Pedro boots out Leicester in extra-time as Chelsea reach last four
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Updated 18/03/2018 at 19:25 GMT
King Power Stadium, FA Cup quarter-finals - Leicester City 1 (Vardy 76') Chelsea (Morata 42' Pedro 105')
Chelsea's Pedro celebrates scoring their second goal
Image credit: Reuters
Pedro struck in extra-time to give Chelsea a 2-1 win over Leicester in their FA Cup quarter-final.
Chelsea were coming off the disappointment of going out to Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, and Antonio Conte made changes.
The Italian manager gave Alvaro Morata a rare start and it paid off when he completed ruthless break started by Willian deep in his own half, chipping the ball over Kasper Schmeichel for his first goal since Boxing Day.
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Morata celebrates scoring for Chelsea
Image credit: Getty Images
In the second half, Chelsea sat back to absorb Leicester's pressure, and the home side offered little by way of attack in the first 25 minutes. Then with a quarter of an hour to go, Jamie Vardy pounced as Willy Caballero scrambled a Vicente Iborra shot.
At the end of the first half of extra-time, a Schmeichel error allowed Pedro to nod into an empty net, and Chelsea held off some late Leicester pressure with ease to remain in contention for one last trophy.
Chelsea will face Southampton – 2-0 winners earlier in the day over Wigan – at Wembley in the last four.
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Jamie Vardy of Leicester City (9) celebrates as he scores their first goal during The Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Leicester City and Chelsea at The King Power Stadium on March 18, 2018 in Leicester, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
TALKING POINT
Can Conte end the season on a high? Chelsea haven't fallen apart despite their poor league form, and even their exit in the Champions League was spirited enough. Conte is set to leave at the end of the season, but the FA Cup holds no great fears for them with Manchester City no longer in the draw.
MAN OF THE MATCH
N'Golo Kante (Chelsea): Returning to the King Power Stadium, he showed another performance of endless running, tactical nous and no little creativity. His clever, dinked ball won the game for Chelsea as Pedro was given the chance to nod past Schmeichel with little difficulty. Kante showed Tiemoue Bakayoko what is expected of a Chelsea midfielder.
PLAYER RATINGS
Leicester City: Schmeichel 7, Simpson 6, Morgan 6, Maguire 6, Chilwell 6, Ndidi 6, Iborra 6, Mahrez 7, Albrighton 7, Iheanacho 6, Vardy 7. Subs: Silva 6, Gray 6, Okazaki 6, Diabaté 6.
Chelsea team: Caballero 7, Azpilicueta 6, Christensen 6, Rudiger 6, Moses 6, Bakayoko 6, Kante 8, Alonso 6, Willian 7, Morata 7, Hazard 6. Subs: Cahill 7, Fabregas 6, Pedro 7, Giroud 6.
KEY EVENTS
3' - ALBRIGHTON VOLLEY - Albrighton goes close, hooking a volley towards goal from a Simpson cross. It's just a yard or so wide.
19' - NDIDI CHANCE - Ndidi has room to slice a shot at goal from 25 yards out, and Caballero has to scramble to his right to prevent it creeping inside the post.
42' - GOAL! Leicester City 0-1 Chelsea. Morata scores - Iheanacho robs Kante, then slides past Rudiger. He plays it behind Mahrez, allowing everyone else to catch up and the winger is tackled. Chelsea then hit back with a counter of their own, working the ball quickly to Morata with a Willian pass from deep, and he neatly chips an effort over Schmeichel.
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Chelsea's Pedro scores their second goal
Image credit: Reuters
76' - GOAL! Leicester 1-1 Chelsea. Vardy scores - Mahrez does brilliantly to skin his man, and pulls back a cross for Vardy. He flashes at goal, it's blocked, Iborra has a shot, his is blocked, and so he sends it in again. This time Caballero pushes it out to his left, and there's Vardy to slam it home.
83' - CABALLERO SAVE - Maguire carries the ball forward 50 yards, plays in Vardy with a decent through ball, and his shot brings a save from Caballero, who again doesn't push the ball away far enough for comfort.
105' - GOAL! Leicester City 1-2 Chelsea. Pedro scores - That might be it - Pedro has almost certainly got the winner. Kante jogs forward, loops a ball into the box that Schmeichel is tempted by, and Pedro gets there first to nod into an empty net.
KEY STATS
Chelsea have reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the second successive year, and for the fourth time in the last seven seasons.
Leicester have now lost back-to-back FA Cup quarter-final matches, with both defeats coming against Chelsea. In fact, the Foxes have lost each of their last four FA Cup quarter-finals, failing to reach the Semi-finals since 1982.
Excluding his defeat in last season’s final against Arsenal, Antonio Conte has now progressed from all nine of his FA Cup ties in charge of Chelsea.
Jamie Vardy has now netted 10 goals in his 12 appearances in all competitions against ‘big six’ opposition this season.
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