It is evident that Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea have not been able to replicate their past successes at both domestic and continental league and cup competitions since the Argentine’s arrival at the Blues at the start of the 2023/2024 Season thus far. Despite what being said, Pochettino’s Chelsea do have a chance to gain a major silverware at the end of the current campaign, since the 2023/2024 EFL Cup finalists managed to survive a scare by ex-English Premier League winners Leicester City at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup Quarterfinals last night, reaching the next round of the competition on top of a 4-2 score line.
Former Premier League Winners Leicester Rallied Themselves Back Versus Pochettino’s Chelsea
Pochettino’s Chelsea were able to race to a two-nothing superiority versus Enzo Maresca’s current second-best team in the the EFL Championship prior to the half-time interval. Ex-Barcelona academy graduate and senior side member Marc Cucurella was the one who put Pochettino’s Chelsea onto the score sheet, when he relentless charged from his own half to the opposing goal, meeting Nicolas Jackson’s unselfish play and scoring inside the six-yard box during the process. Pochettino’s Chelsea’s lead was doubled via their best player of the season, Cole Palmer, as he found his 16th goal in all competitions in the 45+1th minute.
An unfortunate own goal by Axel Disasi gave a lifeline to the visiting Leicester City moments after the restart. The 26-year-old French centre-back committed a howler when he tried to pass the ball back to his goalkeeper Robert Sánchez when stumbled across immense pressure Patson Daka, only to have his effort calculated wrongly in terms of strength and angle towards the Spanish shot stopper. Disasi and Sánchez had no choice but to watch the ball crossing the line for Leicester City to pull one back in the game.
Disasi’s own goal offered an unlikeliest momentum to the visitors, in which Maresca’s men went on to make things all square again in this domestic cup tie. Stephy Mavididi got the ball at the left wing, and he decided to take on Malo Gusto, followed by the player creating a space for a left-footed strike. His eventual strike beautifully curled into the bottom right corner for the equaliser.
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🦊 What a goal by Stephy Mavididi! The Foxes are now level!
Chelsea 2-2 Leicester City pic.twitter.com/SXIfejvPV4
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) March 17, 2024
Two Goals at the Death Booked Pochettino’s Chelsea’s Place in the Semis
Notwithstanding by the pressure thrown by Leicester City, Pochettino’s Chelsea regained their lead and put the icing on the cake with two injury-time goals in the second half, courtesy of two substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke. The 20-year-old Englishman found success in his attempt from close range two minutes into the stoppage time, followed by his slightly older compatriot’s effort right at the death of the game. These goals created a silver lining for Pochettino’s Chelsea, who are now safely through to the FA Cup Semifinals.
Following the 4-2 win over Leicester City, Pochettino’s Chelsea have been drawn to face the defending winners Manchester City for their next adventure at the FA Cup. The Cityzens of course have dispatched their English Premier League opponents Newcastle United at Etihad on Saturday, thus keeping their title defence campaign alive as a result; Pep Guardiola’s side are also on course to defend all three major silverwares they have won last year, having reached the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals and are a point adrift the top spot of the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea were not the only team playing in the last 8 of the FA Cup last night. In another much-intriguing matchup between two long-time rival sides Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford in the oldest cup competition in football, 21-year-old Amad Diallo became the home team’s hero by scoring a stoppage-time winning goal in the extra time. The 4-3 victory over their arch-nemeses Reds allowed the Red Devils to reach their second successive FA Cup Semifinals, and Jürgen Klopp’s men’s hopes of winning four titles this season have vanished as a result. Give this article a thorough read if you were unavailable to watch the Manchester United-Liverpool game.
Verdicts After Pochettino’s Chelsea’s Triumph
During the aftermath in the match between Pochettino’s Chelsea and Maresca’s Leicester, the Argentine gaffer said: “For a second time, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, we are going to Wembley. When I arrived in England at Southampton, they said, ‘We need to go to Wembley, we need to go to Wembley’. In Tottenham, ‘We need to go to Wembley, we need to go to Wembley’. Now look in nine months in two different competitions we got to Wembley and we need to enjoy and we need to trust more.”
The ex-Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager also spoke about the team’s mentality going to future games, noting “I am a very positive person. I really believe in our fans, I really believe in our club and I really believe the most important in our staff we have today because all the staff are fantastic. And of course our players. Young (Players) but I am enjoying a lot trying to help them achieve what they want. Of course all together we will succeed, no doubt. Of course when you don’t match the expectation, this is difficult thing for our fans to understand. I was talking in the past and I am strong. I have no problem”.
“We will keep moving in the same direction and of course we want to create better emotion. I cannot lie, I hope the next game our fans will be always unconditional behind the team because we are representing Chelsea. The players also want to give the best for the club and for the fans. We want to make happy our fans and we are going to try. I hope we can create until the end of the season a good connection with the fans, but I am never going to criticise the fans. Never, because they are entitled to say what they want,” Pochettino ended the conference with hopes of concluding the season on a better note for the Blues.
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