TUCH OF LUCK AS ZIYECH SEALS IT
Battling Blades go so close before Hakim strikes
THEY say it is a good sign when you play badly and win – and that’s exactly what Chelsea did here.
Leading early through an Oliver Norwood own goal, the Blues made hard work of this one.
And but for a woeful miss-ofthe-season contender from David Mcgoldrick it could have been a very different story.
Rhian Brewster should have equalised too but hit the side-netting when it looked easier to score.
Few gave struggling Sheffield United a prayer but after a poor first half in which they were thoroughly dominated, the Blades caused some problems.
And Chelsea only survived the scare when Hakim Ziyech came off the bench to score a second in stoppage time.
But Thomas Tuchel’s side are through to the semi-finals and they are now unbeaten in 14 matches under the German, who played a weakened team.
It is not always pretty, and at times this game suggested their first defeat might not be long in coming, but Chelsea keep finding ways to win. They look confident, resilient and hard to beat.
And for visiting teams trying to score against them, goals are becoming as rare as snowflakes in the desert.
The Blades were quickly blunted and spent most of the opening 25 minutes pinned back in their own half watching Chelsea pass it around.
In fairness, they were very comfortable, though, until a half-cleared corner fell kindly to Ben Chilwell.
His shot was going wide until Norwood slid in trying to block and only succeeded in deflecting it past
Aaron Ramsdale. That was United’s game plan out of the window in the 34th minute, undoing all their good defensive work and leaving them a mountain to climb.
By half-time Chelsea had only had one shot on target.
They are rarely the most exciting of teams under Tuchel but they usually find a way to win.
He chose to use this fixture to give plenty of big guns a rest, including N’golo Kante, Timo Werner, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta.
But for all the changes Chelsea looked in complete control, with star man Mason Mount coming back from a ban to captain the side.
That was until Emerson deflected a cross from John Lundstram and it somehow found Mcgoldrick completely unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. He had to stoop still
to get a connection but it was still a free header and somehow he managed to put it well wide.
Kepa Arrizabalaga then saved well from Ollie Mcburnie as the Blades suddenly started to look sharp.
Tuchel, alarmed, sent on a flurry of substitutes to try and liven his side up but the visitors continued to look dangerous.
Interim manager Paul Heckingbottom kept urging his side forward as time began to run out and his players became more and more desperate.
Sub Brewster then had his head in his hands when he hit the sidenetting from eight yards in stoppage time.
And he was made to pay when Ziyech, another sub, took one touch to control a Chilwell cross on a fast break and volleyed home just before the final whistle.
It was a tidy finish and few could argue Chelsea deserved the victory on the balance of play.
But United will wonder might have been. what