An impressive 2-0 win against Liverpool and a ticket to the FA Cup quarter-finals, it was a Tuesday night to remember for Chelsea fans.
Willian and Ross Barkley were on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge and the two goals were more than enough to hand Liverpool their third defeat in four games.
Here are five notable points from the FA Cup fifth-round match:
Billy Gilmour is ready to go
The 18-year-old repaid Frank Lampard‘s faith with a man-of-the-match performance. With the absences of N’Golo Kante (injury) and Jorginho (suspension) for the upcoming matches, Lampard has now found a reliable man to fill the defensive midfielder role.
A positive response from Kepa Arizzabalaga
Having been left out in the previous five games, the Spaniard goalkeeper made a point as to why he still deserves the number one spot. Kepa made five saves against Liverpool and handed Chelsea their first clean-sheet since the Premier League home game against Burnley on January 11th.
Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma were shaky at the back
The centre-back pair looked uncomfortable with the ball at their feet, especially in the first half. Rudiger (8) and Zouma (9) lost possession 17 times combined throughout the game in an area you want to avoid.
Pedro displayed an intense work-rate
Having spent most of this season as a back-up, Pedro was one of the key performers on the pitch. Pedro made four interceptions and five tackles in the game, more than any other player in the game.
Willian and Mateo Kovacic extend an already long injury list
Lampard told Goal: “both have got an Achilles’ issue”.
These new additions to the list of Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kante should raise questions about the Chelsea medical team and training routine.
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