Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s report from Stamford Bridge.
That Timo Werner miss. Again, why was he taking it?
Timo Werner didn't know where to look after Simon Sluga denied him from the penalty spot. #FACup live text: https://t.co/ukP9K78IRh#bbcfacup #CHELUT pic.twitter.com/GWUV2UQsbQ
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 24, 2021
Tammy Abraham speaks.
It’s great to score a hat-trick and win so comfortably. Luton are a good side. It’s always nice to get a win. Hopefully we can build off that form now. We have a game on Wednesday and hopefully we can build on the confidence from here.
Full-time: Chelsea 3-1 Luton
Frank lives to fight until Wolves, and Tammy Abraham has a hat-trick. The questions will not go away as Chelsea were expected to win this one. Abraham should have scored more and that late Werner penalty miss betrayed the flagging confidence that still haunts a number of Chelsea players.
90+3 min: Giroud goes hunting for a goal but his shot ends up going through a crowd.
90 min: Luton now trying to keep the score down while Chelsea’s forwards are looking for another goal. They have three more minutes of time to find one.
89 min: Havertz gets involved but all he can do is win a goal kick for Luton. Chelsea’s next manager will be a German. Let’s see what he and Werner are like then.
88 min: Werner looks aghast. These are bad tidings from what’s been a heartening game from Chelsea.
Werner misses his penalty!
Sluga saves well, but it was at the right height. Oh Timo, oh no. Begs the question why he was taking a mercy penalty. He was on a hiding to nothing taking it.
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Penalty to Chelsea!
85 min: Kovacic’s first touch is a pass that sends Werner away. Clark brings him down. A penalty, no question.
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84 min: Off goes Mason Mount, who hands his captain’s armband to Kovacic, his replacement.
82 min: Luton corner. It comes back out, Moncur tries to get the ball back into the area, but Chelsea clear. Werner puts Giroud into a position to chip that Sluga deals well with.
81 min: Point of order from Tom Porter: “Any other keeper than Kepa and no one makes much fuss about that. Sluga’s mistake on the second was atrocious - far worse than Kepa’s.”
80 min: Nathan Jones wants more from his players. He hasn’t given up on this one, not at all. Hope springs eternal.
79 min: Benjamin Park has been in touch: “Chelsea seem to lack a system. During the Leicester game I remember thinking about how the Leicester players all knew what to do. They knew where their teammates were and what move they’d make. Chelsea on the other hand look like a bunch of individuals, a lack of understanding. Everyone knows Frank is smart, even those that refuse to admit it, but is he ready for this job? I don’t think so. But I could be talking bovine waste.”
77 min: Two Chelsea subs: Off go Abraham and Ziyech and on come Havertz and Giroud.
76 min: Kepa was scrabbling there. George Moncur, just on as a sub, bends his shot wide.
75 min: Some cheer for Frank Lampard; Hudson-Odoi has made the difference since coming on.
Goal! Chelsea 3-1 Luton (Abraham, 74)
He has his hat-trick at last. Lovely one-two between Hudson-Odoi and Gilmour and Abraham cannot miss from there.
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73 min: Hudson-Odoi gets to the left-hand byline and Abraham heads wide. Is that his seventh big chance? Frank Lampard was not impressed by that header.
71 min: Instant chance for Hudson-Odoi, who can’t get James’ ball down quickly enough and is blocked as he attempts to shoot.
70 min: Werner falls to the floor, and goes down under Mpanzu’s arm. It doesn’t look like a penalty. Chelsea bring on Hudson-Odoi. Pulisic will be coming off. He seems to be injured.
68 min: Luton the better side at the moment. Chelsea’s fluency in possession seems to have deserted them, and the nerves have returned.
66 min: Another Abraham chance, another one that misses the target. Can a player be unhappy after scoring twice? Tammy might be. He could have had a double hat-trick.
65 min: They perhaps shouldn’t be in the game, as Chelsea have had a multitude of chances but these are vital minutes.
64 min: Luton are in this game, make no mistake about that.
63 min: Luton’s second corner, and Kepa makes a point-blank save from Lockyer. There was a flag on the play though.
62 min: Triple sub from Nathan Jones, who agonised at that miss. Off go Tunncliffe, Bree and Cornick, and on come Berry, LuaLua and Bree. That Cornick chance was the striker’s final kick of the match.
60 min: A Luton chance is created by a surge from Dan Potts, and a pass to Mpanzu then finds its way to Cornick, and Kepa makes the save. It was a little close to Kepa though that’s not always guaranteed to stop a goal.
58 min: More Chelsea pressure as Ziyech’s blast comes off a pile of bodies. Last-ditch stuff from Luton, who just can’t get out.
57 min: Chelsea pushing on and creating loads of chances. Pulisic and Mount fashion a chance and Lockyer has to deflect the ball behind. He didn’t know much about it.
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56 min: Some wizardry from Ziyech takes four players with him, and he slots the ball back to Mount who then smashes the ball over the bar.
55 min: Luton look to break but Naismith is halted by a fine James tackle. The next goal is vital, he said obviously. Frank Lampard does not look too satisfied.
53 min: Chelsea force a corner. Ziyech takes, but goes short and Pulisic crosses and Abraham fails to get on the end of it. He really should have done. He could have had five in this game.
51 min: Kepa comes out to deal with a long goal kick. This time, no calamity, and he chests it down and plays a neat pass.
49 min: Luton look far brighter but the ball breaks to Pulisic, who then has a shot saved by Sluga. Pulisic is down, and looks hurt. Though his pride should be hurt; Ziyech had laid that on a plate for him.
47 min: Luton have gone four at the back, and are pushing up. After all, they’re the team who need a goal.
46 min: And now they are actually playing. It’s been a while. And the snow is back in session too.
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Half-time sub: Dan Potts, once of West Ham, is on for Luton, replacing Steve Rea.
That half-time break was almost 20 minutes. Nathan Jones has to sprint on the icy pathway back into the ground. A poor show from his lot.
Luton take their time over arriving back on the field, and the talk is of a dodgy clock in their dressing room. And finally they begin to make their way back on.
Half-time: Chelsea 2-1 Luton
On the balance of play, Chelsea should be many goals ahead, and looked to have the tie won with those two goals from Tammy Abraham. Then came Kepa’s error, something to give Luton belief and Frank Lampard cannot afford to relax.
45+2 min: A final chance for Luton, with a free-kick on the edge of the box. Cornick headed down and this time Kepa does make a save.
45 min: James on the overlap, Werner gets the ball and loses it. Luton protecting their foothold in the game. Two minutes have been added on.
44 min: Luton sat back in big numbers. They have a corner to defend, and it’s a poor one that Tom Lockyer gets away. Then, Mount does well, beating two defenders and sending in a cross. Abraham can’t get to it; he could have had four already.
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42 min: Good save from Sluga from a Mount snapshot. Chelsea pushing on for theier third.
41 min: Timo Werner, after setting up that first goal, seems to have disappeared again. It seems like he and Pulisic are being asked to play the same role and the American is seeing far more of the ball.
39 min: Bradley comes across to stop Pulisic and Chelsea have a corner which is comfortably cleared by Luton. That Kepa mistake has flushed them with confidence.
37 min: Tammy Abraham might have had a hat-trick but got no sort of contact on a Reece James pass played across goal. Pulisic was slow to follow up too.
34 min: Pulisic tries to curl one in but it goes over the bar.
On that two-ball thing for Chelsea’s first, some comments. First, Mike in Canada: “I think that two balls on the pitch might inject some much needed excitement into the upcoming Man U vs Liverpool game based on how dull the match earlier this week was.”
Then comes Lane: “If there are two balls on the pitch play is stopped until one is removed. That’s always been the rule. Under VAR we are in a Trumpian dystopia where the rules ar3e whatever the media wants to make them to suit their narrative. Football has already been damaged - much more of this and it will be fatally wonded. GET RID OF VAR AND CURTAIL THE INFLUENCE OF MURDOCH AND TV COMPANIES. WE WANT FOOTBALL BACK!!!!!!!”
And J Black: “Two balls on the pitch and throw in taken 7 yards up the pitch. The goal shouldn’t have stood under laws of game, officials at fault and its “not crying over spilt milk””
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32 min: David Coote, the referee, gets in the way of Chelsea free-kick routine. The officialdom has been a bit wonky in this game, what with the two-ball thing.
Goal! Chelsea 2-1 Luton (Clark, 30)
A Kepa kalamity! Jordan Clark’s shot is low and the goalkeeper is a little unsighted but he has to do better than that. Luton are back in it. Oh Frank!
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29 min: Pulisic goes close, choosing his right foot to hit a first-time shot and a good low save from Sluga’s foot gets the danger cleared.
27 min: Zouma looks troubled still but wins a header when the ball is whacked up long.
26 min: Kurt Zouma is down, and is holding the back of his knee. Tammy Abraham, though he is smiling, does appear to be carrying that shoulder problem. Zouma gets up but looks a bit unsteady on his left knee.
24 min: Luton began defensively but now must open up. That plays into Chelsea hands. Pulisic, moving a little slowly, forces a corner.
22 min: Pulisic is limping, which is not a good sign while Tammy Abraham looks to have a sore shoulder. On cold days like this, knocks do tend to feel far worse.
21 min: Frank Lampard is still giving it loads on the sidelines. He looks very nervous indeed despite his team having this game fully in their grasp.
19 min: Harry Cornick - it had to be him - does well to fashion some territory from which they earn a corner. Dewsbury-Hall heads over.
18 min: Looks like Lampard lives to fight on until Wolves in midweek then.
Goal! Chelsea 2-0 Luton (Abraham, 17)
Tammy gets his second, after a nice move from Chelsea. James lobs the ball up and Abraham nods over Sluga who is off his line.
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16 min: Dewsbury-Hall, the West Yorkshire stately home on loan from Leicester, gets forward at last but Cornick is being crowded out. Chelsea launch it long and the ball almost drops for Pulisic.
14 min: Luton have a problem on their left. Ziyech carves a chance for Abraham. Naismith, the debutant, has his work cut out.
12 min: That was Abraham’s first goal since Boxing Day and that was the first glimpse of a partnership with Timo Werner for a while. One oddity about that goal is that there were two balls on the field. Luton aren’t happy about that but it’s crying over spilt milk at this stage.
Goal! Chelsea 1-0 Luton (Abraham, 11)
Werner cuts it back from a quick throw-in, and Abraham seizes on the chance.
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11 min: Mount takes the corner and Zouma heads way over.
10 min: Long ball from Ziyech to Abraham who is stopped in his tracks by Sluga’s sliding challenge, helped along by the snow. Then Mount gets a shot in, though it’s blocked. First corner for Chelsea.
8 min: Luton striker Cornick has a lonely role and is chasing shadows up there, pressing hard. He does, though, get some support from Naismith, the debutant, who whips in a cross. Kepa claims it.
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6 min: Emerson chips up the ball and Sluga, the Luton goalie, claims with some ease.
5 min: Kepa stepping up and sets up an attack. Werner squares the ball after stepping past Lockyer. And it’s hurriedly cleared.
4 min: The Luton manager Nathan Jones on the sideline, no beanie for him, and he’s doing plenty of talking. Oh, hang on, a near-Kepa kalamity as Christensen plays him into trouble. The clearance is hurried to say the least.
2 min: Werner heads down a blind alley as Luton’s massed - five-man - defence closes off space.
1 min: Away we go, with Timo Werner getting the first touch. The snow is heavier in the central areas.
Here come Luton, coming from the back entrance as Chelsea exit from the usual tunnel, which is too small to accommodate two teams in these Covid times. Frank Lampard IV leads out his men. His father, Frank Lampard III, is clad in natty beanie hat.
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Seems to be a delay in the teams coming on to the field, as the ground staff try to clear up the snow. The two teams come out from different entrances and there is no sign of Luton’s players.
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Frank Lampard speaks.
It’s a competition I always give a lot to. I was lucky to have success in it as player and went close last year. They’ve a very capable manager and good players who have the desire to win so we have to be at out best. We need to find form individually and as a team. When you are in a tough moment every game is an opportunity.
The BBC have admirably not invoked the Motown classic when referring to Nathan Jones’s return to Luton last season. He speaks.
We’ve always had a culture that we like to test ourselves. It’s a real test and a great game, we also pay them utmost expect. If we do the basics right we are giving ourselves an opportunity.
Kepa’s in goal for Chelsea on a snowy pitch. What could possibly go wrong?
Next round 🏆 #FACup
— kepa Arrizabalaga (@kepa_46) January 10, 2021
Very honoured to have played 100 games in the @chelseafc shirt 💪 pic.twitter.com/08THyJinGW
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The big news is that Frank Lampard has named his own son, Mason Mount, as captain. As Frank Lampard is Frank Lampard’s son and that Frank Lampard’s dad was called Frank Lampard, that probably makes Mason Mount Frank Lampard IV.
Talking of Baxter Basics, here’s Ed Aarons’ take on Brexit and football.
PA Media’s take on that team news.
Mason Mount captained Chelsea for the first time as Frank Lampard made seven changes for the game with Luton in the FA Cup fourth round at Stamford Bridge.
Billy Gilmour started in midfield as Lampard fielded a strong side as expected, with the Blues manager battling to rejuvenate his team’s form and solidify his own position. Kepa Arrizabalaga was handed a rare start in goal, while Timo Werner partnered Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham in a front three.
Full-back Kal Naismith made his first start for Luton.
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, James, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson Palmieri, Mount, Gilmour, Ziyech, Pulisic, Abraham, Werner.
Subs: Rudiger, Jorginho, Caballero, Kovacic, Giroud,
Hudson-Odoi, Chilwell, Azpilicueta, Havertz.
Luton: Sluga, Bree, Lockyer, Rea, Bradley, Mpanzu, Clark, Tunnicliffe, Dewsbury-Hall, Naismith, Cornick.
Subs: Shea, Potts, Berry, Hylton, Lee, Moncur, Collins, LuaLua, Nombe.
Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire)
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Frank Lampard goes Baxter Basics.
Here are the teams at a snowbound Stamford Bridge
Today's starting XI 👇
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 24, 2021
7️⃣ changes from our league match against Leicester. A big day for @masonmount_10 as he takes the armband 💪 #CHELUT pic.twitter.com/pCH4d6SoRD
🎩 Your Hatters to take on @ChelseaFC in the #EmiratesFACup 4th Round 👇#COYH | #CHELUT pic.twitter.com/qyUCi9pozY
— @LutonTown (@LutonTown) January 24, 2021
Preamble
Frank Lampard can talk about “confirmation bias” all he likes but the truth is that his Chelsea team have been playing like a drain for some time now. That may not mean his is a terminal situation, even when considering the twitchy trigger finger of Mr Abramovich, as he always deigns to call the club’s owner. But it could be made more parlous by losing to Luton Town. It’s a fixture that reminds of the last days of the old First Division, of Mick Harford and Gordon Durie and the like, but the clubs’ trajectories could hardly have been more different in the last three decades. The Hatters have been down into non-league, while Chelsea have won both the Champions League and the Europa League. It’s a first meeting since the clubs met in the 1994 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, when both goals were scored by Gavin Peacock. That famous occasion proved not to be the last time Chelsea would face the son of a Showaddywaddy member in Scott Oakes, son of Trevor, the Under The Moon Of Love hitmakers’ guitarist. Stefan Oakes, Trev’s other son, made his debut for Leicester three years later against the Blues. Can Luton take three steps to heaven and put the mockers on Frank? Stranger things have happened.
Kick-off 12pm, join me.
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