Chelsea 4-2 Leicester PLAYER RATINGS: Raheem Sterling has an absolute nightmare – and it’s a bad day for two other Blues stars – but Nicolas Jackson looks electric
It was a day to forget for Raheem Sterling, despite his Chelsea side progressing to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Chelsea took a 2-0 lead at halftime after goals from Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer, despite Sterling missing from the penalty spot.
But some terrible defensive errors and poor finishing from Sterling allowed Leicester to get back into the game.
Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke then gave the Blues a 4-2 victory over the ten-man Foxes who saw Callum Doyle sent off in the 77th minute.
Mail Sport’s Kieran Lynch gives his verdict on how Chelsea’s players performed on the day.
Chelsea worked hard for what should have been a comfortable win against Leicester
Chelsea
Robert Sanchez-5
The Chelsea fans would have felt a little unnerved by the risks he took with the ball in the first half. Axel Disasi was responsible for Leicester’s first goal, but questions could be asked about why Sánchez was so far off the mark.
Malo Gusto-6
Received the BBC’s Man of the Match after a solid performance. However, he is being discounted as he would have needed a ticket back to the stadium after Stephy Mavididi’s fancy footwork set him up for Leicester’s equalizer.
Axel Disasi-5
What did he do for Leicester’s first goal? Yes, he was under a bit of pressure, but all he had to do was play a simple back pass to Sánchez and his mistake got Leicester back into the game.
Trevo Chalobah – 6
Lost the ball several times while trying to play from behind. His partnership with Disasi looked weak at times.
Marc Cucurella-7
Showed great tenacity to get forward and tap in the opener. Defensively it hasn’t always been great for Chelsea, but he was the best of the four for Mauricio Pochettino’s side today.
Axel Disasi’s disastrous backpass gave Leicester a route back into the match, while Robert Sanchez had a number of nerve-wracking moments in goal that kept the Chelsea fans on edge.
One of Marc Cucurella’s better games for Chelsea as he wrapped up the win
Moises Caicedo-6
A solid but unremarkable performance that sums up his achievements this season.
Cole Palmer-7
He scored his sixteenth goal of the season in all competitions, doubling Chelsea’s lead in the first half. Not his fault, but it could have been an easier afternoon had Raheem Sterling not taken the ball from him for the penalty.
Conor Gallagher-6
Calm and collected on the ball in a solid performance before joining Gareth Southgate’s side.
Raheem Sterling-3
Was energetic and got an assist, but in reality it was an absolute nightmare of a day for the winger.
He missed a penalty, should have scored a one-on-one chance afterwards and was booed by the Chelsea crowd after sending a free-kick to Row Z in the second half. The boos for Mudryk’s substitution were also telling. A day he wants to quickly forget.
Raheem Sterling had a day to forget as he missed several chances during the win
Sterling was jeered after a poor free-kick when Mykhailo Mudryk was taken off for him and then again when he was eventually substituted
Mudryk is showing signs of improvement and fans appreciated his energy
Mychailo Mudryk – 7
Showing signs of improvement and his energy was appreciated by the Chelsea fans, who were unhappy when he was taken off the pitch with more than ten minutes to go at 2-2.
Nicolas Jackson-8
Chelsea’s best player and Leicester couldn’t match his pace. Showed tremendous speed to set up Cucurella’s opener before teeing up Callum Doyle, who was sent off for a striker challenge midway through the second half.
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino-7
The decision to take Mudryk off the field in place of Sterling was not well received, but his substitutes destroyed the game in the second half.
Substitutes
Carney Chukwuemeka-7
Proved the match winner slipped under Stolarczyk in his finish after coming off the bench.
Nicolas Jackson was electric with his pace and created Chelsea’s first goal and also led to Leicester’s Callum Doyle being sent off
Noni Madueke-7
The England Under-21 winger scored a stunning solo goal with the final kick of the match.
Ben Chillwell – N/A
Unused subs Petrovic; Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Acheampong; Harrison; Washington.
Leicester
Stolarczyk 6; Choudhury 6, Faes 6, Vestergaard 4, Doyle 4; Winks 6, Ndidi 6; Fatawu 6, Dewsbury-Hall 7, Mavididi 7.5; Daka 6
Substitutes – Agkun 6, Justin 6, Coady 6
Manager – Enzo Maresca 5