- Blues squeeze past Norwich in FA Cup third round
- Home side had to rely on penalties to beat Norwich at Stamford Bridge
- Antonio Conte’s were reduced to nine men after both Pedro and Morata were sent off in extra time
- SEE MORE: Chelsea join rivals in race for transfer of £35M Ligue 1 ace as boss Antonio Conte looks to bolster midfield options
Chelsea had to rely on penalties to overcome Norwich in the FA Cup this evening, with the Blues going down to nine men in extra time as they advanced into the fourth round.
The home side opened the scoring in the 55th minute, after forward Michy Batshuayi turned home a cross in the six yard box to put the Blues ahead.
The Canaires equalised in the 94th minute, after Jamal Lewis turned home a cross to send the tie into extra time.
Conte’s side were then reduced to 10 men, after winger Pedro was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Wes Hoolahan in 117th minute.
The Blues were then reduced to nine men in the 121st minute, after forward Alvaro Morata was shown two yellow cards in quick succession.
The home side eventually prevailed in the shoutout, with all their players converting their penalties, as Conte’s side scraped into the next round of the competition.
Player of the Match
Norwich defender Tim Klose was excellent tonight, with the German trying his best to stop Chelsea every time they ventured forward.
The centre-back also payed a big part in the Canaries’ 94th minute equaliser, as Klose’s fantastic whipped cross was turned home to send the match into extra time.
This fans sums up the defender performance tonight pretty well
Klose must be watching the game 5 seconds ahead of everybody else. Class.
— Vital Norwich (@VitalNorwich) January 17, 2018
Flop of the Match
Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata had a horrid time tonight, with the Blues forward being sent off ine xtra time as his side were reduced to nine men.
The Spanish international received his first booking for diving, with his second coming for dissent after he complained to the referee about his decision to book him for simulation.
This tweet is a pretty good reflection of the striker’s performance today
Morata really is awful. 9 yards out and hits it straight at the keeper.
— United Xtra (@utdxtra) January 17, 2018
Player Ratings
Chelsea: Caballero 7, Zappacosta 6, Ampadu 7, Luiz 6, Azpilicueta 7, Drinkwater 6, Bakayoko 7, Kenedy 7, Pedro 5, Batshuayi 6, Willian 6 / Subs: Hazard 6, Morata 4, Willian 6, Kante 6, Christensen 6
Norwich: Gunn 6, Hanley 6, Zimmerman 7, Klose 8, Pinto 6, Reed 6, Vrancic 7, Lewis 7, Maddison 7, Oliviera 6, Murphy 7 / Subs: Hoolahan 6, Stiepermann 6, Tettey 6, Cantwell 6
Reaction
These fans certainly weren’t impressed with Chelsea’s performance this evening!
Deserved from Norwich, pathetic from Chelsea. So poor.
— Simon Phillips (@SiPhillipsSport) January 17, 2018
so undeserved, chelsea were awful
— george (@Georgerwalton) January 17, 2018
Great effort from Norwich. Any Chelsea fans out there should be humiliated. Awful performance and Morata??? ??? #ncfc #cfc
— Mikey (@MikeySeago) January 17, 2018
Chelsea don’t deserve anything from this match but this referee is awful
— Riccardo (@RBresaola) January 17, 2018
Chelsea have been awful loool. Used all their subs too so can't bring on their only relevant player ahaha.
— Josh (@BallerLallana) January 17, 2018
Chelsea are awful. Some of the really basic things like 5 yard passes were impossible for them. Boring to watch
— Tam Duncan (@BSC_Tam) January 17, 2018