SCHU SPOT OF HARD LUCK
Argyle rue Ryan’s penalty woe as Blues edge through
BY this time next week, Chelsea could well be the club world champions.
Yet at Stamford Bridge yesterday, they looked anything but in their struggles to put away plucky Plymouth.
Steven Schumacher’s League One side did themselves proud – massively so – in taking the champions of Europe to extra-time.
And they could even have taken the game to penalties had Ryan Hardie not missed a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot deep into the additional 30 minutes.
Substitute Hardie, who was fouled by Malang Sarr, must have dreamed of such a chance ever since his team were drawn against the Blues.
But in front of the 6,000 travelling Pilgrims fans he fluffed his lines and Kepa Arrizabalaga was able to make a comfortable save.
Schumacher said: “Ryan is devastated, he normally strikes the penalties better than that.
“But by his own admission it wasn’t a great strike.
“His head’s down so hopefully he can pick himself up and score the winner for us on Tuesday.”
The penalty miss meant Marcos Alonso’s goal, after a brilliant equaliser from Cesar Azpilicueta had cancelled out Macaulay Gillesphey’s early header, was the match winner and that the Blues, beaten finalists last season, live to fight another day in the famous old competition.
They were made to work hard for their win, though.
Schumacher added: “We asked the players to not leave anything out there, and they can be incredibly proud of themselves.
“We stuck to our task, gave everything we’ve got, showed little glimpses of quality.
“They can all be pleased with their efforts and we’re disappointed not to get through, especially with the penalty late on.
“But it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t our day.”
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel missed the game after testing positive for Covid on Friday and could miss the Club World Cup in
Abu Dhabi, with the Blues’ first game, a semi-final, on Wednesday.
Tuchel’s assistant, Arno Michels, said: “We had very many opportunities and touches in the box. We were a little bit unlucky with the crossbar and post.
“Everybody would say in the FA Cup the most important thing is to go through and that’s what we did.”
For a while in the first-half, it did not always look like that would be the case.
Former Chelsea trainee
Jordan Houghton whipped in a delicious free-kick and Gillesphey rose well to place a deft header beyond Kepa.
Chelsea hit the woodwork three times in the first-half, twice through Mateo Kovacic and then through Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Mike Cooper also made the first of several good saves to deny Azpilicueta but there was nothing he could do when Jorginho played in Mason Mount and his low cross was met with a Cruyff-like flick into the net from the Spaniard.
Both sides had chances with Cooper saving superbly from Mount and it was not until stoppage-time in the first period of extra-time that Alonso fired home.
Hardie was then fouled by Sarr in the box but his weak effort was too easy for
Kepa to save.
Asked about the Chelsea keeper’s spotkick heroics, Michels added: “It’s not only about the penalty save but his performance – he has been very reliable.”