FA Cup
Cesc Fábregas Rallies The Troops
Coming off a disappointing result midweek, Chelsea were hoping to bounce back in FA Cup play today. The draw against Southampton Wednesday saw the Blues gap on fifth place Arsenal remain at three points. What may be his last game, Cesc Fábregas captains the Blues and leads them out today.
Deja Vu All Over Again
In early play, it looked as if Chelsea had left their shooting boots at home once again. Coming off the miscues from the Southampton match, the blues could not afford getting off to another slow start. Chelsea’s target man Alvaro Morata would find multiple opportunities break the early deadlock. His best chance would come in the 12th minute when Zappacosta would fizzle in a cross into the box only to be denied directly by Steele. As feared, this would be a reoccurring theme throughout the first half with close attempts from Hudson-Odoi, Emerson, and culminate with the captain. In the 30th minute, Chelsea would be awarded a penalty where the captain would step up hoping to cap off his Chelsea career in glory. Unfortunately, it would not be. The forest goalie would deny any such storybook ending.
Morata’s Resurrection
The injury bug would strike again as the blues are would be forced to tap into the Garden of Eden once again. A nagging injury to Loftus-Cheek’s back would see the introduction of Chelsea’s Belgian superman. It did not take long for the tide to change at Stamford Bridge. Coming out of the half Morata would break the deadlock. Hudson-Odoi finds space on the right side and fires in an enticing cross where Morata simply needed to change its directory. It would be Morata’s first goal in his last seven matches. The Hudson-Odoi Morata connection would strike again in the 59th minute. This time it would be the aerial route with Hudson-Odoi finding the head of the Spaniard loosely marked in the box. Chelsea would hold on to the 2-0 victory.
Fábregas’ Farewell
Fábregas would make way in the 85th minute for N’Golo Kanté. The Spaniard would walk off to a standing ovation from the Stamford Bridge fans. Fábregas had been at Chelsea since the 2014 season and would be essential to the blues lifting their fourth Premier League title that year. Fábregas will be joining Monaco in the January transfer window. He will be joining his old running mate Thierry Henry once again. Chelsea will only have three days to regroup before their big semifinal EFL Cup match with rivals Tottenham.
Photo credit to Highlight Store via Flickr
