Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea triumphed (4-0) against Preston North End (2nd division) in the thirty-second final of the English Cup (FA Cup), where Aston Villa’s hard-fought victory in Middlesbrough and the surprise classification also stood out from Maidstone, from the sixth category.
None of the Premier League teams were surprised in their battles on Saturday against inferior formations.
It took Chelsea a while to open the scoring against Preston North End, currently fourteenth in the Championship (English 2nd division), but once they did, everything came together.
The Albanian Armando Broja opened the scoring in the 58th minute) and shortly after came a header from the Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva and a direct free kick from Raheem Sterling. Argentine Enzo Fernández scored the fourth and final goal in the 85th minute.
“We started very sloppy. At half-time I told the players that we needed to put more energy into the game. The second half was totally different,” declared Pochettino, satisfied with the reaction.
Chelsea, tenth in the English league, has made the English Cup a priority as it is one of the ways to be in European competitions next season.
After this victory, Pochettino’s team will face the English League Cup semi-final first leg against second division Middlesbrough on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough was precisely close to giving the surprise of the day, holding on to the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa (second in the Premier League) almost until the end, when Matty Cash (88) relieved Unai Emery’s team.
Also this Saturday, a duel of the greatest historical rivalry was played, between Sunderland (2nd division) and Newcastle, who had not beaten their traditional enemy since 2011. This time they did it, 3 to 0 as a visitor.
In their trip to a town located just twenty kilometers away, Newcastle triumphed mainly thanks to the Swede Alexander Isak, author of a double.
Other first two that complied in this round were Brighton and Bournemouth, although with certain difficulties. The former came back to end up winning 4-2 against Stoke, while the ‘Cherries’ won 3-2 at Queens Park Rangers, overcoming a 2-0 deficit.
The surprise of the day at the FA
But if one team gained the spotlight in an unusual way this Saturday, it was the semi-professional Maidstone United, from the sixth category, which won 1-0 against Stevenage, from the third division.
Reigning champions Manchester City will host second-place Huddersfield on Sunday.
That same day the star fight of this round will be played, between two greats, Arsenal and Liverpool.
2024-01-06 22:44:37
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