FA Cup: Troubled Chelsea Eases Pass Middlesbrough To Book A Place In The Last Four

Chelsea Football Club comfortably beat Middlesbrough to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech in the first half settled the tie against a stubborn Middlesbrough who had eliminated two Premier League top teams – Manchester United and Tottenham Hostpur, from the competition.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was very happy with his team composure and described the win as a “very deserved one.”

Speaking to BBC One after the match, the Blues manager said: “We were very focused and very serious from the beginning. We showed quality in decisive moments and scored two early goals which gave us a comfortable lead, but the effort was huge to not allow big chances. I’m very happy, it was a very deserved win.

“I’m impressed with the players’ focus. We accepted the [ownership] situation because we didn’t cause it. It isn’t in our hands, but it was important we showed the right spirit and took responsibility. This is very, very good. If you have the talent, it is a responsibility to show it.”

Tuchel said that he was aware of the dangers posed by Middlesbrough and knew the tactics that would prevent them from attacking from the wing-back on the right side up.

He added: “We saw [from Middlesbrough’s Cup wins] that they were brave. We were totally aware of their strengths, of their structure. They push the wing-back on the right side up so he’s almost a winger, so we adapted to that and decided to play a 4-1 [at the back, with a deep-lying midfielder] and not our usual 3-2 shape.

“We had Malang Sarr at left-back to have a close connection with their right wing-back [Isaiah Jones] and played with the other defenders in a three against two with their two strikers.

“That was impressive, for the guys to show the discipline and fulfil the plan. They were reliable and, within the plan, they showed the individual quality and determination that is needed.”

Speaking about Chelsea’s win, Mason Mount said that the team is focused on winning and desperate to land a domestic trophy in Stamford Bridge after losing the final of the Carling Cup to Liverpool.

The Chelsea player speaking to BBC said:

“Middlesbrough have been on an unbelievable run, you’ve seen the teams they’ve beaten recently in the cup, so it was never going to be a comfortable night.

“We didn’t have many fans here tonight but I felt that we let our football do the talking. We played some good stuff, and that was the main goal for us tonight.

“We really have that winning mentality within the group. Any competition, any game, we want to win, and we want to keep that going. It’s been a tough couple of weeks but for us, as a team, we’re just focused and ready to play.

“We’re so hungry for a domestic title, we just need to keep going. It’s not been the best of runs for us at Wembley but we want to right that wrong. We’ve already had one final at Wembley this season and lost it so we’re hungry to win [the semi-final].”