Substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke scored in the dying moments of extra time to give Chelsea a 4-2 victory against 10-man Leicester in a tense quarterfinal in front of Stamford Bridge.
After the away team roared back to tie, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea took a 3-2 lead thanks to a beautiful pass from Cole Palmer, who found Chukwuemeka, who slotted the ball into the corner. Madueke added gloss to the score with a sensational solo effort.
Before halftime, Chelsea had taken a 2-0 lead on goals from Marc Cucurella and Palmer; Raheem Sterling had a penalty saved in the first half.
Leicester rallied thanks to an implausible own goal by Axel Disasi and an unlikely equalizer by Stephy Mavididi, but they were ultimately defeated when Callum Doyle was sent off in stoppage time.
Pochettino’s substitutes saved the game from going into extra time.
It all started with a strong tackle by Moises Caicedo on the edge of his own box, which led to Chelsea taking the lead after 12 minutes. Palmer was set free down the right after a single pass, and as he glanced up, he beheld Nicolas Jackson charging clear, who proceeded to cross the field for the unmarked Cucurella to tap in the goal.Despite the fact that Stamford Bridge has grown accustomed to living in a state of anxiety, the goal that Leicester scored after a solid opening calmed tensions.
Robert Sanchez almost lost possession of the ball due to his hesitation, and only a stroke of luck saved the goalkeeper from humiliation. After receiving a cross from Daka, Abdul Fatawu should have done better with a header, but he sliced it wide of the far post.
The winger’s anger eventually got the best of him, as he smashed into Sterling’s back inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty.
After taking the ball away from Palmer, the regular scorer, Sterling made a decision he would later come to regret because he had scored just six goals in the league this season. The penalty was saved by Jakub Stolarczyk after it was shot low and center.
When sent clear by a superb through-ball from Caicedo, he had the opportunity to make up for his penalty miss, but he missed the mark with only Stolarczyk to beat.
Just minutes before halftime, Sterling leveled the score. After collecting the ball inside the area, he advanced nearly to the byline before sending a low cross from the left flank for Palmer to tap in, doubling the lead.
Chelsea had the lead, but in ridiculous circumstances, the game turned around just five minutes after halftime.
A freak of an own goal from Axel Disasi #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/prLCzrPlV7
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 17, 2024
Upon receiving the ball back from the right-back position, Disasi was immediately subjected to pressure by Daka. As the ball was about to be played to his goalkeeper, the Leicester attacker bumped him just before contact, sending the ball flying over Sanchez for an amusing own goal.
And the score remained tied at halftime.
With a cushioned left-wing pass, Mavididi turned and raced at Gusto. Mavididi swung his right boot to send a beautiful, arching shot beyond Sanchez’s dive and into the back of the net as the defense stepped back.
The visitors’ incredible comeback was completed, but they were reduced to 10 men in minutes.
At first, referee Andrew Madley signaled a penalty and handed a yellow card when defender Doyle tripped Jackson. Doyle, who was the farthest Leicester player back, saw red despite VAR showing the collision was outside the area.
After coming off the bench, Madueke witnessed Stolarczyk save a first-time attempt low to his right. From 12 yards out, he then skied a shot into the Matthew Harding Stand.
It appeared as though the final opportunity to prevent going into overtime had vanished. Wembley was Chelsea’s destination after Palmer’s flick, Chukwuemeka’s goal, and Madueke’s finishing touch.