London: Nine-man Chelsea won a penalty shootout Wednesday to beat second-tier Norwich City and sneak into the FA Cup fourth round following a tempestuous replay that ended 1-1 after extra time.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was fuming at the final whistle after Pedro and Alvaro Morata were sent-off in extra time and two penalty appeals had been waved away, but the Premier League champions regained their composure to win the shootout 5-3.
Eden Hazard stroked home the winning penalty to decide what had begun as a dire spectacle until Michy Batshuayi gave Chelsea the lead in the 55th minute, before Jamal Lewis levelled in added on time for the Championship side.
It has been a dismal start to 2018 for Chelsea, who came into Wednesday’s match having drawn their previous four games, and the performance against Norwich will have done little to convince fans they have turned a corner.
They did at least find the net, however, which they had not done in their last three matches, with Batshuayi tapping home Kenedy’s cross from close range. However, Norwich levelled when Lewis headed home a devilish Timm Klose cross in stoppage time.
Chelsea were aggrieved not to get a penalty when Willian appeared to be tripped in the area only for referee Graham Scott to wave away his appeals, even after consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
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