Luton Town 2 vs. 3 Chelsea FA Cup 5th Round Review
Took the scenic route...
Chelsea travelled to play Luton Town on Wednesday night in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. Luton sit 6th in the Championship and have been having a stellar season so far. Away trips in the FA Cup are never easy especially against lower league opposition. All this along with the news that Roman Abramovich would be selling Chelsea meant that the player probably struggled to get into the mindset pre game. Luton went with a strong XI and so did Tuchel although he made nine changes. Kepa started in goal with a back three of Rudiger, Loftus-Cheek, and Sarr. Hudson-Odoi, and Kenedy played as the wing backs with Saul, and Jorginho in the midfield. Mount, Werner, and Lukaku started up front.
Luton started the better team and scored the opener in the 2nd minute as Burke rose highest from a corner to score a header. Chelsea grew into the game post the goal but the overall play was very sloppy. Loose touches, haphazard dribbling, shots flying everywhere the game was similar to a kick-a-about in the park. Chelsea did get the equaliser in the 27th minute thanks to Saul who latched on to a loose ball form Timo and finessed a shot in. First goal for the Spaniard in Chelsea blue. Chelsea dominated play post the goal but Isted the Luton goalkeeper made some good saves. Luton restored the lead in the 40th minute as Cornick ran in behind and finished past Kepa. It was poor defending from Sarr who had a torrid first half.
Whatever Tuchel said to the players at half time worked though as it was all Chelsea in the 2nd 45 minutes. Chelsea dominated possession and play as Luton camped in their own box. Vale, and Pulisic came on in place of Kenedy, and Hudson-Odoi to help find the equaliser. The equaliser came in the 68th minute as Loftus-Cheek played a brilliant ball in behind the Luton back line as Timo latched on to it and finished. The winner came in the 78th minute as Loftus-Cheek played another good ball outwide to Timo and the German delivered a good low ball into the box for Lukaku to finish. Comeback and progression to the next round secured.
Chelsea Team Review
Goalkeeper
No cleansheet for Kepa in this game. The Spaniard could do nothing for the first goal and the 2nd goal was largely due to Sarr’s laziness. There weren’t any major saves that needed to be made and the 2nd half was a walk in the park. Overall a decent game for him.
Defenders
The defence was depleted beyond comprehension for this game. Azpilicueta, Chalobah, and Silva were all out while Reece James was on the bench. Alonso was also not selected. Rudiger played on the right while Loftus-Cheek played as the central defender, Sarr took a familiar position on the left. Rudiger was his usual self while Sarr had a torrid game. Loftus-Cheek impressed and seems to have got a license to move further forward and express himself in the 2nd half. RLC had the most touches in the game and dictated play well from the back. A brilliant assist for the 2nd goal and a pre-assist for the 3rd goal. Man of the match performance from him.
Kenedy was much more involved than Hudson-Odoi as a wing back. Both were sloppy though and Hudson-Odoi had little to no impact. Reece James came on in the 2nd half and was a calming presence. Reece also played some good balls into the box.
Midfielders
Jorginho had a decent game but didn’t look up to his usual level. The physicality of Luton seemed to be a problem for him. Saul had a very good game and was all over the pitch. Good tackles, a very good goal, and overall distributed the ball well. Mount was influential in the 1st half and created several key chances. A good peformance from him.
Forwards
A goal and two assists for Timo Werner and a goal from Romelu Lukaku. That’s good to see from the forward players who stepped up in the 2nd half. Timo especially had a big role to play and continued to be involved even when he frustrated some fans. Lukaku did well when given the service and was more mobile. An instinctive finish in the box something that is normal for him. Vale and Pulisic came on in the 2nd half and made a positive impact on the game.
Tuchel
The subs worked for Tuchel and given the circumstances he would have been happy with the performance especially in the 2nd half. A goal conceded from a set piece and poor defending won’t worry him that much.
Chelsea seal progression to the next round of the FA Cup. The football continues to roll on at Chelsea regardless of what happens off the pitch. Tuchel said post match that he doesn’t have a problem with change and all he can do is influence what is in his hands. That is a lesson for us all. Next up is a trip to Burnley in the Premier League which will be a tough task as well. COME ON CHELSEA!!!
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