Bulls***!’ He needs to be on the bench if Chelsea wants to win trophy this Season- Alan Shearer ‘angry’ with Chelsea FLOP after an Awful performance yesterday against Leicester that almost cost them the FA Cup Semi Final
Alan Shearer was furious and perplexed after Raheem Sterling denied Cole Palmer a penalty in Chelsea’s dramatic FA Cup quarter-final victory over Leicester City.
Chelsea were already up 1-0 owing to Marc Cucurella’s early goal, and they had a chance to expand their lead when Sterling was knocked over in the box midway through the first half.
Palmer, who has a perfect record from the spot this season, initially went to take the penalty but then passed the ball to Sterling after a brief argument with his teammate.
Sterling’s weak shot was saved by Leicester custodian Jakub Stolarczyk, and while Palmer added a second on the stroke of half-time, the Foxes recovered excellently after the break.
Axel Disasi’s comedic own goal gave the Championship joint-leaders hope, but Stephy Mavididi’s curling equaliser startled Stamford Bridge.
Despite being down to ten men with 20 minutes remaining, Leicester appeared poised to send Chelsea to extra time before the hosts secured their spot in the semi-finals with late goals from Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke.
“What in the world was going on there?” “Honestly, even I was getting angry, and I didn’t really care about the game,” Premier League icon Shearer told The Rest is Football podcast.
‘Why on earth is he stealing the ball from Cole Palmer? Palmer has five out of five [from the penalty spot], is Chelsea’s best player, has been fantastic all season, and exudes confidence.
‘Why would you even consider taking it off him? And why would you even put yourself forward with such a track record?
On the show, ex-Manchester City defender Micah Richard believed Sterling was trying to boost his confidence with a penalty goal, to which Shearer retorted, ‘Bulls***.
It’s the FA Cup quarter-finals, man! Forget about all that s***; give the penalty to the penalty-taker.
Arsenal veteran Martin Keown also slammed Sterling for ‘pulling rank’ on Cole Palmer, although Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was unconcerned with the incident.
‘Cole passed the ball to Raheem; I believe they have a very excellent relationship; it stems from, of course, Manchester City, when they were both present,’ he remarked.
The Blues overcame a scare to defeat Leicester City.
The Blues overcame a scare to defeat Leicester City. (Image: Getty)
‘When Raheem requested for the ball to take the penalty, I believe Cole handed him the ball, as you can see on the television. But that is not a problem; Cole and Raheem can both miss; in my opinion, their decision is their own.
‘Of course, I will always support my players’ decisions on the pitch. That is about to mature, and I am always glad when we make a decision.
After defeating Leicester, Chelsea was drawn to meet Premier League champions Manchester City in the FA Cup. Manchester United will face Championship side Coventry City in the other semi-final.
