Chelsea vs. Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge was the most look-forward-to game in yesterday’s EFL Cup Quarterfinals in England, and the match between two English Premier League teams certainly treated fans to a thriller for a full 120 minutes of normal playing time plus added time and a penalty shootout to decide the fate of both teams. Mauricio Pochettino’s men became the side who advanced to the next round of the competition, after coming back from 1-0 down to equalise late in the second half and eventually won it all in the spot kicks, ending last season’s runners-ups’ hopes of going a step further in this year’s campaign.
Chelsea Cancelled Out Wilson’s Superb Solo Goal with a Late Late Equaliser
On their way to the EFL Cup Quarterfinal, Chelsea edged past AFC Wimbledon, Brighton & Hove Albion as well as Blackburn Rovers, whereas Newcastle United impressively saw off two Manchester clubs in their journey. In this EFL Cup Quarterfinal matchup, Pochettino made only one change in his lineup that started in that 2-0 win over Sheffield United last time around, with Enzo Fernández replacing Mykhailo Mudryk, and Poch’s counterpart Eddie Howe had three replacements in his first 11 that defeated 10-man Fulham last weekend.
It was the visitors who got themselves on the score sheet first, when 31-year-old Callum Wilson offered one of the best solo goals you will ever see in the history of the competition. The England international stole the ball away from Chelsea’s new summer signing Moisés Caicedo, and ran more than half of the field towards the Chelsea goal, before a clever shot that beat Đorđe Petrović for the first goal of the game. It is worth mentioning that the Wilson strike in the EFL Cup Quarterfinal came in his 100th game in all competitions for the Magpies.
Wilson’s one-man effort could have been sweeter if it was the only goal in the match, but Chelsea had other ideas in this EFL Cup Quarterfinal. The only alteration Chelsea had in their starting lineup was Mudryk being replaced by Fernández, but the Ukrainian was the man who saved the Blues in the game after coming on as a substitute. Chelsea’s no. 10 was benefited from a poor control by England right-back Kieran Trippier off Malo Gusto’s cross, and he hit the ball first time to the far post to make the game all square again.
If you are wondering where you can check out news from other major sports of the world, click here.
Magpies’ Run Ended in the EFL Cup Quarterfinal on Spot Kicks
The 1-1 score line stayed till the final whistle of the game, and not even extra time could separate both teams for this EFL Cup Quarterfinal, meaning the winner can only be borne from the penalty shootout.
Former Manchester City graduate and player Cole Palmer was the first player to step up, and the 21-year-old only beat Martin Dúbravka by a whisker. Wilson, who scored the emphatic first goal of this EFL Cup Quarterfinal, levelled things up for Newcastle with a shot to the same direction but higher angle, before Conor Gallagher restored the Blues’ lead. Then came the first missed spot kick of the shootout, when the culprit of Chelsea’s equaliser in the playing time Trippier failed to hit the target from 12 yards. The England international’s poor execution was punished by Christopher Nkunku, who came onto the game for his Chelsea debut as a 69th-minute replacement.
Bruno Guimarães went on to pull one back for the visitors in this EFL Cup Quarterfinal penalty shootout by sending the goalkeeper to the wrong way, but his effort was matched by Mudryk’s own spot kick moments later, leaving Matt Ritchie in immense pressure for Newcastle’s fourth spot kick in the game. The veteran player just could not find the back of the net as Chelsea’s no. 28 guessed the direction correctly to win the match for Chelsea, who safely through to the next round of the competition alongside Middlesbrough and Fulham; The Michael Carrick-led side and fellow London club beat Port Vale and Everton 3-0 and on penalties (7-6) in the other EFL Cup Quarterfinals respectively.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano: “Thomas Müller Agrees on Signing New Deal at Bayern Until June 2025.”
🏆 The Semi-Finals await! @ChelseaFC, @FulhamFC, @Boro 👏#EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/VuIVhxH3sJ
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) December 19, 2023
Pochettino: “We Reacted Really Well (To Wilson’s Opener).”
Pochettino was a rightful delighted man in the post-match conference of this EFL Cup Quarterfinal. He said: “To concede the way we conceded, when we didn’t deserve to, it can affect any team. But we reacted really well, dominated the game against a good team like Newcastle, kept pushing in the second half, made some changes and tried to provide the team some impact. The most important (Thing) in football is to believe to the end. We kept believing. We know penalties are a lottery, but of course talent and quality (Matter). Our objective before the game was to go through and now we’re in the semi-final.”
“When you see the whole squad, players that weren’t involved or were injured, they wanted to share their happiness in the middle of the pitch. We’re a healthy group of players, but they need time. We create the platform for them to improve every day. We’re going to build a very good team that can compete. We’re talking about players that are young, or who have arrived and suffered an injury, like Christopher. They need game time to start to perform and to get their best form. Everyone can judge. The expectation is to see the best of Nkunku, but we need time for him to perform the way we expect,” added the 51-year-old Argentine.
The losing manager of the EFL Cup Quarterfinal Eddie Howe, on the other hand, mentioned that the agonising loss on penalties was a tough pill to swallow. “A tough ending to the game. It was a really good away performance until the last moments. I didn’t see a goal coming at that stage. It’s just one of those things that can happen in a football match. We covered space well, limited them to half-chances. There are a lot of positives to take but we don’t feel that right now,” said the manager of the Magpies.
You May Also Like: Girona FC Return to the Top of La Liga After a 3-0 Victory Over Deportivo Alavés
View this post on Instagram
