CHELSEA’S 9 MEN WIN SHOOTOUT
PEDRO AND MORATA OFF IN BRIDGE DRAMA
CHELSEA staggered into the FA Cup fourth round by winning on penalties on a night of controversy and confusion at Stamford Bridge when three players were booked for diving and two of them sent off.
Michy Batshuayi put the Premier League champions ahead in the second half but teenager Jamal Lewis struck in the fourth minute of stoppagetime to take the replay into extra time.
Willian, Pedro and Alvaro Morata were all shown yellow cards for diving as they attempted to win penalties, decisions made by referee Graham Scott and supported by his video assistant Mike Jones.
Pedro was sent off when he received a second yellow for a mistimed slide tackle on Wes hoolahan in the second period of extra time and Morata was dismissed for dissent, a second yellow which followed seconds after his angry reaction to the first.
having spent most of the game appealing for penalties which were not given, the tie was settled by spot-kicks, taken the oldfashioned way, one at a time.
Willy Caballero saved from Nelson Oliveira and Chelsea did not miss, with eden hazard converting the winning penalty to secure a fourth-round tie against Newcastle. hazard said: ‘It was not our best game of the season but we gave everything and played nine against 11 at the end. We showed great character.’
Before the game Chelsea fans must have wondered why on earth they needed Andy Carroll but by half-time in this thirdround replay, they might have been warming to the idea as chances came and went and the wait for a goal stretched into its fifth hour of football.
Then, 10 minutes into the second half, up stepped Batshuayi to apply a firm near-post finish to a low cross from Kenedy and relief washed around the stadium.
Norwich’s stubborn resistance had finally been broken and Batshuayi had his first goal since mid- October, not including a couple for the Under 21 team in the Checkatrade Trophy at MK Dons. Until then, little had gone right for the Belgian centre forward, who scored the goal to win the title last season and is wanted on loan by Sevilla but apparently not by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Batshuayi’s touch deserted him at key moments in the build-up and he misplaced passes and was easily shackled by central defender Christoph Zimmermann. But all that was forgotten as he celebrated Chelsea’s first goal since Marcos Alonso at Arsenal two weeks ago.
Batshuayi’s goal also served to uncork the replay as Norwich were forced to venture forward and play with more risk.
Josh Murphy hit a post with a bouncing volley as the Championship side searched for an equaliser and Caballero made a save to thwart James Maddison.
Pedro, at the other end, was booked for a dive as he searched for the second goal and the game ended at a frenzied tempo.
having ended their goal drought, Chelsea were within seconds of going through but Jamal Lewis popped up with an equaliser to force extra time. Timm Klose crossed from the right and Lewis glanced a header past Caballero and in off the far post.
As he did in the original tie, Conte selected his second-string side, making nine changes from Saturday’s draw against Leicester and watched as they created and wasted a cluster of chances.