LONDON-. Even with his problems in Premier leaguehe Chelsea He increased his level of play in the English cups and could see the team finish with a trophy or two.
With their ticket to the semi-finals of the League Cup, Chelsea have now advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday by beating Preston North 4-0.
This could be a reason to celebrate for Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in what has been a stretch of crisis since they took the reins of the team in 2022.
Chelsea are tenth in the league and could miss out on the Champions League spots, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side are finding some joy in the domestic cups after goals from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez in the complementary part to beat Preston, from the second division.
“The first half was a bit disappointing. “We started a little sloppy,” admitted Pochettino. “I told my players at half-time that they had to increase the energy and match Preston. The second half was a completely different game.”
In the League Cup, Chelsea will face Middlesbrough, from the second division, in the semi-final, and could face Liverpool or Fulham in the final.
AVOID DISASTER
Newcastle avoided a surprise defeat in the FA Cup by beating local rivals Sunderland 3-0 on Saturday in the third round of the competition.
Alexander Isak scored a brace after Dan Ballard’s own goal gave Newcastle the lead in the first half.
Eddie Howe’s team came into the game with one win in their last eight games – a crisis that included elimination from the Champions League and League Cup. The derby against second division side Sunderland was seen as a difficult match, but the visitors had no problems advancing.
REMONTADE
Down 2-0 against second division Queens Park Rangers, Bournemouth were in danger of being eliminated. But Bournemouth have been in great form in the top flight since November and Marcus Tavernier sparked a comeback in the second half. Goals from Keiffer Moore and Justin Kluivert sealed the 3-2 victory.
Brighton were also at a disadvantage against a second division rival after Jan Paul van Hecke’s own goal. Pervis Estupinan tied the score against Stoke and Lewis Dunk added the winning goal.
Sheffield United received no scares and achieved only its third win of the season by beating Gillingham, from the fourth division, 4-0.
Leicester, who won the Cup in 2021, beat Millwall 3-2 to advance to the fourth round.
HERO
Maidstone, a semi-professional team, will be able to dream of facing one of the giants of English football after beating Stevenage, from the third division, 1-0.
Sam Corne’s penalty in the 45th minute sealed the match.
Another semi-professional team, Eastleigh, will be in the fourth round after drawing 1-1 with Newport, from the fourth division.
But Chesterfield was eliminated after losing to Watford, from the second division, after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. But Tom Dele-Bashiru scored the winner in added time to seal Watford’s comeback.
FOUNTAIN: AP
