Leicester City 1-2 Chelsea: Pedro’s Extra-time Winner Sends Blues Into FA Cup Semifinal
Chelsea needed an extra time header from Pedro to see themselves over the line against Leicester City to reach the FA Cup semifinal, where they will take on Southampton. The Blues took the lead through Alvaro Morata, who scored his first in 14 games. However, Vardy bagged another goal just 14 minutes from time.
Wilfred Ndidi tested Caballero first, by lining one up from distance. Despite dominating in terms of possession, Chelsea were unable to find the final ball until the first goal. Elsewhere, Vardy tested the keeper twice before his goal. Eden Hazard then had a chance but he only lifted it over the bar. Antonio Conte will be immensely relieved to have ended a five-game losing streak away from home.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Willy Caballero: 8/10
Denied Vardy twice before he got on to the scoresheet. Even when Chelsea failed to clear their lines, he kept them in the game by stopping shots. He came off his lines confidently too.
Antonio Rudiger: 7/10
Had a few nervous moments in the game but was otherwise solid. He should have kept out a couple of crosses from Simpson though.
Andreas Christensen: 7.5/10
Christensen kept hold of Vardy, didn’t let him run in behind him and put up an error-free performance. His positioning was superb.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8/10
Made a couple of match-saving blocks, especially the shot before Vardy’s equaliser. He held his position well, guided the defence and was unbeatable down his side.
Victor Moses: 6/10
He was alright going forward, apart from a few wasteful moments in the final third. Nonetheless, he was a prominent figure going forward. At the back, he allowed Vardy a free header, which was poor defending.
Tiemoue Bakayoko: 1/10
A horror show, yet again. He lost possession when under minimal or no pressure. The Frenchman just kept jogging in the middle and never looked like adding a defensive contribution. Rightfully, was subbed off at half-time.
N’Golo Kante: 9.5/10
Kante was absolutely world-class against his old club. He was always at the right place, intercepting passes and letting the attack flow. Kante accelerated with the ball, skipped past challenges and provided an assist for Pedro’s winner.
Marcos Alonso: 6/10
Looked tired for most part of the game, which was clearly shown when Mahrez got the better of him for the Vardy goal.
Willian: 8.5/10
He was exciting and exhilarating yet again. Willian was a driving force throughout the game and illustrated it by sprinting forward with the ball to provide Morata a fine tuned assist.
Eden Hazard: 7/10
Nowhere close to his best as he was more into sideways passing. However, he dropped deep to keep the play going.
Alvaro Morata: 8.5/10
Scored with a beautiful finish to the right corner and looked sharper since then. He did have some lazy, frustrating moments though.
Substitutes
Cesc Fabregas: 7/10
Found a good range of passing going forward and defended well in the dying stages.
Pedro: 8/10
Added some much-needed energy and pace as his teammates looked tired. He leapt excellently to give Chelsea a place in the FA Cup semifinals.
Gary Cahill: 7/10
Defended neatly and was a formidable figure at the heart of the defence.
Olivier Giroud: 6.5/10
Held the ball up well and passed it around accurately.
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