Chelsea football club bounced back from a series of heavy losses in the Premier League with a fantastic 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Wednesday.
The win will have undoubtedly put a smile on the face of manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has been under intense scrutiny following his team’s recent poor form.
The London-based club scored two first-half goals, one by Conor Gallagher and the other by Nicolas Jackson, before Enzo Fernandez added a sublime free-kick to seal the victory in the second half.
Aston Villa, who are currently on the fringes of the Premier League title race and sit 15 points ahead of Chelsea, were outplayed throughout the match and their hopes of progressing in the cup were shattered.
Moussa Diaby scored a late consolation goal for Villa, but it was too little, too late.
Chelsea, who have won the FA Cup eight times, will now host Leeds United in the fifth round of the competition.
Additionally, they have a League Cup final against Liverpool to look forward to later this month.
Before the match, Pochettino faced questions about his future at the club and whether he still had the backing of the owners.
His side currently sits in 11th place in the Premier League, despite a significant outlay on new signings.
Adding to the manager’s troubles, the wife of experienced defender Thiago Silva took to social media to call for change following Chelsea’s 4-2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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However, Pochettino’s young guns finally delivered the kind of sustained performance that has been lacking this season.
Although veteran Silva was left on the bench, Chelsea’s young players showed their quality, and the team secured a much-needed victory.
Aston Villa started brightly but were stopped in their tracks in the 11th minute when Jackson set up Gallagher to score a clinical finish into the roof of the net.
Chelsea’s confidence continued to surge, and they doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Malo Gusto’s cross was headed past Emiliano Martinez by one of Chelsea’s players.
Enzo Fernandez’s impact at Chelsea has so far failed to justify the more than 100 million pounds ($126 million) that the club spent on him.
However, he showed his class with an unstoppable curling free-kick that had his World Cup-winning compatriot Martinez clawing at thin air.
Despite just one win, the performance by Chelsea on Wednesday might just prove to be a turning point for the team and take some of the spotlight off Pochettino.
