On December 20, Beijing time, the quarterfinals of the English League Cup staged a high-profile matchup at Stanford Stadium. Chelsea, who are 10th in the Premier League, take on Newcastle United in sixth place, and the two teams have had a thrilling clash in the league this season, with Newcastle United winning 4-1. However, this encounter turned into a penalty shoot-out. Chelsea beat Newcastle 5-3 on penalties to progress to the last four of the EFL Cup
Newcastle took the lead and Chelsea fought back.
Chelsea quickly took possession of the game from the start, but Conor Gallagher's curling effort from outside the area hit the crossbar in a thrilling way, and the tension on the pitch heated up instantly. However, in the 16th minute, Chelsea's defence made a mistake and Benoit Badiashile cleared the ball with a fine assist, and Wilson calmly slotted home to give Newcastle United a 1-0 lead.
While Chelsea were in control of the tempo of the game, Raheem Sterling's shot was denied by the Newcastle goalkeeper and the atmosphere at Stanford Stadium became tense amid injury news. Enzo was forced off injured and Armando Broja came on as a substitute to try to fill the holes in Chelsea's attack. Armando Broja's goal was ruled out for offside in the 38th minute and Chelsea were still one goal behind at half-time.
Chelsea were drawn and the penalty shoot-out was thrilling.
At the start of the second half, Chelsea were still looking for an equaliser. Jacquesson and Raheem Sterling couldn't find the back of the net but Chelsea's attacks didn't stop. Nkunku's return from injury in the 69th minute was the highlight of the Blues' career, and his introduction breathed new life into Chelsea. As the game entered stoppage time, Kieran Trippier made a mistake in handling the ball in the box and Mudryk seized the opportunity to score to level the score at 1-1.
At the end of the 90 minutes, the game turned to a penalty shootout. In a thrilling penalty shoot-out, Chelsea eliminated Newcastle 5-3 to earn themselves a chance to advance.
Fulham counterattacked, and the top three of the EFL Cup were born.
The other two quarter-finals, which took place at the same time, were also full of fierce confrontations. Middlesbrough qualified with a 3-0 winning score against Port Vale. Fulham, on the other hand, endured a thrilling battle against Everton.
In the 41st minute, Fulham suffered a misfortune when Keane inadvertently set himself up and put the team behind temporarily. However, in the 82nd minute, Beto's equaliser revived hope and the 90 minutes ended in a 1-1 draw. In the penalty shootout, Fulham narrowly won 7-6 and successfully advanced to the last four of the English League Cup.
At this point, the semi-finals of the EFL Cup have been announced, with Chelsea, Fulham and Middlesbrough successfully qualifying. This match not only brought thrilling moments to the fans, but also became a great story in the history of football.
Other exciting matches in football.
In addition to the excitement of the EFL Cup, the rest of the football world is also full of attractions. In the 16th round of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund drew with the bottom team, adding some suspense to the entire league. In the Club World Cup, Manchester City defeated AFC Champions League champions Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 to successfully advance to the final.
The rest of the Premier League round 17 matches were equally exciting. Chelsea re-established home dominance with back-to-back home wins, while Newcastle United endured a three-game losing streak against Fulham. For Newcastle, the win was undoubtedly a blessing in disguise, temporarily moving up to 6th place.
Epilogue. The whole football world was boiling over the EFL Cup quarter-finals, and the fans cheered and proved once again that football is endless. Chelsea, Fulham and Middlesbrough, the emergence of the three EFL Cup semi-finals will bring more expectations for the next games. Football is always a game of passion, honor and victory, let's wait and see, and look forward to more exciting moments!