Chelsea will not be participating in the FA Cup quarter-finals after being eliminated in the fourth round, but one of their former players will.
Willian helped Fulham to knock Manchester United out of the competition on Sunday and make it to the quarters.
Chelsea‘s London rivals Fulham re-signed Willian at the beginning of February, and he is set for a reunion with his old club next month.
Chelsea take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on 19 April, with the Cottagers’ FA Cup quarter-final clash against Crystal Palace taking place a few weeks before then.
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Chelsea fans still appreciate Willian
Willian has played for Arsenal and Fulham, two of Chelsea’s London rivals, since leaving Stamford Bridge nearly five years ago.
Even so, Blues supporters still adore the winger, and that was clear to see after his spot-kick in Fulham’s penalty shoot-out triumph against United.
One Chelsea fan was really pleased for him, posting on X: “Yikes for United. Just like at Chelsea, bad culture gets you this. Happy for Willian though.”
Another fan wrote: “Willian scoring against United brings me back, you are still Chels my boy.”
One Chelsea supporter went as far as to hail Willian as one of the GOATs of football, saying: “Willian is a football goat, after years of leaving Chelsea, he’s still balling big time!”
And another supporter said: “Love seeing Willian score his pen, same with Jedi Robinson & on top of that Man U are eliminated!”
When you look at Chelsea’s current left-wing options, Willian would probably get into Enzo Maresca’s team right now. Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended, while Jadon Sancho has not been productive of late.
The England international has managed to register just one assist in his last eight Premier League games for Chelsea.
Willian’s impressive cameo against Manchester United
Willian only played half an hour against United after coming on as a substitute ahead of extra time. In those 30 minutes, though, the 36-year-old was still able to make an impact.
According to Sofascore, Willian had one shot on target, 34 touches of the ball and made one key pass. The Brazilian also completed all four of the long balls that he attempted.
Willian is not getting any younger, but he is still a player Chelsea will have to be wary of when they face Fulham next month. The former Brazil international has already scored against them in a white shirt, netting in a 2-1 win against the Blues back in 2023.
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