In a nerve-wracking FA Cup fifth round tie at Stamford Bridge, which saw Mateo Joseph give Leeds the lead and equalise for the visitors, Chelsea managed to bounce back from their humiliating defeat in the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool thanks to a last-gasp winner from substitute Conor Gallagher. As usual with Chelsea of recent times, no sane Blues fans were expecting a smooth-sailing match even though Leeds were in the Championship, especially as they won 11 out of their last 12 games. Fortunately for the Chelsea stan, their team had just enough to get past the Mateo Joseph-inspired Leeds and move on to a quarterfinal encounter against Leicester City.
Also Consider: Liverpool’s Youngsters Steal the Headlines Once Again, This Time in the Reds’ 3-0 FA Cup Victory Over Southampton
Mateo Joseph Dazzled in Courageful Defeat
Despite the defeat at Stamford Bridge, there was little to criticise Leeds, particularly the 20-year-old Mateo Joseph, as he played his heart out against a much more experienced and expensive opposition. Mateo Joseph may have felt he was like in dreamland as he scored inside eight minutes when Chelsea decided it was wise to play out from the back despite the intense closing down from Leeds. After Archie Gray nicked the ball, Jaidon Anthony laid it on a platter for Mateo Joseph, and the young midfielder calmly dispatched it past Robert Sánchez.
However, as inexperience kicked in for the young squad, Chelsea hit back through Nicolas Jackson. Then, the Blues got their lead before halftime through Mykhailo Mudryk, a surprise inclusion in the team after recent rumours stating he was in tears on the way to the airport before joining the Blues as he only wanted to play for Arsenal. Regardless of his emotional turmoil at that time, he definitely proved he is a Chelsea player today with a much better all-rounded performance, with some even claiming the best they saw of the Ukrainian winger since he tormented James Milner.
Naturally with Chelsea, they conceded after leading as usual, as Mateo Joseph had a simple header just before the hour mark after Anthony picked him out with a delightful cross. It was Mateo Joseph’s second goal of the game and his second goal this season for Leeds after recording a blank in his previous ten outings. Unfortunately for Mateo Joseph and his young teammates, it was not enough as Conor Gallagher fired in the winner at the stroke of 90 minutes, knocking them out of the FA Cup. Nevertheless, Mateo Joseph and co take many positives from this outing and apply it to their charge back to England’s top division.
Before today, Mateo Joseph had never scored a senior goal before…
He has two 🆚 Chelsea tonight 🌟 pic.twitter.com/PuuIj0H83c
— LiveScore (@livescore) February 28, 2024
Daniel Farke Immensely Proud of His Young Squad Performance
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Leeds boss Daniel Farke had more positives than negatives as he stated: “Congratulations to Chelsea. We are disappointed we lost this game. I know it’s not realistic for a Championship side to win the FA Cup, but I wanted to go into the next round. We played a really good side with many top-class players and were excellent.”
Farke continued: “In the second half, more possession, shots on goal, more expected goals, I think I would have preferred to go to extra-time because the gut feeling was we had the chance to win this game. I’m pretty proud of what my lads did. Although we lost the game, the supporters celebrated the young guys after this game because the level of performance and commitment was definitely excellent.”
As for the young boy living in the moment, Mateo Joseph stated: “It could have been better with winning the game and going to the next round but a dream come true to score.” The young midfielder also spoke of his relationship with teammate Gray as the two shared an embrace at the end of the match. “We were there in the shower, we hugged each other, we said ‘remember when we were playing here with the 21s. Hopefully, it’s a long journey with him, and we can bring big things to the club and so many wins.”
🎙️ Daniel: “We went for it” pic.twitter.com/6MaBPgSkhT
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 28, 2024
Chelsea Continue to Look Shaky with the Final Strech of the Season Remaining
On the other hand, Chelsea may have more questions than answers despite the win, as they almost lost to another youngster-filled team in just a few days. In a viral clip by Gary Neville labelling them as billion-pound bottlejobs on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino has responded that they were not paying attention to that statement and backed the character of his players.
“Gary, my friend, what you did. His opinion now is around and around and around being spoken about a lot. We cannot be angry about that. With all my love to Gary, it’s not fair to put this type of worry in a team that’s so brave and a club that’s always shown it fights for big things. With this type of performance, we can only show we’re brave and can win games. It’s not important for the team, but for us because we know how we are, who we are and how we behave.”
As Chelsea head into the final months with their remaining chances of silverware with the FA Cup, it may end up as another failed season for the Blues post-Roman Abramovich. If you want to follow Chelsea’s journey closely, follow AsiaSport for daily updates and coverage of the Blues.
