Burnley have sensationally eliminated Chelsea from the Carling Cup following a penalty shoot-out win.
Burnley through to quarter-finals after upsetting Chelsea
Burnley have sensationally eliminated Chelsea from the Carling Cup following a penalty shoot-out win at Stamford Bridge.
The sides could not be separated in regulation time after substitute Ade Akinbiyi cancelled out Didier Drogba's first-half opener.
Drogba opened the scoring after brushing aside Michael Duff and sending a right-footed curler around Brian Jensen. The Clarets levelled matters when Akinbiyi slammed the ball home after Carlo Cudicini could only parry Chris Eagles' shot.
Brazilian defender Alex could and should have won it in extra-time for The Blues, but he sent his close-range effort over from Wayne Bridge's cross.
Wade Elliott missed Burnley's first chance to clinch the shoot-out when he blazed over, but after Duff restored the visitors' lead John Obi Mikel's spot-kick was saved by Jensen to secure a famous scalp.
In the 11th minute Bridge, skipper for the night in the absence of substitute John Terry, sent a curling shot just wide of the upright.
Owen Coyle's side, fifth in the Championship having lost just four times this season, were coping well with Chelsea's attacking ambitions.
In the 19th minute, Chelsea should have opened the scoring when Drogba, making his first start for six weeks, put Salomon Kalou clear.
But the Ivory Coast striker was thwarted by Jensen as Kalou tried to take the ball around the Burnley goalkeeper.
At the opposite end, a mistake by Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini almost gifted Burnley an opener but Paulo Ferreira was on hand to clear the danger.
Early change
An injury to Juliano Belletti forced Chelsea to make an early change and he was replaced by Frank Lampard in the 25th minute.
England midfielder Lampard made an instant impact as Chelsea went in front in the 27th minute.
His precision pass to Drogba set the striker on a trademark run into the Burnley penalty area. Drogba left Duff on the floor as he swept into the area and curled the ball around the unprotected Jensen.
Lampard's introduction had clearly helped Chelsea to get on top of their game, with the England midfielder now at the heart of all their best moves.
In the 38th minute Jensen had to be at his best to keep out a low, angled drive from Florent Malouda as Chelsea looked to end Burnley's interest in the contest for good.
The second goal almost arrived in the 45th minute when Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic headed a free-kick from Mineiro against the crossbar.
In the 55th minute Ivanovic put another header over the bar after Kalou and Malouda had combined to get the ball into the penalty area.
Kalou was then thwarted by Jensen when Drogba put his Ivory Coast team-mate through on goal.
Burnley, sensing that they were still in with a chance, replaced Martin Paterson with Akinbiyi on the hour.
Drogba, the main threat to Burnley in the opening half, started to look an isolated figure as the Blues settled for containment rather than a decisive second goal.
Frustration
Chelsea's frustration was underlined by Scolari's next move, which was to replace Drogba with Di Santo in the 68th minute. But Chelsea were stunned in the 70th minute.
Chris Eagles burst on to a pass from Robbie Blake and when his shot was saved by Cudicini, substitute Akinbiyi pounced to equalise.
Di Santo missed two gilt-edged chances to restore Chelsea's lead as the game finally petered out into extra-time.
But Chelsea's misery continued when an injury to Di Santo reduced them to 10 men three minutes into the first period of added time.
Both sides failed to carve out a clear chance in the opening half but Akinbiyi brought a fine save from Cudicini with a deft header in the 111th minute.
Six minutes from time Chelsea defender Alex scuffed a shot over the bar from point-blank range as the game lurched towards penalty showdown.
The numbers were evened out moments later when Caldwell was sent off for a second bookable offence after blocking Malouda. But that was the last event of note before the game went to penalties and Jensen became Burnley's hero.
| Chelsea |
Team Statistics |
Burnley |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 16 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
0 |
| 6 |
Corners |
2 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
18 |
| 6 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
1 |
| 54.8 |
Possession |
45.2 |
|
