Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle (4-2 pens): Blues into EFL semis, Trippier misses penatly

Chelsea secured their passage into the Carabao Cup semi-finals in dramatic fashion as they beat Newcastle 4-2 on penalties after snatching a late 1-1 draw.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

16' GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Newcastle (Callum Wilson)

23' Palmer's shot stopped

28' Sterling's shot wide out

31' Sterling's shot stopped

38' OFFSIDE! Broja’s goal disallowed

55' Jackson's shot wide out

59' Sterling's shot stopped

92' GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle (Mykhaylo Mudryk)

Match Report

Eddie Howe has put the block of any plans for a Christmas party because of the fixture schedule. His Newcastle players probably don’t feel much like celebrating anyway.

After the late heartache of the controversial penalty at Paris Saint-Saint Germain that ultimately proved costly in the Champions League, here was another dagger in the chest right at the death.

The Magpies were two minutes from a first ever away victory in a League Cup quarter-final when Mykhailo Mudryk sent an absorbing tie to a penalty shootout. And how Mauricio Pochettino needed that with the home crowd ready to turn. The Ukrainian capitalised on a mistake by Kieran Trippier to pounce in the third minute of injury-time. The Newcastle defender then missed his spot-kick and Djordje Petrovic was the hero when he saved Matt Ritchie’s effort.

Howe and his team were still applauded by their travelling fans, but this has been a bruising period, literally and metaphorically.

Premier League defeats at Everton and Tottenham were followed by a home loss against AC Milan, when they crashed out of the Champions League and overshot the safe landing of the Europa League.

And now this, exiting a competition Howe admitted was their best chance of silverware. There is mitigation - injuries, bans and cup ties in which they always draw No.13. They’d beaten both Manchester clubs to get this far and the Champions League Group of Death that proved a killer also included PSG and Dortmund. Oh, and they’ve got Sunderland to come in the FA Cup third round. All of a sudden, crossing the Tyne feels as much like swimming the Channel, given the ever-increasing magnitude of the fixture.

Without Europe and the Carabao Cup, darkness would descend on Newcastle's season if all went wrong at the Stadium of Light. That remains unlikely, of course. They are more than good enough to beat Sunderland, evidenced by the spirit of a performance here in which captain Jamaal Lascelles was a colossus at the back.

This was also one of VAR’s better games. It was not in use, you see. And so when Moises Caicedo ran his studs down the back of Anthony Gordon’s calf inside 90 seconds - Jarred Gillett showed a yellow card - those privy to a replay waited for a VAR referral that was never coming. Gary Neville quickly returned his one-word verdict, ’Red’. But without the technology, the Chelsea midfielder survived.

It was the same just before half-time when Chelsea’s Levi Colwill landed his studs on the shin of Emil Krafth. Again, Stockley Park would have surely advised red. Colwill, however, was not even booked. Only when it’s not there do we perhaps appreciate VAR more.

Not that the pair being on the pitch did Chelsea any favours when, from Colwill’s errant pass to Caicedo, Newcastle broke through Wilson and scored on 16 minutes. They were not the only players in blue left with a red face. Thiago Silva could have tackled the Newcastle striker but didn’t. Benoit Badiashile did tackle but then gave the ball straight back to Wilson, who clipped gratefully past Djordje Petrovic from eight yards. It was a calamitous concession, especially given Wilson had twice lost control of the ball.

From that point, however, Chelsea took control of the half. They had 80 per cent possession before the break and that showed itself in chances for Cole Palmer, whose blast was saved, and Raheem Sterling, whose close-range steer was blocked on the line by Bruno Guimaraes.

The direction of travel remained the same entering the second half and Nicolas Jackson spun and slammed narrowly wide shortly after the restart. He was soon needed at the other end when making up fully 15 yards and chasing down Gordon, who was in the clear. It was enough for the Newcastle winger to wave to the bench and ask to be replaced. Having lost that race, his was done, and who can blame his hamstrings for feeling the strain after featuring in every game bar one this season. On came Matt Ritchie.

But it was another substitution that raised the roof at a time when Chelsea had fallen flat. Christopher Nkunku injured his knee in the final pre-season friendly having looked the brightest of Chelsea’s summer signings. This was his debut and, memorably for him, the French forward was among their spot-kick scorers.

Line-ups

Chelsea XI: Thiago Silva, Sterling, Axel Disasi, Conor Gallagher, Djordje Petrovic, Benoît Badiashile, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Nicolas Jackson

Subs: Marcus Bettinelli, Nkunku, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Maatsen, Armando Broja, Lucas Bergström, Malo Gusto, Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos

Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Callum Wilson, Krafth, Lascelles, Almiron, Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, Gordon, Tino Livramento, Sven Botman, Lewis Miley

Subs: Ritchie, Trippier, Burn, Mark Gillespie, Loris Karius, Dummett, Lewis Hall, Alex Murphy