Chelsea 6-0 Everton
Would you rather play a deflated Manchester City side, or an exultant one?
Chelsea will find out on Saturday afternoon at Wembley when they meet in an FA Cup semi-final, after City’s Champions League exit in midweek.
Pep Guardiola’s side were pushed to extra time and then penalties by Real Madrid on Wednesday night, with Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne both subbed through tiredness.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession and chances, City fell at the final hurdle, losing 4-3 in the shoot-out. Former Chelsea favourite Mateo Kovacic missed his penalty kick, while another ex-Blues player Tony Rudiger scored for Real at the Etihad.
Chelsea and City meet at 5.15pm at Wembley, leaving Guardiola’s men relatively little time to recover compared to the Blues, who were in action on Monday night in yet another memorable occasion in SW6.
Like buses, extraordinary matches involving Chelsea seem to come in waves.
Hard on the heels of the breathless last-gasp 4-3 victory against Manchester United came a second cracker as Chelsea demolished Everton 6-0, with another Cole Palmer home hat-trick.
He went on to net four, with Nico Jackson – grumpy and out-of-sorts, yet on target with a well-taken spin-and-score – and youngster Alfie Gilchrist topping up the total.
The flurry of Palmer strikes means the FA Cup clash will see the Premier League’s two top scorers facing off. Erland Haaland and the former City youth player Palmer will share the Wembley turf - provided Haaland has fully recovered in time.
It also means that a match many assumed would be a routine win for City could be far, far closer.
Factor in the midweek European exertions for City, and – on paper at least – Chelsea should be fresher and more upbeat.
Whatever the outcome, a mesmerising spectacle is in prospect, with Mauricio Pochettino pledging to eliminate any repeat of the farce that followed the Blues' second-half penalty award against the Toffees.
Palmer is the primary penalty taker, yet Jackson and Noni Madueke tussled for the right to take the spot kick. After intervention from Conor Gallagher, it was left to Palmer.
After Wembley, Chelsea have two rapid-fire away games to play, followed by two home matches, as deferred and rescheduled fixtures are concluded towards the close of this eventful season.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
