Chelsea Sail Through, Spurs Knocked Out Of FA Cup

27th January 2019 - by AFP

Tottenham pressed hard in the second half, but Speroni saved well from Fernando Llorente to keep them at bay.

Andreas Christiansen of Chelsea stretches to keep the ball in during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday at Stamford Bridge on January 27, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

SUMMARY

Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi was giving little away after scoring for the Blues just hours after press reports said the teenage winger had handed in a transfer request
Hudson-Odoi, who started on Sunday, made his senior Chelsea debut in an FA Cup win over Newcastle in January last year and has now made 15 appearances for the Blues, scoring two goals
Spurs were without injured England stars Harry Kane and Dele Alli, while the in-form Son Heung-Min had still to return from international duty with South Korea at the Asia Cup

LONDON, United Kingdom- Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi was giving little away after scoring for the Blues just hours after press reports said the teenage winger had handed in a transfer request.

The 18-year-old struck in between two goals from Willian as holders Chelsea beat second-tier Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Hudson-Odoi has previously been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, who have made clear how highly they regard the England youth international.

Asked after full-time on Sunday if he had played his last game for Chelsea, Hudson-Odoi told the BBC: "I don't know, I can't say. I'll keep working hard and you never know what will happen."

Earlier, ahead of the January transfer window closing on Thursday, Chelsea refused to comment on the latest suggestions that Hudson-Odoi could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

The London club have stated repeatedly they want Hudson-Odoi, who helped England win the Under-17 World Cup two years ago, to remain a member of their squad.

With 18 months remaining on his contract, Chelsea could now be faced with deciding whether to take advantage of a big-money offer for Hudson-Odoi in the next few days or instead letting him stay in the hope he will sign a new deal at the end of the season.

Hudson-Odoi, who started on Sunday, made his senior Chelsea debut in an FA Cup win over Newcastle in January last year and has now made 15 appearances for the Blues, scoring two goals.

The academy graduate, who first played for Chelsea at the under-eight age group, has now made 11 appearances this season after manager Maurizio Sarri was sufficiently impressed to avoid sending him out on loan.

Five of those have been starts, while the first of his three Premier League matches was against Watford last month.

He played for 10 minutes in last Saturday's Premier League loss at Arsenal and was an unused substitute in the midweek clash with Tottenham that saw Chelsea advance to the League Cup final.

At the same time,Tottenham Hotspur suffered their second defeat in English knockout football to a London rival in a matter of days as they lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Connor Wickham gave the unfancied Eagles, 29 points adrift of Spurs in the Premier League, a ninth-minute lead before a penalty by former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend made it 2-0.

Spurs' Kieran Trippier missed with a penalty before half-time as Tottenham suffered more spot-kick woe following Thursday's shoot-out defeat by Chelsea in a League Cup semi-final.

Tottenham pressed for a goal in the second half but Palace, just three points above the relegation zone, upset the form book to record a deserved win.

This reverse left Mauricio Pochettino still searching for his first trophy as Tottenham manager since the Argentinian joined from Southampton in 2014, with Spurs' last piece of silverware the 2008 League Cup.

It is also bound to intensify the debate over whether Spurs need to change their transfer strategy and spend big in the closing days of the January window.

Spurs were without injured England stars Harry Kane and Dele Alli, while the in-form Son Heung-Min had still to return from international duty with South Korea at the Asia Cup.

Pochettino, however, decided to omit Christian Eriksen, with the influential playmaker not even among Spurs' substitutes at Selhurst Park.

For all they are third in the Premier League, Spurs are nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

And, with title-holders Manchester City also ahead of them, it would be a surprise if Tottenham -- last crowned champions of England in their 'Double' season of 1960/61 -- ended the season top of the table.

The Champions League is now Tottenham's only hope of a trophy this season, with Pochettino's men playing German club Borussia Dortmund in the last 16.

Pochettino said his side had suffered a "painful" defeat, telling BT Sport: "Palace did not do much, but they scored and deserved to go through to the next round.

"It was so painful to lose the game like this. There were some key moments, like the (missed penalty), which would have changed everything."

He added: "We have to look forward to the Premier League and Champions League.

"We are in a crazy run of fixtures, but this is how it is in England. We cannot complain and just try in the two competitions to give our best."

It took Palace a mere nine minutes to open the scoring, Wickham following up after a Jeff Schlupp shot was blocked by Spurs goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Palace then made the most of a bizarre incident when Spurs' Kyle Walker-Peters handled a cross into the box.

It was a clear penalty and Townsend made no mistake from the spot, slamming the ball into the middle of the goal.

"It was good to get the goal in the first 10 minutes and give us the platform to build on," said Wickham, whose goal was his first in any competition since November 2016.