Chelsea v Leicester LIVE: FA Cup result and final score after Chukwuemeka and Madueke save Blue blushes
Chelsea made hard work of the Cup tie but eventually came through with a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea beat Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals this afternoon to join the final four.
Substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke scored in added time to save the Blues after they had let a two-goal lead slip during the second half.
Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead at half-time – after Raheem Sterling had also missed a penalty – before Axel Disasi scored an incredible own goal to give Leicester a lifeline. The Foxes equalised but they had a player sent off, before finally folding in the final moments to let Chelsea off the hook.
Follow reaction from Chelsea v Leicester in the FA Cup quarter-finals below, and get the latest match odds and FA Cup tips here.
Chelsea v Leicester: Enzo Maresca gives injury update for Foxes
“Kasey’s injured, Ricky’s injured and Jamie’s injured,” the Italian told the media in Seagrave on Friday.
“As I said to you at the last press conference, when we played Sunderland away, [Vardy] didn’t train. He just did something before the game. Then he played the last game. Fortunately for us, he scored twice, but then he got injured again.
“It’s a small problem. I said many times, we all love Jamie Vardy, but at the same time he’s 37 and we cannot forget that. It’s not a big issue. We also have the international break so hopefully we can have all our players back after that.”
Mauricio Pochettino issues Chelsea warning after Newcastle win
Mauricio Pochettino has warned there will be more problems for Chelsea if they fail to build on their 3-2 victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge as he praised the impact of match-winning substitute Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Ukrainian came off the bench to score with a superb individual goal to make it 3-1 in the 76th minute on Monday night (11 March).
“It was a very good goal and that is what we expect from a player from the bench – impact,” said Pochettino.
“Then it is about competing with different players in his position. Then he will deserve to (start).”
Chelsea’s parent company announces massive losses for previous financial year
Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo 22 announced net losses of 653 million pounds ($832.71 million) after tax for the March 2022 to June 2023 period, while the Premier League club suffered 90.1 million pounds in losses before tax, company filings showed.
The consortium BlueCo, led by American Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, purchased west London outfit Chelsea in 2022 while in 2023 they also reached an agreement to become shareholders of French club Racing Strasbourg.
The loss for Chelsea in the 12-month period was lower than the 121.4 million pounds for the previous year.
The club also had increased matchday and commercial revenue after they operated without the government restrictions placed on them after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when former Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was sanctioned.
Chelsea’s parent company announces massive losses
Chelsea’s parent company announced a net loss of over £90.1m before tax
Mauricio Pochettino makes Carabao Cup final admission as Chelsea eye Wembley return
Mauricio Pochettino revealed “some Chelsea players did not sleep” before their Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool in February.
The Blues boss said the high expectations of the occasion impacted individuals in the squad prior to their late 1-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Pochettino believes the experience of playing at Wembley will help prevent a repeat of such problems if his team advance into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final clash with Leicester, Pochettino said: “The expectations can be so high and low and the mood (of the players) depends on the day.
“For us to beat Leicester will be massive for us because there is a possibility for this team to play at Wembley again.
Mauricio Pochettino makes Carabao Cup final admission as Chelsea eye Wembley return
The Chelsea manager admitted players ‘did not sleep’ before the Blues faced Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final
Lauren James leads Chelsea’s stroll around Arsenal to take control of WSL title race
Perhaps Arsenal needed to spend longer browsing the Chelsea club shop. A collection of black Chelsea away socks, complete with blue trim and a white lion on the calf, may have been acquired at the last moment to prevent a kit-clash, but what Arsenal needed most was an answer to Lauren James. A half-hour delay to kick-off did not give Jonas Eidevall enough time to come up with a solution, either, though the rest of the Women’s Super League would have struggled on this form.
James was unstopped, unplayable, as she once again turned Stamford Bridge into her personal playground and Chelsea moved a step closer to a fifth consecutive title with a 3-1 thrashing of their rivals. For Arsenal, being sent to the Chelsea megastore could have been put down as a minor embarrassment had they turned up for the delayed kick-off. Instead, Arsenal arrived for their biggest game of the season and ambled to a disorganised, incoherent display. But, really, enough about the kit.
Instead, yet another dispiriting defeat in the WSL raises more questions about Arsenal’s ability to perform consistently over the season and match the standards set by Emma Hayes’s champions. Granted another chance in the WSL title race by Manchester City’s win at Kingmeadow last month, Arsenal finally look like they are out of opportunities. The Gunners may yet affect the outcome of the title race when they face City over the run-in, but six points behind Chelsea now, with six games remaining, already appears to be too great a gap. Arsenal thought they had closed that when they thrashed Chelsea 4-1 at the Emirates.
Lauren James leads Chelsea’s stroll around Arsenal to take control of WSL title race
Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal: The England international produced a player-of-the-match display as Sjoeke Nusken scored twice and the champions went three points clear
Cole Palmer elevates Chelsea to his own level and gives Mauricio Pochettino some relief
In fairness, the numbers had the appearance of a forward whose team was at the top of the table. Cole Palmer led Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Ollie Watkins and Heung-min Son. And for Chelsea, an end-to-end 3-2 win over Newcastle cemented their position at the top of the Premier League’s bottom half. Though the most important result, as Chelsea moved one point behind Eddie Howe’s side, was for Mauricio Pochettino. As the Chelsea manager returned to Stamford Bridge under pressure, the home fans were rather more forgiving than the away supporters were at Brentford last week.
With Pochettino desperately needing a win, it was no surprise who stood up and delivered at Stamford Bridge. Under the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate, Palmer scored for the fifth home game in a row in the Premier League, elevating a mid-table clash to take his total to 11 for the season. A typically cutting run from the right brought a thumping finish into the bottom corner, after Nicolas Jackson’s smart flick guided a trickling shot from Palmer past Martin Dubravka to give Chelsea a first-half lead.
When Palmer scores, he often creates as well. And vice-versa. The 21-year-old has now scored and assisted in the same game five times this season, more than any other player.
And in a fixture between two teams with billionaire owners, seemingly endless reserves of either finance or capital, it was the £40m bargain from Manchester City who once again looked a level above.
That said, Mykhailo Mudryk offered a much-needed reminder of his own potential after a devastating flicker of feet brought Chelsea’s third. It gave Chelsea enough of a cushion to withstand Jacob Murphy’s late consolation.
Cole Palmer elevates Chelsea to his own level and gives Pochettino relief
Chelsea 3-2 Newcastle: Palmer scored one and assisted another before Mykhailo Mudryk’s solo winner
Mauricio Pochettino admits he does not feel loved by Chelsea fans
“I’ve been told, I didn’t hear to be honest, it’s difficult for me to understand,” he said.
“But it’s normal, we were losing the game 2-1 and they expressed their frustration. I am one of the ones responsible, I’m the coach.
“I was asked before if I feel the love from the fans. No. I’m not worried – we need to accept this relationship. You win your relationship through winning games.
“I will continue to work and try to change this perception. We need to manage some reality. We are working really hard to try to win games, the team is fighting.
“If it doesn’t work and the fans are disappointed I need to respect their opinion. I think the relationship is good. If they did what they did, fans are emotional.
“I am fighting with all my sense to try to provide a team to play in the best way to score goals and win games. Today is my 52nd birthday, I know this business, but I’m going to fight.”
Mauricio Pochettino admits he does not feel loved by Chelsea fans
Blues supporters began singing the name of former manager Jose Mourinho as well as calling for Pochettino to go during the draw at Brentford.
Chelsea v Leicester - FA Cup quarter-finals
Good morning and welcome to the Independent’s coverage of Chelsea v Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
This should be a cracking tie with the Blues vulnerable this season and Leicester eager to impress while they try to push home their advantage in the Championship’s race for promotion back to the Premier League.
The Foxes will eye more FA Cup joy too, having won the competition just three years ago with victory over today’s opposition in the final.
Stay with us for build-up and team news before kick-off at Stamford Bridge.
When is the FA Cup semi-final draw?
The draw is set to take place on Sunday 17 March.
It will take place approximately 15 minutes after the final whistle in ITV1’s post-match coverage of Manchester United against Liverpool.
Is Chelsea v Leicester on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch FA Cup fixture
Chelsea face Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals with both sides eager to retain hopes of ending the season with silverware.
The Blues reached this stage with an entertaining 3-2 win over Leeds United in the fifth round, while the Foxes beat Bournemouth 1-0 after extra time.
Leicester beat the Blues 1-0 in the 2021 FA Cup final, thanks to a Youri Tielemans strike and an inspired Kasper Schmeichel display between the sticks.
Is Chelsea v Leicester on TV? Channel, time and how to watch
The Blues face the Foxes in a rematch of the 2021 final, where Youri Tielemans’ memorable strike decided the contest
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