Football: Lukaku strikes as Chelsea reach FA Cup semi-finals

MIDDLESBROUGH -- Thomas Tuchel saluted Chelsea's focus as they reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the third successive season after Romelu Lukaku inspired a 2-0 win against Championship side Middlesbrough on Saturday.

In what could have been a potential upset, Tuchel's team were never troubled as they made it six successive victories since Roman Abramovich put the European champions up for sale.

Unsettled Belgian striker Lukaku opened the scoring with just his second goal in seven games.

Hakim Ziyech increased Chelsea's advantage before the interval at the Riverside Stadium.

The Blues killed off the quarter-final with minimal fuss after that, ensuring a last-four appearance at Wembley in April as they look to reach the final for a third consecutive year.

Chelsea are operating under a special licence allowing them to fulfil fixtures after the UK government sanctions on Abramovich in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A host of bidders submitted their offers to buy Chelsea from Abramovich before Friday's deadline, offering hope that their current predicament will soon be over.

Tuchel admits he is out of the loop with regards to the sale, but the German has impressively kept Chelsea's players focused amid the off-field turmoil.

Chelsea, third in the Premier League and through to the Champions League quarter-finals, have won 12 of their past 13 matches, with the exception the League Cup final penalty shoot-out loss against Liverpool.

"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," Tuchel said.

"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 good. If you have the talent, it is a responsibility to show it."

It has not all been plain sailing and following a scathing response from Middlesbrough and even their own supporters, Chelsea had withdrawn their request for the quarter-final to be played behind closed doors after they were denied the chance to sell their full allocation of tickets due to the sanctions.

Tuchel feared his squad would have to make a 10-hour bus journey to the match because of limits on the amount they can spend on away travel before the transition to a new owner.

But they were eventually allowed to fly to Teesside, where they comfortably avoided any FA Cup turbulence.

- Extra quality -

Middlesbrough had shocked Manchester United and Tottenham in the previous two rounds, but it quickly became clear there would not be a third scalp.

In the 15th minute, Lukaku gave a glimpse of the predatory instincts that persuaded the Blues to pay a club record £97 million to sign him from Inter Milan last year.

Harried deep inside their own half by Middlesbrough, Thiago Silva and Ziyech combined to neutralise the hosts' pressure in a flurry of passes.

Ziyech guided a superb long pass towards Mount's lung-bursting surge down the right and the England forward whipped over a precise cross that Lukaku met with a clinical finish from six yards.

It was Lukaku's 12th club goal this season and his 16th in the FA Cup since his tournament debut in 2012.

Yet there little sign of a celebration or even a smile from Lukaku, reflecting the difficulties of a campaign that saw him forced to apologise after he hinted he was keen to return to Inter already.

For all Middlesbrough's huffing and puffing, they rarely threatened to rattle Chelsea and the Blues' extra quality was on show again as they doubled their lead in the 31st minute.

A smooth burst of passing from Mount and Mateo Kovacic left Middlesbrough chasing shadows and Ziyech cut in from the right flank to drill a swerving strike into the far corner to mark his 29th birthday in style.

Agence France-Presse

Chelsea take over at the top by beating 'Boro

Chelsea replaced Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 1-0 win at Middlesbrough thanks to a first-half Diego Costa strike on Sunday.

It was the London side's sixth successive league victory without conceding a goal and put them on 28 points from 12 games, a point ahead of the Merseyside club and Manchester City.

The league's leading scorer, Costa, hit his 10th goal of the season to put them in front four minutes before the break.

'Boro, promoted last season, found it hard to make any clear opportunities against a solid Chelsea defence and remain in the bottom six, one point clear of the relegation places.

Despite starting brightly, the hosts struggled against the 3-4-3 system that has brought the west London side such success since manager Antonio Conte introduced it at the start of October following a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal.

Eden Hazard, who has rediscovered the form that made him Player of the Year in England two years' ago, prompted attacks from wide on the left and, with Victor Moses continuing to enjoy himself out on the right, Chelsea started creating chances.

Moses, up against former Manchester United defender Fabio de Silva, shot wildly high but did better in setting up Pedro, whose goalbound shot was brilliantly touched over the bar by Victor Valdes.

When Moses won another corner shortly before the interval, a clutch of 'Boro defenders failed to clear the ball and Costa reacted faster than any of them to volley home.
 
FINE SAVE

It took a fine save by Valdes to prevent another goal within 25 seconds of the second half. He parried Marcos Alonso's low drive and Calum Chambers scraped the loose ball to safety.

Gaston Ramirez put a rare Middlesbrough chance too high from 20 metres before Pedro was denied what would have been a stunning Chelsea goal.

Costa headed down David Luiz's perfectly flighted diagonal cross and his fellow Spanish international Pedro crashed a shot against the bar.

'Boro manager Aitor Karanka, appointed three years ago this week, tried in vain to change things with a double substitution, although Alvaro Negredo was unfortunate with a clever volley that forced Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois into his first real save of the game 12 minutes from the end.

"We knew it was going to be hard but we are in the Premier League and one mistake gets you punished," Karanka said.

Middlesbrough have now lost their last seven league and cup games against the London side without scoring and have not beaten them since 2006.

"Confidence and spirit are up and we are playing well," Chelsea defender Gary Cahill told Sky Sports.

"We are getting the results too which is the most important thing. We have carried on from where we left off at the international break.

"We are happy with today's work, but the league is not won today. It is not even Christmas yet."

(Reporting by Steve Tongue; Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea storm to summit after Man City stumble

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Eden Hazard scored twice as Chelsea exploited a slip-up by Manchester City to claim top spot in the Premier League by stylishly crushing Everton 5-0 on Saturday.

Marten de Roon's stoppage-time equalizer earned Middlesbrough a 1-1 draw at City and Antonio Conte's Chelsea took advantage to move a point clear of Pep Guardiola's side at the summit.

"When you win in this way it's fantastic because we played good football with good intensity," Conte told BT Sport.

"All the players played in the right way with and without the ball. We created many chances to score and also it's the fifth clean sheet in a row, which is fantastic.

"It is fantastic to be top of the league."

Arsenal and Liverpool could also surpass City before the weekend is out, the former tackling Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday's North London derby and the latter entertaining Watford.

Elsewhere, bottom club Sunderland ended their wait for a first win of the season at the 11th attempt by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Bournemouth despite having Steven Pienaar sent off.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea produced one of their most scintillating performances in recent memory as the 2014-15 champions made it five straight wins without conceding a goal.

Hazard opened the scoring in the 19th minute, drifting in from the left to drill a shot into the bottom-right corner, and a minute later Pedro Rodriguez teed up Marcos Alonso for the hosts' second.

Diego Costa made it 3-0 three minutes before half-time, slamming home at the back post after Nemanja Matic flicked on Hazard's corner to bring up his ninth goal of the campaign.

Chelsea's fourth goal was a jewel, Pedro returning Hazard's pass with a sweet back-heel and the Belgian dancing into the box from the right before lashing home with his left foot.

Pedro volleyed in the fifth, in the 65th minute, after Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg parried a shot from Hazard.

City went into their game on the back of a stirring 3-1 Champions League win over Barcelona and Boro's former Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes looked determined to restore Catalan pride at the Etihad Stadium.

He saved brilliantly from Sergio Aguero and David Silva, only for Aguero to put the hosts ahead in the 43rd minute by converting Kevin De Bruyne's sumptuous cross for his 150th goal in 223 City appearances.

- Barnes late show -

Boro showed more attacking intent in the second half, former City striker Alvaro Negredo almost catching out Claudio Bravo with an audacious lob from his own half before Bravo saved smartly from Adam Forshaw.

After Aguero had squandered a late chance, Dutch midfielder De Roon met George Friend's deep cross with a thumping header to earn Boro a dramatic point.

"We did absolutely everything to win the game. It is a pity," said Guardiola, whose side have drawn their last three home league games 1-1 following previous stalemates against Everton and Southampton.

"It is a miss because we have dropped six points in the last three home games, but we are still there. We have to move forward."

Sunderland remain bottom, below Swansea City on goal difference, but manager David Moyes belatedly has a victory to his name following a hard-fought success at Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium.

After Adam Smith had teed up Dan Gosling to bundle in an 11th-minute opener for Bournemouth, Victor Anichebe equalised with his first Sunderland goal.

Pienaar was sent off just before the hour after receiving a second yellow card for a lunge on Junior Stanislas, but Jermain Defoe netted a 74th-minute winner from the spot after Smith felled Anichebe.

"It is a big relief," Moyes told Sky Sports. "We owed the supporters the victory. They have kept with us.

"We needed a win, but it is only one. We need a few more."

There was late drama at Turf Moor as Burnley withstood a Crystal Palace fightback to prevail 3-2 courtesy of Ashley Barnes's 94th-minute strike.

Sam Vokes and Johann Berg Gundmundsson put Burnley 2-0 up, only for Palace to hit back through second-half goals by substitute Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke.

But in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Gudmundsson crossed for Barnes to fire home and condemn Palace -- who later hit the post through Andros Townsend -- to a fourth straight defeat.

Stoke City drew 1-1 at West Ham United, Bojan Krkic exploiting an error by home goalkeeper Adrian to equalise in the 75th minute after a Glenn Whelan own goal had put the hosts ahead.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com