Chelsea show fighting spirit to progress to League Cup semi-finals

LONDON – Believe until the end, that was the message from Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino as his side booked their place in the League Cup semi-finals, defeating Newcastle United 4-2 on Dec 19 in a penalty shoot-out after substitute Mykhailo Mudryk kept them alive with a 92nd-minute equaliser.

Beaten three times in their previous five games, a wretched run that started with their 4-1 English Premier League loss at Newcastle, the Blues showed some much-needed fighting spirit in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The Magpies had appeared set to snatch a 1-0 win until Kieran Trippier, on as a substitute, failed to cut out a Malo Gusto cross and allowed Mudryk to slot home, levelling the tie and taking it to penalties.

“We are so happy. The fans and the club deserve this sort of feeling. It’s a big motivation,” Pochettino said after his side prevailed in the shoot-out.

“We are so young, but we are creating a very good bond. This type of result will help us.

“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 was to go through and now we’re in the semi-final.

“Sometimes in football you need some luck and it came. But credit to the players because they were fantastic.”

England defender Trippier turned a bad night into a disastrous one when he fired Newcastle’s second penalty wide before Matt Ritchie saw his effort saved athletically by Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic, making only his second start in goal for the Blues.

“Trips is an incredibly strong character,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. “He’s given us so much. Now’s our turn to support him and look after him the other way and that’s what we’ll do.”

On the loss, he added: “It hurts a lot. We defended really well but didn’t get over the line. It’s a very painful moment for us. We’ll just have to accept it and digest it.”

The Blues had gone behind in the 16th minute when Callum Wilson pounced on an error by Benoit Badiashile, who got the ball caught in his feet, allowing the Newcastle striker to flick his finish past Petrovic.

The hosts dominated possession throughout the game but struggled to break down a well-drilled Newcastle defence.

They brought French forward Christopher Nkunku off the bench for his first competitive appearance for the London side, having suffered a knee injury in pre-season shortly after his transfer from RB Leipzig.

But the expensively assembled Blues, who have struggled for a second straight season in the Premier League, had seemed destined to throw away a precious chance of silverware until Mudryk’s late strike.

“Obviously it means a lot. Sometimes things happen when you trust in one another and believe until the end,” said the Ukrainian – who has struggled to find his feet since signing for Chelsea in January – as he echoed his manager’s words.

“Sometimes when the game is tough you need to keep pushing and believe until the last second because it’s football and everything can happen.”

Mudryk was one of four Chelsea players to score in the shoot-out, along with Nkunku, Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher.

Chelsea, in their first season under Pochettino, are pinning their hopes on the domestic Cups as they currently sit 10th in the Premier League and did not qualify for European competition this campaign.

The defeat for Howe’s Newcastle – who are without a major domestic trophy since the 1950s – represents a second blow in the space of a week after they were eliminated from the Champions League following the 2-1 loss to AC Milan. REUTERS, AFP