March 03, (THEWILL) – Chelsea advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night, defeating Luton Town 3-2 at home even though the less fancied side took the lead twice in the tie.
Chelsea got off to a nightmare start, which was only made more so with the news prior to kickoff that club owner Roman Abramovich has revealed his intention to sell the Stamford Bridge club and current holders of the UEFA Champions League trophy.
On Wednesday, however, Luton, the Championship’s second-highest set-piece scorers lived up to their billing as Reece Burke sprinted to the near post and deflected a corner with a precise header that had the ball flirting against the far post before nestling into the net 102 seconds in. It was the fastest goal Chelsea had conceded all season.
Luton, buoyed by a typically noisy Kenilworth Road crowd, pressured their rotating Premier League rivals high up the ground.
The reigning world and European champions, needed to take advantage of a turnover in the opposing half to level the scores. Following a cheap giveaway, Saul Niguez finished off a quick rush up the pitch for his first goal for their Blues.
Luton’s substitute goalkeeper Harry Isted, who came on for the injured Jed Steer after only 15 minutes, helped his team weather a gale of Chelsea pressure after their equaliser, making three superb saves in quick succession.
In the final minutes of the first half, Harry Cornick fired the Hatters back into the lead against the run of play. Cornick showed no fear as he converted against the club he supported as a child, capitalising on Malang Sarr’s futile attempts to catch him offside.
Chelsea dominated possession throughout, but a higher defensive line in the second half forced Luton back into their defensive third. Nonetheless, the Blues were frustrated by their hosts’ growing compactness.
It took a lovely, lofted pass over the top from Ruben Loftus-Cheek to let Timo Werner clear behind the horde of orange and slide in a second equaliser in the 68th minute that gave Thomas Tuchel’s charges the boost to go for a win.
As the game neared its conclusion, Werner transitioned from scorer to provider, setting up Romelu Lukaku to put Chelsea ahead for the first time all night and guarantee that quarter-final slot.
Luton Town fans almost got their moment in the spotlight, but the team could not keep Chelsea behind for the entire 90 minutes. They struggled to put pressure on Kepa Arrizabalaga in the second 45 minutes as they were under siege for the majority of the half.
Until they have another chance, Luton will concentrate on making the Championship playoffs, while Chelsea can still dream of winning another domestic trophy.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
