Chelsea beat Norwich City 5-3 on penalties to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Norwich City.
Michy Batshuayi opened the scoring for the Premier League champions in regulation time, but Jamal Lewis’ late header forced an additional 30 minutes.
Chelsea were reduced to nine men when Pedro Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata were given their marching orders towards the end of extra time, before successful spot-kicks from Willian, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard booked the Blues’ place into the next round.
Below are four talking points from Stamford Bridge.
1. Batshuayi scores but won’t have eased Conte’s doubts
Batshuayi scored his 17th Chelsea goal on Wednesday night, but his all-round performance will not have assuaged Antonio Conte’s doubts about his suitability as the Blues’ second-choice centre-forward. Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Andy Carroll from West Ham United, and it is not completely out of the question that Batshuayi will depart west London before the start of February.
The Belgium international did not hold up the ball particularly well in this third round replay, and both of Norwich’s attempts in the first half originated from the striker losing possession. His touch was sloppy on several occasions, and a shot which drifted 15 yards wide of the target was more representative of his overall display than the goal he scored in the 55th minute. Morata’s sending-off should at least give Batshuayi another chance to impress this weekend.
2. Norwich give good account of themselves
Norwich took a while to grow into the game on Wednesday night, spending much of the opening period camped inside their own half of the field. They grew in confidence as time wore on, though, with Nelson Oliveira going close with a couple of shots from outside the area and the defence gradually getting a handle on Pedro and Willian.
Only a fine save from Willy Caballero denied James Maddison an equaliser, which came just minutes after Josh Murphy had struck the post. A 1-0 defeat was just seconds away from being confirmed when Lewis popped up with a stoppage-time leveller, and the Canaries could even have won it deep in extra time had Timm Klose directed his header away from Caballero.
3. Will the 3-4-2-1 be retained in the Premier League?
Chelsea may have ended a run of three consecutive 0-0 draws here, but a return of just one goal in their last 390 minutes of football does not make for particularly positive reading either. Conte reverted to a 3-4-2-1 formation against Norwich having employed a 3-5-1-1 in the stalemate with Leicester City last time out; although the latter is a good option for games against the bigger teams, it would be a surprise if the Blues did not stick with the former for Saturday’s trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The champions will dominate possession against Chris Hughton’s men regardless of the system, which reduces the need for three central midfielders. Fielding two inside-forwards either side of a central striker usually makes Chelsea’s attacking play less predictable, with Willian set to fill the slot on the opposite side to Hazard.
4. Domestic cups offer Chelsea the best chance of glory
Chelsea will contest the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final with Arsenal next midweek, before taking on Newcastle United in the FA Cup fourth round a few days later. With 15 points separating them from runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City and a tough Champions League tie against Barcelona on the horizon, it is clear that the domestic cup competitions represent the Blues’ best chance of silverware this term.
Conte did brilliantly to win the title so convincingly in 2016/17, but he was hugely disappointed not to complete a domestic double. Avenging the FA Cup final loss to Arsenal by going one better this season will be near the top of his list of priorities in the coming months.
