What We're Reading
League Cup: Sunderland Shocks Chelsea
- Guardian, Wednesday, December 18, 2013 10:49 AM
Chelsea was just two minutes away from securing a place in the English League Cup semifinal on the back of a slender 1-0 lead against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday, when Blues goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer parried USA international Jozy Altidore’s shot into the path of substitute Fabio Borini, who coolly slotted home from a tight angle. Since League Cup replays are now a thing of the past, the match then when into overtime, and was two minutes from heading to a penalty shootout, when Ki-Sung-yeung, another substitute, maneuvered some space in the area to put a low shot past Schwarzer for the win.
After the game, Sunderland coach Gus Poyet said he hopes the dramatic victory can be the catalyst for the last-place Premier League club’s season. "The players were fantastic. They gave everything and worked together so well," he said. "At halftime I told them to keep believing, whatever happens. We have a way of playing and if we work together as soon as we get going, we create chances. That's fundamental – they must understand that they can compete with the top teams. We have already beaten Manchester City and Chelsea. We need to believe that, whoever we're playing against."
Meanwhile, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho once again pointed to his team’s inability to kill a match it seemed to be in control of. "It is the same story of Stoke, of Everton, of every match we lost,” the Portuguese said. “We never lost a match because the opponent is stronger than us. We don't kill the opponent, we give them life. It's always the same."
