Conor Gallagher’s winning goal in the ninetieth minute on Wednesday helped Chelsea defeat lower-division Leeds United 3-2 and advance to the FA Cup quarterfinals.
The victory has relieved pressure on head coach Mauricio Pochettino after he failed to guide Chelsea to win the Carabao Cup against Liverpool.
The London team, which is now suffering in the Premier League’s midtable, lost to Liverpool in the League Cup final on Sunday at Wembley, and their only realistic chance to win a trophy is in the FA Cup.
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It was the first FA Cup match between Leeds and Chelsea since the now-famous 1970 final replay, a bloody, attritional contest that saw Chelsea win and sparked a fierce half-century rivalry between the two sets of supporters.
Leeds stunned the Premier League team in the eighth minute by taking the lead thanks to a defensive blunder that resulted in Mateo Joseph scoring the team’s first senior goal.
Chelsea responded with two goals through fluid plays in the fifteenth and thirty-seventh minutes, with excellent strikes from Nicolas Jackson of Senegal and Mykhailo Mudryk of Ukraine.
Leeds increased their game in the second half but Chelsea slowed down, obviously exhausted early on Sunday after playing 120 minutes.
The visitors were rewarded in the 59th minute when Joseph, who was unmarked, scored a free header past Robert Sanchez, who was left deserted in Chelsea’s goal.
Pochettino started the game with crucial players rested, but in the second half, he introduced veteran players Gallagher and Ben Chilwell along with top scorer Cole Palmer—all three of whom had put in a lot of work at Wembley.
As extra time approached, Gallagher turned and fired home after latching onto a ball from Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez to send Chelsea into the round of eight, where they will take on Championship team Leicester City.