David Hytner was at Kenilworth Road this evening. He witnessed a cracking cup tie, and here’s his take on it. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
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Match report coming up ... but while we wait, Barney Ronay has been peering into the unknown. Here’s his take on a momentous, if not totally unexpected, announcement from the Chelsea owner.
Nathan Jones never wrote me, he never called ... and he never came out to speak to the BBC. Ah well, the song’s a better use of three minutes anyway.
Thomas Tuchel talks to Auntie. “We made things a bit harder than it needed to be. It was difficult. The difference between a final and then three days later here is huge, but I like how we played and never lost our head. We were patient and at the same time relentless. We deserved to win. It was a very humble performance. Maybe I heard the news [of Abramovich’s announcement] a little bit earlier than you, but it was still very close to the kick-off. We heard the rumours throughout the day. The guys talk about it. It is big news, but let’s wait and see and hope for the best. Every decision he takes is the right decision: it is his choice, his club, and it is not for me to comment. In the very short term, it changes not too much, maybe even nothing, but it is a big situation and there will be a lot of reports. We will try to cancel the noise and stay focused. We showed today we are able to do it. To play on the same day when focus was key makes it a bigger performance, and I am happy.”
That’s a huge win for Chelsea in the circumstances. A shock FA Cup defeat, three days after the disappointment of the League Cup final, and a couple of hours after Roman Abramovich announced his intention to sell the club, would have cast quite the pall over Stamford Bridge. But Timo Werner scored one and set up another to vanquish valiant Luton, and suddenly the mood is brighter. “Cup games are always very difficult, especially when you play away against a second-division team who did very well, but at the end we were the better team,” Werner tells the BBC. “I am happy. I made my goal and an assist. I tried to help my team as much as I can. It was the biggest defeat so far in the cup final in front of 90,000, and today was also a cup final in front of 10,000. Both of the games were difficult to play, so after losing we wanted to show we wanted to go into the next final. It was hard work but we are happy we won.”
FULL TIME: Luton Town 2-3 Chelsea
Luton can be proud of their performance, and for a while harboured dreams of a shock for the ages. But Chelsea aren’t European and world champions for nothing, and found an extra gear during the final quarter of the game to make it to the last eight. Thomas Tuchel bounds onto the field to celebrate a hard-earned victory. A great cup-tie.
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90 min +2: A free kick for Luton near the halfway line. Isted hoicks it long. Pulisic returns it back upfield with a time-consuming run. Chelsea are nearly there now.
90 min +1: The first of three added minutes is played out deep in Luton territory, just as Chelsea like it.
90 min: A long Hail Mary towards the Chelsea box. James holds off Bell, playing the ball off the Luton man and out for a goal kick. The home fans scream for a penalty for handball, but the referee’s not interested, there’s no VAR ... and the ball clanked off James’s midriff anyway.
89 min: Chelsea put on a masterclass in clock management, stroking the ball around the back in a carefree style. Hylton gets fed up, and clatters Kepa mid-clearance. Kepa takes the opportunity to drop to the floor and eat up a little more time.
87 min: Ruben Loftus-Cheek is named man of the match on the BBC. Seems fair enough, he’s been magnificent in this second half, the prime mover in Chelsea giving a looming shock the big bodyswerve.
85 min: Jerome very nearly strips last man Sarr of possession. The young Chelsea defender has hasn’t been at his best tonight, unable to stop either of Luton’s goals, and getting away with a couple of other mistakes that could easily have led to disaster.
83 min: Pulisic slips Vale into space down the right. The young man wins a corner off a tired-looking Osho. Nothing comes of the set piece, but for the first time tonight, Luton are beginning to look a little ragged.
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81 min: The ball is pinging around at 101 mph right now. Luton are chasing everything down, while Chelsea appear desirous of a fourth goal that would surely seal the deal and send them into the velvet bag for the quarter-final draw. Nothing is certain!
80 min: Luton aren’t giving this up, though, and Hylton responds by winning a corner down the right. James clears Jerome’s delivery with a crashing header.
GOAL! Luton Town 2-3 Chelsea (Lukaku 78)
Space for Werner down the right. He curls in low and hard. Lukaku extends a leg and guides into the bottom left from six yards. A quick turnaround by the Premier League side!
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78 min: Sarr gives the ball straight to Hylton. The Luton striker would be clear if his first touch takes him away from the Chelsea defender, but Sarr gets a boot in just in time to avert disaster. And then ...
77 min: Chelsea replace Jorginho with James, while Luton swap out Muskwe and Mendes Gomes for Hylton and Snodgrass.
75 min: Loftus-Cheek is beginning to run the show. He runs from deep before slipping a pass down the left for Mount, who shuttles further onwards to Werner. Lukaku wants a low cross for a tap-in, but there’s no way through. Luton clear.
73 min: The Chelsea fans chant their support of Roman Abramovich. The Luton fans retort by accusing them of being embarrassing. A difference of opinion over geopolitics that will doubtless be similarly staged in several places on the internet.
71 min: Chelsea’s tails are up again now. Vale and Rudiger take turns to have a dig from distance. Nothing doing at the moment, but Luton are struggling to hang on, when a few minutes ago, as they entered the final quarter of the game in front, they were beginning to dream.
69 min: No celebration from Werner, but that was an extremely composed finish by the Chelsea striker, who scores for the first time since the sixth minute of Chelsea’s third-round victory over Chesterfield a couple of months ago.
GOAL! Luton Town 2-2 Chelsea (Werner 68)
Out of nothing! Loftus-Cheek, quarterbacking in the centre circle, sends a perfectly weighted long pass down the inside left to Werner, who takes a touch to get away from Burke, opens his body, and slots gracefully into the bottom right. The European and world champions are back on terms!
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68 min: Muskwe is booked for a cynical clip on the heel of an in-flight Loftus-Cheek. He doesn’t bother arguing.
67 min: Vale floats in a cross from the right. Werner competes but loses out to Isted, who plucks from the sky.
66 min: Chelsea are looking to release Lukaku whenever they can. Rudiger hoicks down the inside-right channel. Too long. Saul tries again down the left. Too long. Chelsea are a study in frustration right now.
65 min: Sarr slips the ball wide left for Mount, who is in acres. Mount hoicks an awful cross onto the roof of the stand behind. That’s put the home fans in a good humour.
63 min: Both teams make a double change. Chelsea swap out Kenedy and Hudson-Odoi for Pulisic and 18-year-old Harvey Vale, while Luton send on Campbell and Jerome in place of Berry and goalscoring hero Cornick.
61 min: Loftus-Cheek sashays down the middle of the park in style, but is eventually outnumbered. He gets up and knocks Lockyer to the ground. Chelsea again betrayed by their frustration.
59 min: It is pelting down in Luton. Saul works some space down the right, but fails to deliver a cross, and is eventually stripped of possession by Bell. Saul fouls his opponent in frustration. Luton are looking fairly comfortable at the moment, even if Chelsea are enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
57 min: Chelsea probe. Rudiger misplaces a pass. Potts blooters clear. Muskwe tries to overpower Sarr in a one-on-one race for the ball, but ends up accidentally clanking his opponent upside the head. Foul, and a quick word from the ref.
55 min: Werner wins a corner with a determined dribble down the left. From the set piece, Loftus-Cheek sends a close-range header over the bar.
54 min: A reminder that this tie has to be decided tonight, one way or the other. Extra time, maybe? Penalties, possibly! Kepa with an opportunity for instant redemption?
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53 min: ... Mount back-flicks at the near post, but only into the stand behind the goal.
52 min: Mount leads a counter attack and slips the ball wide right for Hudson-Odoi, who can’t beat Bell but is able to win a corner. From which ...
51 min: Rudiger lets a simple pass roll under his boot and is forced to turn tail. The ball ends up back at the feet of Kepa, who shanks a clearance into the stand. Chelsea aren’t exactly rattled - they were threatening to take control before Luton’s second, after all - but they’re not quite on their game at the minute.
49 min: Saul has a rasp from 25 yards. It’s a decent, rising effort, and the ball moves around a bit in the air, but it’s well dealt with by Isted, who has done very well since coming on for the unfortunate Steer.
47 min: Muskwe busies himself down the right and is upended by a slightly irritable Saul. Berry takes the free kick. Too long, too high. Throw on the other side to Chelsea, who, according to BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce, were looking a bit “grim-faced and tense” as they waited for the restart.
Luton get the second half underway. No changes. “Given the circumstances, this would NOT be a classic FA shock,” argues Claire McConnell. “I’m sure the players must be deeply affected by events over the past few days. Tuchel is so drained he does not have the energy to get off the bench, walk to the sidelines and yell. He is simply sitting there muttering. And as a diehard Chelsea fan, the importance of winning this game disappeared as soon as Roman released his statement.”
Chelsea have either been sent out early by a furious Thomas Tuchel, or are being deliberately kept waiting in the cold by a bold and saucy Luton team. Ah, here come the hosts, finally. We’ll be off again in a minute.
Half-time entertainment. Max and Barry ask: is it the end of the Abramovich era? Yes.
HALF TIME: Luton Town 2-1 Chelsea
A brilliantly entertaining half of ebb and flow ends with the Championship play-off hopefuls leading the champions of Europe and the world. All three goals have been excellent. A classic FA Cup shock is currently on!
45 min +5: Kenedy chips cutely down the left to release Saul into the Luton box. Saul can’t find anyone with his cross but settles for a corner. Kenedy fails to beat the first man with the set piece. Luton clear.
45 min +4: Rudiger puts in a couple of no-nonsense challenges that fair get the Luton faithful’s dander up. This is a cracking cup tie.
45 min +2: Luton have unsurprisingly rediscovered their earlier verve since Cornick’s goal.
45 min: There will be five extra first-half minutes, a result of the injury to Luton goalkeeper Steer.
44 min: Lukaku’s miserable run of form continues apace, as he gets in the way of Rudiger’s speculative long-range shot, deflecting the ball harmlessly over the Luton bar.
42 min: Chelsea were enjoying a period of dominance before that sucker punch, and now they’re reeling. Sarr is booked for over-enthusiastically claiming Cornick was offside - it was certainly tight, but as certainly on, and in any case there’s no VAR - and then Muskwe is allowed to shoot from 20 yards. Kepa gathers. A triptych of composure-loss is complete when Kenedy squares up to Kioso over bugger all. The world and European champions suddenly could do with hearing the half-time whistle.
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GOAL! Luton Town 2-1 Chelsea (Cornick 40)
... so having said that, Luton take control again! On the halfway line, with Chelsea pressing up, Muskwe lays off to Osho, who feeds a pass into an empty half, sending Cornick clear down the inside-left channel. Cornick romps towards the Chelsea box, draws Kepa, and slots powerfully into the bottom right. What a finish that was! Fine move by Luton too, as they played through the Chelsea press.
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39 min: Luton were pressing at warp speed during the early exchanges. Not so much now.
37 min: Isted gets away with a huge mistake, misjudging a long ball on the edge of his box, allowing the wind to take the ball over his head. Lukaku can’t shove the loose ball goalwards, and the danger is eventually cleared.
35 min: Chelsea are beginning to pile on the pressure now. Lukaku pearls a low drive towards the bottom right, drawing another fine save from Isted. Nothing comes from the resulting corner.
34 min: The Luton and Chelsea fans instigate a minute of applause in memory of local hero and Stamford Bridge regular Jamal Edwards, the music pioneer who tragically passed recently.
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32 min: It could easily be two for Chelsea ... and for Saul. Jorginho slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Saul, who aims low towards the bottom left. Isted turns the ball around the post for a corner, a fine save. He makes an even better one from the corner, too, as Kenedy creams a rising shot towards the top right. Isted tips around the other post at full stretch. Nothing comes of the second corner in the sequence.
31 min: “You’re getting sold in the morning,” trill the local satirists.
29 min: That’s taken a bit of wind out of the Luton support’s sail. Kenilworth falls quiet, with the obvious exception of the denizens of the aforementioned Oak Road Stand.
GOAL! Luton Town 1-1 Chelsea (Saul 27)
... Chelsea go up the other end and score a goal out of nowhere. Osho ships possession cheapy in the centre circle. Mount intercepts, races down the inside right, and lays off to Werner, who thinks about a shot. The ball instead breaks to Saul on his left. Saul opens his body and steers brilliantly into the bottom right from the edge of the box!
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26 min: Isted launches long. Sarr tries to pass back to Kepa but clanks out for a corner. Kepa flings the ball away in irritation. He’s not had a great 27 minutes or so of football, all considered. The corner leads to a close-range header by Potts, who sends it softly towards the Chelsea keeper. Saved. And then ...
24 min: Mount crosses deep from the right. Saul, coming in from the other flank, meets the ball at the far stick, and sends a header down and up into Isted’s hands. The best Chelsea have managed so far.
22 min: Saul bundles into the back of Muskwe as he battles down the Chelsea left. The whistle goes for a free kick, and he’s slightly fortunate to escape a booking after lashing the ball away in frustration. A bit early for histrionics, but the referee shows leniency anyway.
20 min: A great atmosphere at Kenilworth Road, by the way. The home fans hoping for a famous feat of giant killing against the eight-time FA Cup winners. Luton have just the one final appearance on the roll of honour, losing to Nottingham Forest in the 1959 Wembley showpiece.
18 min: Werner had an opportunity to go down there, too. Lockyer was dangerously close to shoving him in the back as the ball bounced. In fact, there was a little light contact, and Werner could easily have gone over in the hope of winning a cheap penalty, but he stayed honest.
16 min: Rudiger launches long down the inside-right channel for Werner, who for a second looks likely to meet it on the volley just inside the box. Werner hesitates as the ball drops over his shoulder, allowing it to bounce. The ball threatens to rear up and topspin over Isted, who claims well given his cold introduction.
14 min: Steer, gloves covering his face, is carted off on the stretcher. Warm applause all round the corner. On comes Isted in, er, his stead. Hopefully his stint as a substitute keeper will go better than Kepa’s did last Sunday.
12 min: Steer knew the jig was up immediately. His ankle turned as he backtracked, then pushed forward. As he fell, he punched the turf in frustration, his big night over. On comes the stretcher.
11 min: Saul, quarterbacking from deep on the left, curls infield for Lukaku. Steer comes out to gather, but turns his ankle before he can get to the ball and crumbles to the turf, already yelping in pain. If Lukaku manages to chest down, he’s got an empty net to roll the ball into. He can’t control. A huge chance for Chelsea passes by, but this is bad news for Steer, who looks seriously hurt.
9 min: Luton are playing at a no-nonsense Championship pace, with no little Premier League confidence and skill. A bit of space for Bell out left. His low teasing cross is anticipated well by Kepa, who gathers without fuss. A chance for Chelsea to take a deep breath.
7 min: Berry curls long. Burke finds himself in acres, 12 yards out, just to the right of the penalty spot. He aims a looping header towards the top left. Kepa punches half-clear, and the whistle goes for offside. Chelsea look shocked, borderline affronted, as a result of Luton’s blistering start.
6 min: Osho strides with great purpose down the inside-left channel and is clipped by Jorginho, currently in rabbits-in-headlights mode. Another free kick in a dangerous position for the Hatters.
5 min: Chelsea try to gather themselves and clear their heads. Werner probes down the left and looks for his partner Lukaku in the middle, but his low cross is easily intercepted.
4 min: A sensational start for the Championship play-off hopefuls against the champions of Europe and the world. And there’s no sign of their letting off, as they win a free kick out on the right. It’s whipped into the mixer, where Muskwe flashes a header high and wide. Luton have come flying out of the traps!
GOAL! Luton Town 1-0 Chelsea (Burke 2)
Berry takes. He curls to the near post. Burke beats Sarr to a header on the edge of the six-yard box, and flicks a header across a rooted Kepa and into the top right! What a start!
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2 min: Luton start on the front foot, winning a throw deep in enemy territory. Bell flings it in long, and wins the first corner of the game on the left. And from that ...
Chelsea get the ball rolling ... but only after they take the knee, while Luton line up on the centre circle to make a stand against prejudice. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out! Luton in first-choice burnt orange, Chelsea in blue. We’ll be off in two shakes!
Nathan Jones adds. “”It’s a big game. We had two big games against Chelsea and Man United without any fans, so it’s a big game for players and fans. It’s also a chance to test ourselves, and it’s different to being at Stamford Bridge.”
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Thomas Tuchel talks to the BBC. “If you have to lose a cup final, you want to lose it like this, when you have no regrets. We are still very pleased with our performance and attitude. There are some things around the club and within it that we cannot influence.”
No visit to Kenilworth Road should go without a respectful nod to the entrance to the Oak Road Stand. The turnstiles are situated beneath some rooms of adjacent houses, putting an extra spin on the word terraces. In its own way, as heartwarming a vision as the Wembley arch, the neon sign at Old Trafford, or the bell tower at the Olympiastadion.
Luton Town make five changes to the side named for the 1-0 win over Derby County last weekend. James Bree, Kal Naismith, Allan Campbell, Henri Lansbury and Elijah Adebayo make way for Peter Kioso, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Luke Berry, Admiral Muskwe and captain Dan Potts.
Only two Chelsea players - Mason Mount and Antonio Rudiger - retain their place in the starting XI following the penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup final. That means a start for the unfortunate Kepa in goal, as well as the out-of-sorts strike pairing of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
The teams
Luton Town: Steer, Lockyer, Osho, Burke, Kioso, Mendes Gomes, Bell, Berry, Potts, Cornick, Muskwe.
Subs: Bree, Naismith, Hylton, Snodgrass, Clark, Isted, Campbell, Thorpe, Jerome.
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Hudson-Odoi, Rudiger, Sarr, Kenedy, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Saul, Mount, Lukaku, Werner.
Subs: Kante, Kovacic, Pulisic, Mendy, Barkley, James, Vale, Hall, Williams.
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside).
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Breaking news: Abramovich confirms he is selling Chelsea
Team news to come ... but this missive from Roman Abramovich may be of some interest too. In a statement published on the official Chelsea FC website, the club owner confirms he is looking to sell the club; that he considers the move in the club’s best interests; that he will not ask for any loans, thought to total £2bn, to be repaid; and that all net proceeds from the sale will be donated to a charitable foundation set up for the benefit of “all victims of the war in Ukraine’.
The full statement, published on chelseafc.com, reads:
I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC. As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.
The sale of the Club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and Club. Moreover, I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.
Please know that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the Club in this manner. However, I do believe this is in the best interest of the Club.
I hope that I will be able to visit Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to all of you in person. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to be part of Chelsea FC and I am proud of all our joint achievements. Chelsea Football Club and its supporters will always be in my heart.
Thank you,
Roman
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Preamble
You may recall these clubs meeting in last year’s fourth round at Stamford Bridge. Tammy Abraham was the hat-trick hero in a 3-1 victory, Jordan Clark netting for the Hatters. Those with longer memories may remember the 1994 semi-final, when Gavin Peacock’s brace sent Chelsea to the final for the first time in 24 years. But you’d need to be fairly long in the tooth to have many recollections of their third-round meeting in 1935. Luton were in the old Third Division back then, but beat First Division Chelsea 2-0 in a replay, after a 1-1 draw at the Bridge in which Sam Bell’s shot was scooped off the line by Johnny Jackson, only for the referee to award Luton a goal anyway. “Chelsea were foiled by a goal whose legitimacy the ubiquitous ‘movie’ camera has thrown much doubt,” reported this paper. The more things change, huh? Chelsea may be happy there’s no VAR tonight. Kick off at Kenilworth Road is at 7.15pm, and we’ll have extra time and penalties if necessary. It’s on!
