Christopher Nkunku sends two-word Chelsea message as behind-the-scenes Newcastle footage emerges
It was a night to remember at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea overcame a threatening Newcastle United side to book their place in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Blues were dominant throughout the match but found themselves 1-0 down after just 15 minutes due to a mistake at the back by defender Benoit Badiashile whose mix-up allowed Magpies forward Callum Wilson to stroke the ball past Djordje Petrovic for the opener.
After that, Chelsea saw their chances come and go — Raheem Sterling thought he'd scored but his shot was cleared off the line by Bruno Guimaraes while Conor Gallagher hit the crossbar. It would take almost the entire second half to finally see the breakthrough for the Blues but it did eventually arrive.
Malo Gusto's deep cross saw Kieran Trippier unable to head it clear allowing Mykhailo Mudryk to break past him at the backpost and fire home the equaliser. The goal meant the tie had to go straight to penalties and both sides were perfect before Trippier stepped up and fired his spot-kick wide giving Chelsea the upper hand.
Debutant Christopher Nkunku showed a lot of promise to excited supporters as he netted his penalty before Guimaraes and Mudryk both put theirs away leaving Matt Ritchie needing to score to keep Newcastle's hopes alive. However, Petrovic put a big glove behind the ball to send the Blues through to the semi-final stage where they can face Fulham, West Ham, Liverpool or Championship side Middlesbrough.
It means that the Blues are heading to their second Carabao Cup semi-final in just three seasons, having made the final in 2021/22 before losing to Liverpool at Wembley. However, they now have the chance to win their first piece of silverware under manager Mauricio Pochettino who highlighted both
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