Chelsea ended on the right side of a penalty shoot-out as the Blues beat Aston Villa in an entertaining Carabao Cup third round tie.
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Chelsea went the distance in a thrilling Carabao Cup third round tie before surviving it. Thomas Tuchel’s side ended on the right side of a penalty shoot-out as the Blues beat Aston Villa in an entertaining match. Right-back Reece James converted the winning penalty after one Villa miss and one Kepa save had given Chelsea the advantage in the shoot-out. In the initial 90 minutes, Timo Werner scored his first goal of the season from James’s delightful cross before Cameron Archer headed Villa level. Both sides could have won the entertaining clash, but it finished 1-1 and then a second shoot-out of the season ended in the Blues’ favour. As a result, Tuchel was pleased with his much-changed team’s effort.
“It was a good game full of energy, good chances on both sides between two teams who tried everything to win,” Thomas Tuchel was quoted as saying by the club’s website. “Aston Villa played very strong, like they did 10 days ago, and again today. We also did very good. It was a nice game to watch, to be in the stadium for. This is also part of what we do, to have entertainment. I’m happy because we won, it was a hard one, and now we have some competitive minutes in more players’ legs.
“We had many changes, the team had never played in this formation,” added Tuchel. “This needs a bit of time on the field, but it was important we don’t expect too much in terms of how we create chances. We expected energy and teamwork, and this is what we got out of it. With every minute we got more confident.”
Earlier, Timo Werner scored a crucial goal in the regulation time, which will only boost his confidence as the season progresses. “We brought him into a situation where he can score, this is what we want, and then it’s on him to score. That’s why he is here. It’s the best feeling for a striker to score,” he added.
Speaking about goalkeeper Kepa, Tuchel said, “Kepa is very strong at penalties. He has good experiences in shoot-outs so we focused on that, and tried our best. I’m happy the players kept their cool. It’s a nice win and I’m happy because it was a tough match, a hard cup fight, and it’s a good feeling to win.”
As a result of the win, fourth round draw for the Blues is Southampton at home. Reacting to it, Tuchel said, “Another Premier League fixture, and another tough one for sure!”
It was the German forward Timo Werner, who opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half of the third-round tie. “It’s good to be back on the score sheet, good to score at Stamford Bridge and I’m happy that I’m back on the pitch,” said Werner on his goal.
“I think that the last few weeks were not very easy for me, but every goal, every assist brings me back on track, so it was good for me today and also for the team.”
