(Football news) As their opponents defeated Bournemouth 1-0 in extra time, Chelsea defeated Leeds United 3-2 in the fifth round to move on to the final eight. Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of Chelsea, who is currently under criticism, will get another chance to win a trophy in English football if his team avoids a cup upset on Sunday. Two months after their EFL Cup disappointment, he will have another chance to eat at Wembley.

Chelsea were given a tough time by Leeds, who appeared to be on track to force extra time until Conor Gallagher’s heartbreaking 90th-minute goal. This came after Chelsea had shown off their dominance in their third-round match against Preston North End and had won the match in replay over Aston Villa.

Just a couple of weeks on from that five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino’s charges prevailed by the same scoreline when Newcastle United arrived for a Monday evening top-flight fixture, although the Blues will still enter the international break in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

However, the Blues can take solace from both their overall performances in knockout competitions in 2023-24 and their excellent quarter-final record in the FA Cup; Chelsea have won each of their last five matches at this stage of the competition and have not lost a last-eight battle since 2015-16.

Also exorcising their Stamford Bridge demons of 2023, only one of Chelsea’s last 13 home matches across all competitions has seen Pochettino’s side suffer defeat, although Leicester already know a thing or two about inflicting FA Cup misery onto their West London foes.

Leicester traveled to Bournemouth, another elite team, on February 27 for their fifth-round match, which they earned by eliminating Millwall and Birmingham City in the previous round. Leicester will most likely be returning with their hosts on Sunday in the 2024–25 Premier League campaign.

While Enzo Maresca’s team was not in a particularly merciless mood, Abdul Fatawu’s stunning goal in the 105th minute was all that was needed. With the Cherries’ top scorer, Dominic Solanke, sidelined due to injury, Bournemouth missed multiple opportunities to break past the Foxes’ net.

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