by Had things turned out differently, Moisés Caicedo and Mykhailo Mudryk could have had their feet up this week as they prepare for Arsenal’s trip to face Sheffield United in the Premier League on Monday night. Instead, the pair who could have cost Chelsea almost £200m to sign him, found themselves stepping into the firing line again just three days after Liverpool’s insurmountable victory in the Cup final Carabao.
But while both had a part to play and Mauricio Pochettino’s side ultimately saw a spirited performance from Leeds, it was left to a player who cost nothing to book progress in the sixth round. The irony is that Conor Gallagher may have to be sold in the summer to balance the books after an unprecedented spending spree of more than £1bn. In light of this, they should do everything they can to keep it.
Related: Conor Gallagher keeps his nerve as Chelsea beat Leeds to reach the last eight
Pochettino promised there would be a reaction from his players after his Wembley nightmare, admitting in his program notes that there was “not much” he could say to his players in the immediate aftermath “because they have to feel the pain before they can move. in progress”.
Caicedo came in for heavy criticism for his display against Liverpool, who were also looking to sign him in the summer from Brighton for a British record fee that could rise to £115m. Although he was at fault for Mateo Joseph’s opening goal, Ecuadorian midfielder Nicolas Jackson set up Chelsea’s immediate equalizer but remains a shadow of the player who was so popular last summer. Arsenal, who made him and Mudryk their top transfer targets last January, rejected Brighton’s proposed fee for Caicedo and focused on signing Declan Rice in the summer.
Mudryk was reportedly in tears this week when he called out Arsenal after his proposed move to north London failed to materialize as Chelsea entered the race to sign him with a late bid. A £60m initial fee that could rise to £90m blew Mikel Arteta’s side out of the water and Brentford manager Thomas Frank described it at the time as “insane”. But even if Mudryk showed glimpses of his immense talent before he began to fade into the role of No. 10 here, the frustration is never too far away either. “He needs time,” Pochettino said of the 23-year-old.
It was the first time these two clubs had met in this competition since the famous 1970 final which was eventually decided by a David Webb goal in extra time of the replay at Old Trafford. But even though they haven’t lost any love yet and Chelsea won six of their Premier League games here against Leeds, the traveling supporters came to west London hoping to upset the undefeated from the end of December.
Most were in a party mood and greeted Raheem Sterling as she headed her cross straight out of play within the first five minutes following a clever pass from Mudryk to a roar of laughter. A famous victory looked set to become even more so when Spanish-born Joseph, who is a cousin of former England striker Emile Heskey, capitalized on a combination between Axel Disasi and Caicedo as Chelsea tried to play off the protection. .
To Pochettino’s relief, they hit back immediately and some excellent interplay between Caicedo and Noni Madueke allowed Jackson to equalise. A number of Chelsea fans greeted that goal with a muted chorus of “We’ve won it all”, while one made a banner referring to their comeback win against Crystal Palace a few weeks ago that read “Don’t worry about something”.
Mudryk hasn’t seemed to have that peace of mind since his move to Stamford Bridge last January but there’s nothing like scoring goals to give a player confidence. Having been targeted by the away fans moments earlier when he went over to take a corner, he was delighted to celebrate in front of them when he swept home Sterling’s cross with a superb first-time finish.
Pochettino certainly looked appreciative of his efforts, prompting his delegate to the back after keeping the ball from going out of play just in front of the dugouts.
Caicedo’s rash booking for a reckless challenge on Joseph three minutes into the second half – his ninth of the season – suggested Chelsea were in for a break after the break. And so it was when Jaidon picked out Anthony Joseph to deservedly equalize after a period of concerted pressure from the hosts.
Having failed to have much more of an impact on proceedings, Mudryk may have thought his evening was over when he took the ball out of play for his senior but instead Pochettino chose to withdraw Sterling to the chorus boos from the home supporters for the second. game after row. In the end, it was Gallagher who saved Chelsea’s blushes.
