Despite the ups and downs of Chelsea's league performances this season, they have been able to beat tough opponents in the domestic cup competition. The Blues beat Aston Villa 3-1 in the FA Cup replay on Wednesday night to progress to the fifth round. And Pochettino has finally survived the verbal criticism of the past few days and regained the precious "right to breathe".
The Blues had progressed to the Carabao Cup final but had been drawn at home in four consecutive games before the semi-finals, only to see Mauricio Pochettino's side lose to Middlesbrough in their only two-legged away game, before relying on a big home win over the second leg. As a result, with Chelsea drawing at home to Villa at the end of last month and a replay moved to Villa Park on Wednesday night, there is widespread optimism about the Blues' prospects of promotion. Because this is also one of the most difficult home games in the Premier League right now, considering the Blues' poor away record in the last two years, many ** have already "sharpened their knives" against Pochettino under heavy pressure in advance.
However, to everyone's surprise, Chelsea had already taken a two-goal lead on the road in the opening 20 minutes. In the 11th minute, Villa's right-hand defence opened the door and Madueke didn't take credit for receiving a cross from a team-mate in the box, but instead knocked back to the better-placed Conor Gallagher, who opened the scoring from near the penalty spot. 10 minutes later, Jackson received a cross from the right in the penalty area and scored with a header, 2-0!
The opening two goals not only caught Villa off guard, but also stunned the Chelsea fans at the scene. McNaughty, the BBC's chief football correspondent on the scene, revealed that just around the first minute of Conor Gallagher's opener, some voices from the stands of the Blues that upset current owner Boehly: "The Chelsea fans started chanting the name of their former boss Roman Abramovich around the ninth minute, and the singing echoed for a few seconds or so, and they immediately broke free from their sad nostalgia, and you can see the disbelief on the faces of the Chelsea fans. They were also in a state of vertigo with the home fans of Villa. ”
In today's English league and cup competitions, a two-goal advantage doesn't give fans much security. However, former Premier League legend Dablin asserted before half-time that Chelsea looked the same as before: "With Pochettino's adjustments, Chelsea played well in midfield today, and they were always able to easily form a partial numerical advantage. Enzo got better with his team taking the lead, while Caicedo's counter-tackling and interception efficiency improved significantly. Led by the midfield, this team gives a feeling of full recovery. They began to dominate in midfield and even as Villa tried to launch a counter-attack, Chelsea were able to hold back possession while pressing high. ”
Villa, for their part, tried to score early in the second half, but less than 10 minutes into the kick-off, they were cut to three goals by Enzo with a beautiful direct free-kick. Looking at the 3-0 scoreline, BBC journalist Neil Johnson couldn't help but ask: 'I have a serious question about why Chelsea played so without warning. Their poor form at home last weekend led to questions about whether Pochettino had begun to lose control of his team, just three days away. Not only did the team completely shake off the frustration of last Sunday, but they also played away from home at Villa Park, where Manchester City and Arsenal have lost this season! In the end, Villa only pulled a late goal back through Moussa Diaby as Chelsea beat 3-1 away to advance to the last 16 of the FA Cup!
However, in his post-match commentary, Dablin pointed out that the Blues did not start the game immediately, and they still had to thank Conor Gallagher to a considerable extent, "Villa actually looked as confident at home as before, Chelsea were a little helpless at the beginning of the strong performance of the home team, and you can still see the trauma of the previous series of defeats on this team's confidence from those minutes. However, after Conor Gallagher's goal gave them the lead, the team suddenly began to take control of the game. They dominated every aspect of the game for the remainder of the game, and it was undoubtedly one of their best performances of the season. To be honest, I didn't expect Chelsea to do this before! ”
Enzo left that "Pochettino faced widespread skepticism at home to Wolves last week, so he made a comeback in the FA Cup in midweek, and Uncle Pochettio was finally able to implore the outside world to give himself and the team more patience and time, "Maybe the environment is a little too noisy now, but this is football. People don't have a lot of patience and at a club like Chelsea you have to keep winning but they don't want to listen to your excuses. But the reality we have to face is something else, the team is a whole new project, people need to believe and identify with us, and the players need time. We're talking about the youngest team in the Premier League, but the expectations are still high. So it's normal for players to feel pressure on the pitch at times, and it's not easy to manage all of that! ”
Chelsea have been drawn at home in the FA Cup as usual, the seventh time this season that the Blues have been drawn at home in a domestic cup competition. They will play Leeds United at home on 28 February, but before that, Pochettino's side face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on 25 February, which will be Uncle Pochettino's first real big test of the season!