Like water and oil, Chelsea shows its completely different side to the Premier League in the FA Cup

Even with their problems in the Premier League, Chelsea maintain their level of play in the English cups, so you could see the London team finishing with a trophy or two. With their ticket to the semi-finals of the League Cup, the Blues have now advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup this Saturday, January 6, by beating Preston North 4-0.

This could be a reason to celebrate for Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in what has been a tough stretch since they took over the team in 2022. Chelsea is 10th in the league and could be out of Champions League places, but Mauricio Pochettino's team is finding a bit of joy in the domestic cups after goals from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and the Argentine Enzo Fernandez in the complementary half to beat Preston, of the Second division.

“The first half was a bit disappointing. “We started a little sloppy,” admitted Pochettino. “I told my players at half-time that they had to increase the energy and match Preston. The second half was a completely different game.” In the League Cup, Chelsea will face Middlesbrough, from the Second Division, in the round-trip semi-final, and could face Liverpool or Fulham in the final.

On their trip to a town located just twenty kilometers away, Newcastle triumphed mainly thanks to the Swede Alexander Isak, author of a double. Other first two that complied in this round were Brighton and Bournemouth, although with certain difficulties. The former came back to end up winning 4-2 against Stoke, while the 'Cherries' won 3-2 at Queens Park Rangers, overcoming a 2-0 deficit.

The surprise of the day at the FA

But if one team gained the spotlight in an unusual way this Saturday, it was the semi-professional Maidstone United, from the sixth category, which won 1-0 against Stevenage, from the third division. Reigning champions Manchester City will host second-place Huddersfield on Sunday. That same day the star fight of this round will be played, between two greats, Arsenal and Liverpool.