Chelsea edge past Newcastle on penalties into League Cup semis
Chelsea booked their place in the semifinals of the League Cup on Tuesday when they defeated Newcastle United 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Stamford Bridge after the two sides finished the 90 minutes level at 1-1.
Kieran Trippier fired Newcastle’s second penalty wide and Matt Ritchie saw his effort saved by Djordje Petrovic, making only his second start in goal for the Blues.
The shootout drama represented a last-gasp turnaround by Chelsea who had gone behind in the 16th minute when Callum Wilson pounced on an error by Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile who got the ball caught in his feet allowing Wilson to score.
Chelsea dominated possession throughout the game and brought French forward Christopher Nkunku off the bench for his first competitive appearance for the Londoners having suffered a knee injury in pre-season shortly after his transfer from RB Leipzig.
But it was only in the 92nd minute that they got their equaliser when Mykhailo Mudryk punished a mistake by substitute Trippier who failed to cut out a Malo Gusto cross and allowed the Ukrainian, also on as a sub, to slot home.
Tosin Adarabioyo struck the winning spot kick as Fulham defeated Everton 7-6 in a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals for the first time in their history after the game finished 1-1.
Fulham took the lead four minutes before the break when Everton defender Michael Keane turned the ball into his own net, and it took until the 82nd minute for the home side to equalise through substitute Beto.
Both teams had decent chances to grab a winner in normal time, but with the two sides still level after 90 minutes, the game went straight to a penalty shootout.
Tied at 6-6 with each goalkeeper having made a save, Everton’s Idrissa Gueye then struck the left-hand post with a rushed effort, and Fulham centre back Adarabioyo stepped up to stroke home the winner.
