Chelsea leave it late against Leicester to reach FA Cup semis

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Chelsea scored twice in stoppage time to secure a hard-fought 4-2 win over Leicester City to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Substitutes Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke grabbed victory for the Blues at the end of a thrilling second half in which the home crowd threatened to turn against manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The hosts were comfortably ahead 2-0 until Axel Disasi scored a comical own goal from 35 yards out in the 51st minute to bring the tie back.

Stephy Mavididi curled in a magnificent equaliser 11 minutes later, causing a seething Stamford Bridge to erupt with loud whistles and chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing”.

But Leicester defender Callum Doyle’s red card with 17 minutes remaining proved pivotal.

He fouled Nicolas Jackson, and after initially receiving a yellow card and a penalty, the video assistant referee (VAR) judged the foul was outside the box but upped his yellow to red.

Chelsea applied steady pressure from there, and Chukwuemeka scored in the 92nd minute after a beautiful pass from Cole Palmer, who had scored alongside Marc Cucurella for Chelsea in the first half.

Madueke’s long-range shot secured the victory, keeping Chelsea’s hopes of finishing a difficult season on a high note by winning the FA Cup for the first time since 2018.

Leicester’s focus shifts back to the Championship, where the Foxes’ advantage has been reduced to one point as they seek promotion back to the Premier League.

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