Chelsea’s Thrilling 3-2 FA Cup Victory Over Leeds
In a spectacular FA Cup fifth-round showdown at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea orchestrated a remarkable comeback, securing a thrilling 3-2 victory over Leeds.
Conor Gallagher’s 90th-minute winner not only redeemed the Blues from their recent Carabao Cup final defeat but also set the stage for an exciting quarter-final clash against Leicester City.
After their exciting Friday night victory over Championship promotion rivals Leicester, Leeds made a strong impression on west London. Within eight minutes of their arrival, they had shown Chelsea’s weakness after their extra-time loss to Liverpool; Mateo Joseph scored his first goal as a senior when he took advantage of an error made by Axel Disasi in his own box.
After losing at Wembley, Chelsea was called bottlejobs, but they battled back with deft build-up play that put Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk in positions to win the match.
Leeds, who had gone 12 games without a loss, were far from finished. The second half saw Daniel Farke’s team gain momentum as Chelsea appeared to back off. Joseph doubled his score when the excellent Jaidon Anthony crossed the ball for him.
Soon after, Leeds’ youthful attacker had another excellent header, but Chelsea would deal the game’s decisive blow. Gallagher’s turn and finish were outstanding, while Enzo Fernandez’s strong run created the opening. The Chelsea supporters cheered with delight. Similar to the rematch of the 1970 FA Cup final, which was these teams’ final competition encounter, Chelsea had prevailed.
Their season endures, as does their dream of silverware. They have just one more game left before returning to Wembley, which will take place against Leicester over the weekend of March 16.
“Gary, my friend, what you did…,” he said. These days, he speaks frequently about his opinion, which is just round and round. That is nothing to be upset about. It’s unfair to place this kind of anxiety in a team that is so courageous and a club that has consistently demonstrated that it battles for big things, with all of my love for Gary.
“With a performance like this, we can demonstrate our bravery and ability to win games. We know who we are, how we play, and why we lost the match against Liverpool, so it doesn’t really matter to the team. This has no bearing on it at all. It is due to a variety of factors.
“You must acknowledge everyone’s viewpoint. However, that is not a topic for us to discuss. We are aware of our bravery and diligence. It doesn’t matter to us if people keep bringing up this comment. I apologize for my error. We accept his viewpoint and go forward.
How Chelsea overcame Leeds eventually
The big issue at kickoff was what form and attitude Chelsea would be in following their Wembley disaster, and Leeds jumped at the chance to take advantage of any weakness in Sunday’s defeated finalists. For the guests, the early indications were promising.
Playing for the first time since early December, the returning ‘keeper was nearly caught out, as from the opening whistle Joseph was racing Robert Sanchez and Dan James over. Rather, Disasi would make a mistake in his box. The defender’s pass out was far too careless. With eight minutes remaining, Leeds’ strikers attacked, and Joseph was there to take a strong shot past Sanchez as the ball broke.
Chelsea reacted with a masterfully executed equalizer, though, dispelling any notion that they would falter in the face of such scrutiny. Moises Caicedo and Noni Madueke combined to play Jackson in through the right channel and fire under Illan Meslier for a prompt reaction.
Then, as Chelsea gained confidence, Madueke crashed into the side netting, Mudryk, who was enjoying a more prominent role, picked up a loose ball and forced a stop from a tight angle, and Fernandez tested the goalkeeper with a rasping drive from thirty yards.
The second goal was another deft play, this time involving Madueke and Malo Gusto. Raheem Sterling then cut the ball back, allowing Mudryk to highlight his strong individual effort by hooking in his first-ever goal.
However, there were more red flags at the other end, as Anthony skillfully outwitted two defenders and bent a shot from the edge of the box just beyond the far post, leaving Sanchez alone. James also missed a set-piece attempt.
Leeds carried that impetus into the second half and duly leveled the score when Joseph dribbled past Trevoh Chalobah and headed past Sanchez into the ground from Anthony’s inviting cross. What a 20-year-old’s night.
He could have had his hat-trick shortly after, and maybe he should have. However, Chelsea were let off after failing to connect with another header. Once more, the home team was fortunate when Anthony cut through Chalobah and Caicedo before finishing with a shot. Star strikers Wilfried Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville were substituted, demonstrating Leeds’ desire. Chelsea appeared unsteady.
Ultimately, Fernandez demonstrated the missing drive. Gallagher provided the excellence. Chelsea can now focus on a second cup run, hoping to advance farther than they did on Sunday.
Chelsea Boss Pochettino: This was deemed crucial
“This outcome was necessary. Not a very good performance. (Leeds is) a confident, incredibly strong team that is performing admirably in the Championship. The squad may learn from the character we displayed following (the early goal).
“I’m overjoyed in the end. Even though it’s never easy to lose a final in extra time and you have to recover in 72 hours or less, I have to commend the players for their incredible effort tonight.
Leeds Boss Farke is pleased with his inexperienced Leeds team
“I want to congratulate Chelsea. We are upset by the game’s outcome. Although I am aware that it is unlikely for us to win the FA Cup as a Championship team, I still wanted to advance. We were outstanding and had a great side with a lot of elite players.
“I believe there were more possession, shots on goal, and predicted goals in the second half… My instinct told me we had a chance to win this game, so I would have rather gone into extra time. I’m rather pleased with my guys’ performance.
“Although we lost the game, (the supporters) celebrated the young guys after this game because the level of performance and commitment was definitely excellent.”
Next Targets
On Saturday, Chelsea plays its Premier League match against Brentford, a rival team in London. Kickoff is at 3pm.
This Saturday at 12 p.m., kickoff at 12.30 p.m., Leeds travels across West Yorkshire to play Huddersfield live on Sky Sports Football.
