Palmer keeps calm amid Chelsea chaos to get Poch off the hook
WHEN showing such extraordinary enthusiasm for self-sabotage, Chelsea can only thank their lucky stars to have a 21-year-old Englishman who is oblivious to the nonsense happening around him.
Not for the first time, Cole Palmer was calm amid the chaos, ice in his veins as he flicked an audacious assist for Carney Chukwuemeka to give them a stoppage-time lead against Championship Leicester.
By that stage, the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge had threatened to turn toxic amid an FA Cup quarter-final in which Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea tried their best to trip themselves up. In which Raheem Sterling fluffed a penalty after taking the ball from the usual taker in Palmer.
In which Axel Disasi scored a preposterous own goal to help Leicester come from 2-0 down to make it 2-2. In which Sterling produced one of the worst free-kicks the world’s oldest cup competition has witnessed — so bad his own supporters sang for his substitution after watching it fly into the Matthew Harding Stand and targeted Pochettino when he hooked Mykhailo Mudryk instead. In which Leicester, down to 10 men, threatened to take this tie into extra time.
‘It’s very dangerous to watch this team if you’ve got a bad heart,’ joked one supporter by Stamford Bridge’s press box. He wasn’t wrong and those who feared the angst of an additional 30 minutes had Palmer to thank for his classy contribution. The £42.5million summer signing from Manchester City assisted Chukwuemeka before another substitute, Noni Madueke, made sure that Chelsea can look forward to a semi-final date with City at Wembley next month.
With the winners receiving an invitation to the Europa League, the FA Cup is the competition that could save their season if they can go one step further than they did in the Carabao Cup. So long as Palmer is on the pitch, you cannot discount Chelsea’s chances. With 14 goals and 12 assists this season, his has been a success story to make you wonder what was slipped into Pep Guardiola’s tea when he agreed to let such a talent leave.
Palmer was involved in Chelsea taking the lead after 13 minutes, playing the pass into Nicolas Jackson which led to him charging at Jannik Vestergaard. Jackson owned Vestergaard in that one-vone, beating him before rolling the ball through the six-yard box for Marc Cucurella to tap in.
There was the odd scare for Chelsea, their persistence in playing out from the back frustrating fans as goalkeeper Robert Sanchez appeared flustered by Leicester’s pressers, but they were largely in command.
Mudryk was having fun on a rare start and when Jackson broke through, his squared pass set up the Ukrainian. Unfortunately, Sterling got in the way as he provided an accidental block on behalf of Leicester’s defenders.
In the 24th minute, Palmer’s pass sent Malo Gusto sprinting down the right. His cross found Sterling, who was wiped out from behind by Abdul Fatawu. Referee Andrew Madley did not hesitate in pointing to the penalty spot.
Palmer picked up the ball. He had taken five penalties for Chelsea this season, scoring them all. Yet Sterling wanted this one.
Palmer agreed — a little reluctantly by the look of it — and Sterling’s attempt was awful. Close to the middle and slightly to the left, it did not take much for Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk to make the save.
Sterling should also have scored in the 44th minute when Moises Caicedo’s ball in behind left him one-on-one with Stolarczyk. The 29-year- old, left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, used his pace to escape Wout Faes but fired wide as Leicester’s fans mocked him as a ‘waste of money’.
Sterling tried to make amends before the break when he broke behind before passing to Palmer, who tapped in for 2-0.
Chelsea looked comfortable and yet, in spite of his mistakes, Sterling was upstaged by Disasi in the 51st minute. Patson Daka was
breathing down his neck when he tried to pass back to Sanchez, only for the £38.8m defender to balloon the ball into his own net. Now 2-1, Sanchez gave Disasi an apologetic kiss. Some goalkeepers might not have been so sympathetic after such an extraordinary error.
In the 62nd minute, the visitors made it 2-2 as Stephy Mavididi drove at Gusto. after a series of stepovers the forward unleashed a right- foot curler which flew beyond Sanchez.
Chelsea thought they had won another penalty when Jackson flicked the ball around Vestergaard beautifully to leave him bearing down on Leicester’s goal. He was tripped by Callum Doyle as Madley awarded a spot-kick and showed a yellow card. But VaR Darren England reported that the foul had occurred outside the box.
Madley awarded the free-kick instead, but upgraded the punishment for Doyle from yellow to red. Sterling took it, sending it up into the stands. ‘Get him off, get him off,’ chanted Chelsea’s fans in response.
Chelsea went in search of a late winner, with Jackson among those frustrated after skying a chance from 10 yards. Yet as eight minutes of stoppage time were announced, they got the first of their two late goals by substitutes.
Chukwuemeka exchanged a one-two with Palmer, whose backheeled flick was pure brilliance, and scored through the legs of Stolarczyk for 3-2. Pochettino could not contain himself, bursting out of his technical area to celebrate in front of the fans who had chanted criticism of him.
It was with the last kick of the game that Madueke scored a screamer to complete the 4-2 scoreline. Now, Wembley awaits.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Sanchez 6.5; Gusto 7, Disasi 5, Chalobah 6, Cucurella 7 (Chilwell 0min); Caicedo 7, Gallagher 7; PALMER 8.5, Mudryk 6.5 (Chukwuemeka 78), Sterling 4 (Madueke 86); Jackson 8. Scorers: Cucurella 13, Palmer 45+1, Chukwuemeka 0+2, Madueke 0+8. Booked: None. Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7. LEICESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk 5; Choudhury 5, Faes 5, Vestergaard 5, Doyle 4; Winks 6, Ndidi 6 (Coady 78); Fatawu 6 (Akgun 63, 6), Dewsbury-Hall 6, Mavididi 6.5 (Justin 75, 6); Daka 6. Scorers: Disasi 51 (og), Mavididi 62. Booked: Mavididi, Coady. Sent off: Doyle. Manager: Enzo Maresca 6. Referee: Andrew Madley 6. Attendance: 3 ,58 .