Chelsea survive huge Leeds scare to reach FA Cup quarter-finals - Five talking points — Mirror 28/2/24

CHELSEA 3-2 LEEDS UNITED: Conor Gallagher came off the bench to score a last minute winner to complete a comeback for the Blues as they struggled against their Championship opponents

By Jacob Leeks

Conor Gallagher came off the bench to score a last-minute winner as Chelsea were forced to come back from a goal down to beat Championship Leeds and progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The visitors went ahead just eight minutes in when Axel Disasi gave the ball away inside the box as he looked to play out from the back, with Mateo Joseph firing in the opener. The Blues quickly responded, with Nicolas Jackson slotted home and equaliser after a well-worked team move.

Just before half-time, the hosts turned the game on its head with Mykhaylo Mudryk sweeping the ball home from a cutback. Though they had chances to increase their lead, the Blues failed to take them, with Leeds instead levelling the game when Joseph headed in at the far post.

With the game appearing to head to extra-time time, Gallagher popped up in the 89th minute to fire in a winner and set up a tie against Leicester in the last eight. Here, Mirror Football looks at the biggest talking points from the tie.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville infamously branded Chelsea "billion pound bottle jobs" as they lost to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. This was a prime chance to prove the pundit wrong.

But their response was a stuttering one, with the Blues sloppy in possession for much of the game. They even fell behind eight minutes in after a failed attempt to play out from the back from a goal kick.

Though they recovered to turn the game on its head by half-time, it was still an unsettled performance from the Blues, especially given the fact they were pulled back after the break. The hosts in truth did little to show they have what it takes to ultimately lift the cup, despite playing against Championship opposition.

While Chelsea were far from their best, Leeds also dropped a major hint that they will be no pushovers if they secure promotion. The Whites are currently second in the Championship table and are on track to return to the top-flight.

Having been relegated in miserable fashion the last time they were in the Premier League, Daniel Farke's side sounded a warning to their potential rivals next season. The visitors pressed high, forcing errors from Chelsea time and again.

Though they made need to invest in a goalscorer, it was a performance Leeds can mostly look back on with pride. Farke's side provided a stern test to their big-name hosts, one the Blues nearly failed.

Nicolas Jackson has mostly failed to impress since arriving from Villarreal in the summer. But he scored the crucial equaliser 15 minutes in to haul Chelsea back into the tie.

It was a well-taken goal from the striker, with the 22-year-old starting the move that saw him put the ball in the net. Jackson picked it up on the right before playing a pass into Noni Madueke on the edge of the box.

Madueke played the ball back to Moises Caicedo, with the midfield sending it on to Jackon who fired in from a tight angle. That strike was Jackson's 10th of the campaign, a welcome landmark given his difficult campaign.

After the dreadful extra-time performance in the Carabao Cup final, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino needed his players to show they still want to play for him. That response was lacking though, with more questions now facing the under-fire Argentine.

Pochettino opted to make a raft of changes to his starting line-up, changing three of the back five, including at goalkeeper, left-back and centre-back. That did not have the desired effect though, with the Blues looking dangerously open in the face of Leeds' attackers.

Academy product Alfie Gilchrist struggled up against Jaidon Antony, who notched two assists to inspire Leeds to score twice. More questions will now be aimed at Pochettino as his debut season in charge continues to diasppoint.

It was a performance that Chelsea fans have been crying out for all season. But it was not the display of their team, rather the Leeds young guns who showed the Blues how to handle the demands of senior football.

The Whites named 17-year-old Archie Gray in midfield, 20-year-old Mateo Joseph up-front, 23-year-old Illan Meslier in goal, 23-year-old Ethan Amapdu in midfield and 24-year-old Jaidon Antony on the wing. It was the performances of those five which drove Leeds to this famous performance.

Gray was particularly brilliant in the engine room, despite going up against Enzo Fernandes and Mosies Caicedo, who between them cost more than £200million. And Joseph showed Chelsea's young strikers exactly how to take their chances with two well-taken goals.