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And there’s the equaliser!
Chelsea have been peppered by Brentford set-pieces all afternoon and now they score with one of their own.
The Blues play a short corner and Cole Palmer beats his man before whipping a cross to the back post where defender Disasi heads home.
The pendulum has well and truly swung again! Raheem Sterling gets in behind a frantic Brentford defence. He sidesteps his man but takes too long to shoot and is crowded out.
Photo Credit: premierleague/ X
The Chelsea striker makes amends by giving his side the lead with a bullet header from Gusto’s excellent cross. He rises highest to meet a fabulous ball into the area and powerfully heads home. He puts his fingers to his lips to shush his doubters.
Really poor defending from Brentford to allow Nicolas Jackson to drift in-between them. Perhaps they weren’t expecting such a quick and accurate cross from the Chelsea right back.
Photo Credit: premierleague/ X
Chelsea are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals after beating Leeds United after a late, late Conor Gallagher strike. The Blues won 3-2 after going behind initially in the tie.
Mateo Joseph gave the visitors the lead at Stamford Bridge to send the 6,000 travelling supporters wild in the Shed End. However, their lead was not long lived, with Nicolas Jackson levelling the match just moments later with a clever finish.
Chelsea then took the lead on 37 minutes through Mykhailo Mudryk. Some nice build-up play ended with Raheem Sterling picking out Mudryk in the box, who finished calmly for his fifth goal of the season in all competitions.
Leeds were level on 59 minutes. It was Joseph again, who found himself free at the far-post and headed past Robert Sanchez to level the FA Cup tie.
Gallagher, though, produced a stunning moment in the 90th minute to win it for the Blues. With that said, Bobby Vincent rated each of the Chelsea players after the win at Stamford Bridge.
Robert Sanchez – His first start since December. Not sure there was much he could do with either goal, to be honest, it was more to do with the defending in front of him. 5.
Malo Gusto – One of the six survivors from Sunday’s defeat at Wembley. Gusto, as always, looked solid. Perhaps he did not get to show off his attacking abilities as much as he would have wanted to on the night. Taken off on the hour-mark. 6.
Axel Disasi – Chelsea’s most-used player this season and he continued in the team despite playing 120-plus minutes on Sunday. But a terrible start, he gave the ball away that led to Leeds’ opener. A hospital pass to Moises Caicedo. 4.
Trevoh Chalobah – A first start of the season for Chalobah. Looked solid and you would not be able to tell that he had not played much football coming into the game. Disasi left Joel Piroe free for Leeds’ equaliser, meaning Chalobah had to go and mark him, which left Joseph free at the back-post. Not great from both centre-backs. 5.
Alfie Gilchrist – Good to see him back in the side. Playing in an unnatural left-back position, Gilchrist impressed, as he has done whenever he has been called upon. 6.
Moises Caicedo – Great ball to set up Jackson. He looked to play forward passes at pretty much every opportunity this evening, something he didn’t do on Sunday. 7.
Enzo Fernandez – The captain for this evening. He looked fired up, like the armband had done something to him mentally. Chelsea would have liked to get him on the ball in more threatening areas but he still did well and came up with a decisive assist for Gallagher. 6.
Noni Madueke – Great to see him back in the lineup. Nice play with Caicedo in the lead up to Jackson’s goal. Looked bright all evening, but was taken off on the hour-mark. 6.
Mykhailo Mudryk – Used in the No.10 role. Looked fairly quiet up until his goal. And he took it so well. A really composed and assured finish into the bottom corner. Impressive from the Ukraine international. 8.
Raheem Sterling – A fine cross to set up Mudryk. Made good runs all evening-long. On the ball, too, Sterling was really impressive. When he is playing well, he glides past players and he did that on occasions against Leeds. You still feel like he could do so much more but I’d say an impressive(ish) stint. 6.
Nicolas Jackson – Great finish and an equally impressive run to equalise for Chelsea. Made some fantastic runs down the channels and held the ball up well for Chelsea. 8.
Substitutes
Ben Chilwell – Came on an hour in. Not much to report on. 6.
Chelsea survived an FA Cup scare as Conor Gallagher came off the bench to score a last-minute winner and seal a 3-2 victory over Leeds at Stamford Bridge.
Gallagher is quickly becoming Chelsea’s go-to man. He runs into space on the edge of the box and receives the ball before spinning away from Junior Firpo.
The substitute lashed the ball past the visitors’ goalkeeper Illan Meslier to grab what had looked an unlikely victory for much of the game, never more so than when the Blues fell behind inside eight minutes to the first of two goals from Mateo Joseph.
After the match, Mauricio Pochettino said: “Yeah, of course, he is an important player and there is no doubt. We were talking at the beginning of the season, the contribution was fantastic for the team. I’m so happy for him.
“I said okay, don’t become top scorer, don’t score too much goals [smiles]. But the effort is there and the quality is there.”
Photo Credit: ChelseaFC/ X
Mauricio Pochettino’s stint at Stamford Bridge seems to be under threat as Sam Allardyce has offered to “fly back from Dubai tomorrow” to take over at Chelsea.
That’s after a Chelsea fan demanded the former England boss replaced Mauricio Pochettino on a radio phone-in.
Poch is coming under huge pressure from fans after losing the Carabao Cup final 1-0 to Liverpool on Sunday – despite Jurgen Klopp fielding a makeshift side.
The Blues are currently 11th in the league and cut adrift from the European places.
Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Leeds represents Pochettino’s last chance to salvage Chelsea’s season – with his job security looking shaky should he be knocked out.
Allardyce hasn’t worked since his brief four game stint with Leeds at the end of last season and has since been living in the Middle East.
When asked if he’d take on the Chelsea job should Pochettino be sacked, Allardyce said: “Oh yes, I’d fly back from Dubai tomorrow for that – get me there!,” he joked to talkSPORT Breakfast.
He said the first thing he’d do as Blues boss would be to “sort the defence out.
“It’s the worst defending I’ve seen in the Premier League for a long, long time.
“People see that as a negative punt. There’s a big thing on Monday Night Football about Manchester United and how many shots they’ve conceded and then looking at the top teams like Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
“They have the best defensive records. It’s a simple mathematical equation. You win the league if you have the best defence not the best attack.
“The best attack gives you the opportunity to get the points in the end but the defensive side of it wins you the league.
“The defending has been ignored for many years now and I’ve never seen such bad defending for a long time.”
The Premier League have set their sights on Simone Inzaghi as Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have all started to explore a move for the Inter coach.
The 47-year-old Italian tactician had already shown his abilities in the dugout during his time with Lazio but his project at the Nerazzurri is where he’s truly entered his own, turning the club into one of the most dangerous in Europe.
Inter are now in prime position to win their 20th ever Scudetto and are looking to complete some unfinished business in the Champions League. They won the expanded four-team Supercoppa Italiana last month, a victory that brought in over €8m to the club.
Pages 14 and 15 of today’s Tuttosport details how Premier League giants Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have all started to gather information about Inzaghi, interested in making a move for the Inter coach at the end of the season.
The 47-year-old is contracted to the Nerazzurri to June 2025 and earns €5.5m net per season plus add-ons. The Premier League offers could reach around €8-9m per year, figures his Italian club are unlikely to match. Barcelona are also keen, adding him to their list of possible options post-Xavi.
Inzaghi is happy at Inter but would want his new deal to be extended to June 2027 at least. For their part, the club want to move forward with coach as well.
Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong admitted he ‘knows’ where Chelsea and Arsenal target Victor Osimhen will play next season.
The Napoli star is widely expected to leave the Campania capital in the coming summer transfer window, with his new contract containing a €120-130m release clause. He’s already hinted that he’s decided his next step when speaking to the press last month.
The Napoli project has collapsed over the last six months, but Osimhen has still managed to shine despite the difficulties, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists across 20 appearances this term. At the recent Africa Cup of Nations, he scored once and provided three assists.
Speaking to Sky Sport via TMW, Troost-Ekong first discussed the struggles of his former clubs Salernitana and Udinese this season.
“I always follow Serie A, it’s a great league. This weekend with Salernitana-Udinese will be special for me, also because it was also the last match I played in my last season. The points would certainly be more useful to Salernitana than to Udinese.”
He remembered his time at Tottenham with Harry Kane.
“We started together 14 years ago and after training he always stayed on the pitch to try something else: shots, penalties, work with the goalkeepers.
“He always wanted to grow, and this ultimately led him to reach the top of the top. He is an example of the desire to improve and work harder.”
Finally, Troost-Ekong was asked if he knew where Osimhen would play next year.
“I really can’t tell you anything, but I know!”
Chelsea lost a THIRD successive Wembley final to Liverpool as Virgil van Dijk scored a dramatic extra-time header to hand the Reds the Carabao Cup.
The Liverpool skipper had earlier had a goal disallowed by VAR before rising to the occasion once more to hand Jurgen Klopp a trophy in his final season in charge of the club.
In an intense, thrilling battle in front of a raucous crowd, Raheem Sterling had also had a goal disallowed by the VAR – Nicolas Jackson ruled offside before crossing to his team-mate.
With Liverpool missing several key players Chelsea ended the game stronger, Conor Gallagher having two big chances that he should have done better with.
But as the game went into extra time it was Liverpool who improved, forcing Djordje Petrovic into a couple of good saves before Van Dijk’s decisive goal.
The defeat means Mauricio Pochettino remains without a trophy in England with this a major blow to the club – especially given the litany of Liverpool stars missing.
The Blues next face Leeds in the FA Cup on Wednesday, which surely represents their last chance of success this season.
Djordje Petrovic – 8/10
Another solid afternoon’s work for the Serbian who dealt with everything that came his way comfortably.
Made a couple of routine saves and looked good on the ball, commanded his box and was decisive when sweeping – made a strong save down to his right after an Axel Disasi slip allowed Luis Diaz into the box and another when Harvey Elliot’s shot bounced into the floor.
Was excellent in extra time, making an acrobatic save to tip over Jayden Dann’s header before getting down low to save Harvey Elliott’s header with his leg – nothing he could do for Van Dijk’s winner.
Malo Gusto – 6
Did a very impressive job keeping Luis Diaz under wraps, although there was more than one occasion where a poor touch saw the right-back lose Chelsea possession.
Didn’t offer his usual verve going forward, but that looked more by design than anything.
Axel Disasi – 5
Like with Gusto and the rest of the back four, offered Liverpool a couple of openings with some sloppy play and nervy touches when in possession.
He should’ve done better when he ghosted in at the far post from a corner but couldn’t sort his feet quickly enough and hit the ball over with his thigh.
Defended well for the most part but Van Dijk beat him to the ball to score the winner.
Levi Colwill – 5
Endured a shocking first ten minutes where he gave the ball away in dangerous areas three times, with the occasion seemingly getting the better of the young England defender.
Drastically improved as the game wore on but lost Cody Gakpo for one of Liverpool’s better chances, when the forward headed onto the post in the first half. Got a key touch on a Diaz cross that looked destined for Danns to turn in.
Ben Chilwell – 5
Offered much more of a forward threat than Gusto, especially when Connor Bradley was pushed into a more forward role.
Sloppy defensive moments and poor touches helped Liverpool to keep the pressure on and he was totally overpowered by Virgil van Dijk for a goal before being saved by the VAR.
Also lost Harvey Elliott for a late chance in extra time when the youngster hit the side netting but should’ve done better.
Moises Caicedo – 8
This is much more like what Chelsea fans would have been expecting for the massive amount they paid in the summer.
Got through an incredible amount of running in the middle of the pitch, was strong and aggressive in the tackle – although overly aggressive on more than one occasion – and excellent in possession.
Enzo Fernandez – 5
Showed some real flashes of his quality on the ball in deeper positions but lacked quality when it counted in a couple of key moments.
He chose the more difficult pass, with Sterling free to his left, when Chelsea had numbers over and then couldn’t get the ball out of his feet from a cross when he had two players free in the box.
Conor Gallagher – 7
A real leader’s performance from Gallagher who seemingly covered every blade of the Wembley turf.
Picked up some incredibly dangerous positions with his forward running, was excellent in possession, strong in the tackle and saved a goal with a brilliant block when Bradley looked certain to score.
But Gallagher had three late chances to grab a decisive goal. He was unlucky turning Palmer’s cross onto the post, needed to do better when put through one on one by Palmer, then blasted a Jackson lay off well wide.
Cole Palmer – 6
Chelsea fans will have wanted more from their starlet who had long spells where was just not involved in the play, although he became much more of a threat as the game opened up late on.
Had a couple of good touches and was involved in some of the better moments for the Blues, but just had to score from close range before an outstanding save from Kelleher.
Could have had an assist or two but for some woeful finishing from his team-mates.
Raheem Sterling – 5
Struggled to get into the game before being taken off for Christopher Nkunku, although showed a couple of flashes and took up some good positions.
Made some clever runs forward and thought he’d scored a tap in before Nicolas Jackson was ruled offside by VAR.
Nicolas Jackson – 8
A truly excellent lone striker’s performance that kept Konate and Van Dijk occupied all afternoon before he was taken off late.
The Senegalese didn’t get a clear sight of goal of his own, but everything Chelsea did well inevitably came through the No 15, who chased every long ball and gave the Liverpool defence fits with his work rate. Perhaps unlucky to be ruled offside for Sterling’s disallowed goal.
Subs
Christopher Nkunku (for Sterling, 66) – 5
Had barely touched the ball after coming on before a 92nd-minute goalmouth scramble saw the ball drop perfectly for him inside the six-yard box… but Nkunku could only snatch at it straight into the arms of a grateful Kelleher.
Mykhailo Mudryk (for Jackson, 89) – 5
Didn’t have much opportunity to get on the ball and run at the Liverpool defence, although did some good defensive work.
Noni Madueke (for Gallagher, 95) – 6
Had a couple of moments in one on one situations where he threatened to carve out an opening.
Madueke’s decision making was poor, with him picking the wrong pass with one opening and firing a weak shot that was easily blocked with another.
Trevoh Chalobah (for Chilwell, 112) – 5
Brought on for a tired Chilwell but failed to make an impact as Chelsea were pinned back late on by Liverpool.
Subs not used: Robert Sanchez, Marcus Bettinelli, Alfie Gilchrist, Jimi Tauriainen, Billy Gee.
Photo Credit: ChelseaFC/ X
Chelsea are not happy with the performances of their summer signing Robert Sanchez and they are ready to replace him with Giorgi Mamardashvili, according to a report by HITC.
The Blues are ready to sanction the departure of Sanchez and then push for the signatures of the Valencia shot-stopper.
Chelsea have reportedly not rule out Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale despite their interest in Mamardashvili.
The London club were looking to reinforce their goalkeeping position in the last summer transfer window and that is why they ended up signing two shot-stopper before the start of the 2023/24 season.
Sanchez arrived from Brighton for a fee of £25 million to be their number one in goal. While he has been doing a decent job, the Blues are not really convinced that he can be their number one going forward.
As a result, they are ready to sanction his departure just a year after signing him. The Blues even acquired the services of Djordje Petrovic in the summer. The 24-year-old Serbian was used as a cover for Sanchez while he was out injured. But, the Blues don’t think he can be their number one.
The Blues have been on the lookout for a new goalkeeper of late and they seemed to have found an ideal candidate in Giorgi Mamardashvili. The 23-year-old Valencia shot-stopper has been putting in some impressive performances in goal in the recent past.
His consistent performances and huge potential have attracted Chelsea’s interest. His contract with the Spanish club runs until the summer of 2027 and Valencia are the ones in control, the Blues are still willing to battle it out for his signature.
Fans have questioned whether Mauricio Pochettino intentionally ignored Chelsea owner Todd Boehly after the club were beaten in the Carabao Cup final.
The clash at Wembley was a back-and-forth affair, with the game going into extra-time at 0-0 after both sides had goals ruled out by VAR.
With penalties on the horizon, Virgil van Dijk headed home from a corner to secure his first silverware since being named club captain following Jordan Henderson’s departure.
After coming agonisingly close to securing his first trophy in English football Pochettino appeared dejected as he walked up the stairs at Wembley to receive his runners-up medal.
Supporters on social media claimed that the former Spurs boss appeared to have blanked Chelsea’s American owner during the presentation.
After the clip was shared online, one fan asked: “Did Poch just blank Boehly there???”
Another claimed: “Poch didn’t even wanna touch Boehly”
A further fan added: “Oof, Todd Boehly with a face like thunder when Poch went up. Can just imagine what he’d been saying about the way they handled extra time.”
Other fans theorised that the interaction suggests the Argentinian’s time at the club will soon be coming to an end.
“Poch completely ignores Boehly as he goes up to get his runners up medal. He knows he’s getting sacked tomorrow man,” one fan said.