Mykhailo Mudryk and Djordje Petrovic emerged as the unexpected heroes in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Newcastle, orchestrating a stunning turnaround that propelled the Blues to a 4-2 penalty shootout victory on Tuesday night.
The match commenced with promising momentum for the hosts, Conor Gallagher’s thunderous strike rattling the crossbar. However, Chelsea faced adversity early on when an error by Benoit Badiashile allowed Callum Wilson to capitalize and secure the lead for Newcastle just 16 minutes into the game.
Raheem Sterling had an opportunity to equalize in the first half but failed to convert, directing his shot straight at Bruno Guimaraes in front of the goal. Despite a dominant second-half performance by Chelsea, the breakthrough only materialized in stoppage time when Kieran Trippier’s mistake provided the chance for substitute Mudryk to level the score.
The deadlock led to a dramatic penalty shootout, where Chelsea showcased flawless precision. Trippier’s miss coupled with spot-kick specialist Petrovic’s crucial save from Matt Ritchie’s attempt ultimately secured Chelsea’s place in the semi-finals, snatching victory from the grasp of Newcastle.
