Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup for the second time in three seasons after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Coming into the clash, both sides were bringing momentum from wins over the weekend with the Magpies having outdone Fulham 3-0 while Chelsea's 2-0 win over bottom-of-the-league Sheffield United saw them show a spark that had not often been seen in West London under Mauricio Pochettino this season.
It was a fairly even start to the contest's opening 15 minutes but a mistake at the back from Blues centre-back Benoit Badiashile meant that Callum Wilson was able to slip the ball past goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic to give Eddie Howe's side the lead. Despite the gaffe, Chelsea managed to keep pressure on Newcastle throughout the first half with Raheem Sterling's shot that was blocked on the line by Bruno Guimaraes being their closest chance.
As the two sides came out for the second half, it was almost entirely Chelsea as the Blues dominated the ball and the Magpies seemed content to sit back and defend their lead. Swapping out Levi Colwill for Malo Gusto, it was clear Pochettino was opting for a more attacking backline and he certainly got that with the French international who caused chaos on both wings of the pitch throughout the night.
Despite their efforts, it appeared as though Chelsea were heading out after a frustratingly stubborn Newcastle defence had kept them out until the 92nd minute. Gusto's deep cross into the box wasn't claimed by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka who instead opted to let reliable captain Kieran Trippier nod it back towards him.
But the England international got too underneath the ball, with Mykhailo Mudryk running in at the
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