Chelsea had to rely upon Marcos Alonso’s extra time winner to come out on top of a resilient Plymouth Argyle outfit in the fourth round tie of the FA Cup on Saturday.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
The home side were in for an early shock when Plymouth found the back of the net in the eighth minute for the opener through Gillesphey.
Thomas Tuchel’s men nearly got a foot back in the game when Romelu Lukaku teed up Mateo Kovacic but the latter’s effort rattled the crossbar.
Chelsea hit the post once again on the half hour mark with Callum Hudson-Odoi unable to find the back of the net from a dangerous Hakim Ziyech corner into the box.
It was skipper Cesar Azpilicueta with the deftest of finishing to level the affair for his side with the defender set up by Mason Mount to back flick the ball into the net.
The game was up for grabs in the second period with either team looking to find the all important second goal to claim the win and book their spot in the fifht round of the FA Cup.
Extra time, however, was on the cards at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea clinched an advantage in the first minute of added time with substitute Marcos Alonso making no mistake in his finishing.
The visitors Plymouth were granted a respite in the final stages when Malang Sarr brought down Hardie in the box but from the resulting spot-kick, Kepa was at his best to deny the former and ensure Chelsea’s win.
