard, the forward broke free and passed to the left-back, Marc Cucurella, who easily scored his first goal for Chelsea.
Additional goals should have occurred. A strange incident occurred when Fatawu committed a penalty by lunging at Sterling. This season, Palmer has successfully scored five penalty kicks, so it was unexpected to see Sterling take the ball. Unfortunately, his kick was too central and Jakub Stolarczyk prevented a goal, keeping the score at 1-0.
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Sterling then went through and chipped wide from Caicedo’s pass. Nobody can ever accuse him of hiding, though. He had an assist when he drove down the left and set up Palmer just before half-time.
The situation was not challenging enough. Chelsea enjoys more complex situations. Disasi made it complicated six minutes into the second half. He rushed back to handle a loose ball on the right, but when faced with pressure from Daka, he panicked despite being far from the goal. Sánchez, who was also unsteady with the ball, was positioned too far to the left and the goalkeeper was unable to stop Disasi’s deflection from going into the goal.
The formation of Chelsea vanished. It was expected when Mavididi surpassed Malo Gusto and skillfully shot the ball past Sánchez. Leicester gained confidence to go for a third goal. Chelsea retaliated with a play from Jackson. Doyle intentionally tripped him just outside the penalty box. The referee, Andrew Madley, awarded a penalty kick after reviewing the footage and gave Doyle a red card.
The atmosphere became strange. Pochettino and Sterling were both subjected to abuse. Despite having 10 players, Leicester persevered. The crowd booed when Sterling was replaced by Madueke.
Chelsea had the advantage of time on their side. Chukwuemeka and Palmer worked together, with a backheel from Palmer setting up the score for the midfielder. The tension eased as Madueke’s shot from 20 yards was deflected and went in. However, it was still difficult to ignore the previous disagreements.
Source: theguardian.com
