Chelsea 2 Bournemouth 1: Substitute Alvaro Morata the hero with dramatic late winner
Bournemouth thought they were heading into extra-time after Dan Gosling curled home a beauty - but Morata had other ideas
ALVARO MORATA spared Chelsea a late shift by killing off Bournemouth in an incredible finish.
Chelsea’s leading scorer underlined how much his goal meant by stuffing the matchball up his shirt to try to spare his team-mates any more nerve shredding as they threatened to crumble under a Bournemouth fightback.
Willian had put the Premier League champions ahead on 13 minutes and it looked just enough to see them through to the semi finals.
But Dan Gosling equalised with 20 seconds left of normal time to spark a frantic finale.
Subs Morata and Eden Hazard then combined less than a minute later to restore the lead and clinch victory in a breathless climax.
Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte had hoped both his star men would be allowed a night off to rest their legs ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton.
But he was then forced to drag both off the bench as the late drama cranked up and Chelsea were put under the cosh as the game went on.
Conte insists he will stick with the reserves and rookies that have got Chelsea so far in the competition.
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As the competition reaches the business end he may need his big guns more and more, especially as his team is not at its best at the moment.
Last Saturday Southampton were in the game until the end despite going down 1-0 and Bournemouth took inspiration from that.
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They were a different team in the second half and gradually turned the screw on a team which is not handling pressure that well at present.
Conte’s bushy beard reflects the dishevelled nature of his players’ performances at the moment. Yet again they were forced to work much harder than they needed to for a win.
They are lacking a killer instinct even in the testing ground of the Carabao Cup, where the reserves and rookies get a run out.
Ethan Ampadu, just 17, was the only one from the gaggle of promising Chelsea youngsters actually given a place in the starting line up.
Slotting in at centre half he was drafted in to cover for Andreas Christensen, given a night off as a reward for his ‘amazing’ boss Antonio Conte so far this season when so little was expected of him.
It’s a similar story for teenager Ampadu, despite being a fully-fledged Wales international. These cup games are there to help bed him into the first team set up and nurture his confidence.
It’s not the dreadlocked defender’s assuredness that needs work but maybe his sense of timing is a bit raw.
Just one minute and 20 seconds into the match the rookie was booked for his poorly-timed tackle on Bournemouth’s veteran striker Jermain Defoe.
Defoe only lasted another quarter of an hour before the resultant pain in his right ankle got the better of him and forced him off.
By that time Bournemouth were a goal down and looked unlikely to claw it back .
Chelsea were in command if not total control as would become painfully apparent later on.
They took the lead through a neat passage of play, in which Brazilian Kenedy’s nifty back heel set Cesc Fabregas on the run to square the ball into the box.
Willian was alone at the back post to hammer a rising shot into the net.
That should have been the starting gun for a comfortable night but instead it become a steady slide downhill while Bournemouth gained ground minute by minute.
Coming off a 4-0 hiding at home to Liverpool, they needed something to try to restore shattered confidence and energy levels.
The increase in tempo was enough to worry Conte sufficiently to make a double change on the hour. Off came goalscorer Willian for Eden Hazard.
Morata came on with 17 to go and would later become pivotal alongside his little mate.
Bournemouth took no notice and after sub Jordan Ibe grazed a post from long range, he set up the dramatic equaliser.
Collecting a throw in from the right he laid the ball off perfectly for Gosling to curl a shot round the defence and past keeper Caballero with only 20 seconds of normal time left.
But from the next move upfield, Morata flicked a pass to Hazard who raced into the box then reverse passed to the Spaniard who crashed home a shot for the winner which sent shockwaves of relief around Stamford Bridge and saved everybody from extra time.