On this evidence Antonio Conte will have multiple subjects at which to direct his anger this weekend. The buildup to this largely sterile, listless affair had been dominated by the Italian’s mutual antipathy with José Mourinho, a long-brewing feud now unfolding at a rate of knots. If only events here had moved at anything like that kind of speed: Chelsea barely created a clear chance to speak of against a brighter Norwich side that, although toothless, fully merited its replay. The fixtures continue to mount up and so, surely, will Conte’s frustration that his squad lacks the depth to compete capably on all fronts.
David Luiz’s return from a six-week injury absence was the most notable of nine changes made by Conte from the rollercoaster ride at Arsenal. Essentially, the Chelsea manager brought in a number of his less-used senior squad members; the bench, though, was a different matter and alongside Álvaro Morata sat six players with barely 10 appearances between them.
If the away side could be forgiven for other priorities, the same could hardly be said for Norwich, who lie nine points and seven places shy of the Championship play-off spots. Their coach, Daniel Farke, had pronounced himself a “deep believer in cup competitions” and kept alterations to a relative minimum, the main interest being the lack of an out-and-out striker in a fluid front three.
One of them, James Maddison, had a shot blocked within four minutes and it was Norwich who fizzed with intent. Josh Murphy had a go at Antonio Rüdiger down the left and Alex Pritchard, a playmaker of similarly deft touch to the vaunted Maddison, served notice that he would not be limited to a perch on the opposite flank.
Under Farke, Norwich have had few problems retaining possession; that was proved amply in an opening quarter when Chelsea, struggling for both shape and initiative, failed to produce a move of note.
They were almost punished when David Luiz, dithering in his own area, was caught on the ball by Pritchard and fortunate to see it rebound out for a goal-kick. Murphy then cut inside and curled over; in between, the response had been an attempted through ball by Tiémoué Bakayoko that ran harmlessly out of play.
A shot from Kenedy that deflected two yards wide off Christoph Zimmermann was notable mainly because it was Chelsea’s first real moment of threat. That was after 31 minutes and shortly afterwards the Brazilian lost a battle of strength with the diminutive Pritchard in an episode that said plenty for the teams’ respective appetites.
Norwich were keen to set Murphy against Rüdiger, although it was a fair match for pace. When Murphy appeared to have burst beyond him, the defender’s recovery pulled him wide enough to drag a cross-shot out for a throw-in. It was the cue for Murphy to swap flanks in search of a more profitable dig at Gary Cahill; it was the rusty David Luiz, though, who erred again with a foul on Maddison that brought a deserved booking.
Chelsea could hardly have been less incisive and emerged for the second half with more vigour and Zimmermann was forced to clear ahead of the poised Willian almost instantly. Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater missed the target and Willian finally forced Angus Gunn into a sharp save down to his left. He followed that with a driving run into the area and an effort that was gathered rather more comfortably.
There was less rhythm to Norwich now although a clumsy foul by Cahill on Pritchard, again penalised with a yellow card by Stuart Attwell, was a reminder of their variation in the opposing half. Pritchard, seemingly re-energised, watched a shot loop over off Drinkwater as the half’s midway point loomed but the game had yet to stretch out in the manner that both managers – neither enamoured with the prospect of a replay – might have preferred.
If Murphy had kept his cool rather than volleying wide after a fluffed punch by Willy Caballero, Norwich might have had their victory. Their lack of a centre-forward had brought a lack of authority at the sharp end. Michy Batshuayi had, damningly, had a similar effect for Chelsea and was replaced for the final 15 minutes by Morata. But there was no late charge; a winner rarely looked likely.
