Chelsea Edge Past Newcastle on Penalties to Secure Carabao Cup Semi-Final Spot: Player Ratings

Chelsea achieved a thrilling win over Newcastle United on Tuesday evening, securing their position in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Despite an opening goal for Newcastle from Callum Wilson, which was a result of some questionable defending from Chelsea, the Blues managed to equalize towards the end of the match, thanks to a strike from Mykhailo Mudryk in stoppage time. This 92nd-minute goal pushed the game into the penalty phase.

All four penalties were scored by Chelsea, with Djordje Petrovic, the goalkeeper, skilfully handling Kieran Trippier's miss and denying Matt Ritchie's final effort, successfully guiding Chelsea into the final four.

The first major opportunity of the game was presented to Conor Gallagher, who struck the crossbar from range, about six minutes into the game. Not long after, Newcastle took the lead thanks to a case of mistaken passes.

Chelsea's Raheem Sterling had a couple of chances but was unsuccessful. And despite Chelsea leading in possession (76%) and only one shot on target in the first 45 minutes, the match was still in full swing.

Newcastle's defense held firm against Chelsea in the second half. Christopher Nkunku was added to the Blues' line up with the hope of injecting some energy, but it was another substitute, Mudryk, who managed to strike the vital equalizer in stoppage time.

The penalty shoot-out saw successful kicks from Cole Palmer, Gallagher, Nkunku, Guimaraes, and Mudryk. But it was Petrovic's denying of Ritchie's effort that secured Chelsea their place in the semi-final.

Performance reviews were mixed for Chelsea: Petrovic received a 6/10 grade, Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill a 5/10, Thiago Silva a 6/10, Benoit Badiashile a disappointing 4/10, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher an impressive 7/10, and Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling 6/10. Others on the team had variable performances.

Mauricio Pochettino - 4/10 - When your only natural winger is a mis-firing Sterling, you should probably play some full-backs who can actually contribute something out wide. A horrible tactical choice that made players look worse than they are. That being said, can't be blamed for the calamitous goal, which set the tone of the game.