Chelsea managed to qualify for the League Cup semi-finals by winning an epic penalty shootout against Newcastle, following a last-minute goal from Mykhailo Mudryk.
After a run of three defeats in their last five games, including a 4-1 loss to Newcastle, Chelsea showed essential fighting spirit to win the quarter-final by a score of 4-2 in the penalty shootout, after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Currently in 10th place in the Premier League, Chelsea were two minutes from elimination before Mudryk’s goal took the Blues through to the penalty shootout.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Chelsea coach, has only won one French championship title and one national cup with Paris Saint-Germain. The victory keeps Pochettino in contention to win his first trophy in England, having lost the League Cup final in 2015 when he was at Tottenham.
“It’s a huge satisfaction. The fans and the club deserve this kind of feeling. It’s a great motivation,” Pochettino said. “We are a young team and we create very good cohesion. This kind of result will help us.”
The defeat is a blow for Newcastle, who were aiming to gain revenge for last season’s League Cup final defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.
After their elimination in the group stage of the Champions League, this elimination is a new setback for the club supported by the Saudis in their quest for a first major title since 1969.
“It’s very painful. We defended very well, but we couldn’t get over the line,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. “It’s a very painful moment for us. We’ll just have to accept it and digest it.”
Newcastle opened the scoring thanks to chaotic Chelsea defense in the 16th minute. Callum Wilson collected the ball in his own half and dribbled past Thiago Silva to find himself in the opponent’s area. Benoit Badiashile should have eliminated the danger, but his disastrous clearance attempt allowed Wilson to score easily.
With 20 minutes to play, French striker Christopher Nkunku, making his debut for Chelsea after a long injury absence since his transfer from Leipzig during the summer season, came on.
Two minutes from normal time, Chelsea took the match to a penalty shootout when Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier mishandled a cross and unintentionally deflected his header at Mudryk, who scored into the bottom corner.
Trippier’s bad luck continued when he sent his shot wide of the goal during the penalty shootout.
Nkunku converted Chelsea’s third spot-kick for his first significant contribution to the club.
Djordje Petrovic sealed Chelsea’s victory by diving down the left to make a brilliant save from Matt Ritchie’s shot.
In the other quarter-finals, Fulham qualified for the semi-finals for the first time in their history by beating Everton in the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.
Middlesbrough easily knocked out Port Vale to reach the semi-finals for the first time since winning the League Cup in 2004.
The last quarter-final will pit Liverpool against West Ham.
The final phase of the League Cup therefore still promises many surprises and thrilling action for the supporters. The semi-finals are already set to be exciting with Chelsea, Fulham and Middlesbrough all looking to qualify for the final of this prestigious competition. Football fans can expect hard-fought matches and suspense until the end. The League Cup continues to captivate football fans and provide us with unforgettable moments.