Murdered by ex-lover, Chelsea left FA Cup empty-handed

Lukaku scored twice against his former team, helping Everton win 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals on the evening of March 12.

Lukaku celebrates his first goal against Chelsea. Photo: Reuters.

The Goodison Park crowd had to wait until the 78th minute to see the home team open the scoring. However, Lukaku's goal was worth the wait for Everton fans. The Belgian striker received the ball on the left wing, charged straight into the box and dribbled past four Chelsea players before beating goalkeeper Courtois from a tight angle.

Just four minutes later, Lukaku beat the offside trap to get past Courtois for the second time. The assist for the number 10 was again provided by midfielder Ross Barkley.

By the end of the match, Chelsea and Everton were both down to 10 men after Diego Costa and Gareth Barry were sent off. However, the two red cards could not change the final score.

The win over Chelsea means Everton are the second team to reach the FA Cup semi-finals, after Crystal Palace secured their first place yesterday. This is the competition Everton have pinned all their hopes on for the rest of the season. The Merseyside club are currently 12th in the Premier League and are no longer in contention for a European place.

As for Chelsea, the London team had to leave two arenas in just three days. In the middle of the week, coach Hiddink and his team had to accept defeat against PSG and say goodbye to the Champions League.

Chelsea got a deserved result in a season where all the players were in poor form. Photo: Reuters.

This is a disastrous season for Chelsea as they have seen the competitions pass them by, from the Community Shield, League Cup, Premier League, Champions League and now the FA Cup. In theory, Chelsea still have a chance to win the Premier League, but in reality, there is no chance for them to defend the title when they are 20 points behind Leicester and only have 9 rounds left.

What was even more bitter for Chelsea was that the person who directly killed their last hope was former player Romelu Lukaku. The star who was brought in by Chelsea but not used, like many other young players at Stamford Bridge, now scored a double against the team that abandoned him.

After the first goal against Chelsea, Lukaku ran to celebrate and appeared to cry as he buried his face in the ground. Lukaku's emotions were understandable as this was a testament to his ability in the face of Chelsea's unrecognized goal.

Lukaku's double was in contrast to Chelsea's Diego Costa. The Spanish striker had a good chance to open the scoring early in the second half but missed the post from a tight angle. Costa's biggest mark was a red card for deliberately headbutting Gareth Barry. This was an outcome that Hiddink did not want when he took the risk of using Costa despite the injury he had just received in midweek.

Chelsea should replace veterans like Terry with young faces like John Stones. Photo: Reuters.

The defeat to Everton was like the obituary of Chelsea's season. Their remaining goal will be a European Cup spot but it will be very difficult because the gap to sixth place Man Utd is up to seven points.

From now on, owner Abramovich should start planning for next season. Recent information suggests that coach Conte will take over at Stamford Bridge and if this becomes true, a major reform is about to take place at Chelsea, just like at Juventus a few years ago.

Starting lineup

Everton:Robles, Coleman, Funes Mori, Jagielka, Baines, Cleverley, Barry, Lennon, McCarthy, Barkley, Lukaku.

Goal: Lukaku (78', 82')

Chelsea:Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Kenedy, Mikel, Matic, Willian, Fabregas, Pedro, Diego Costa.

According to VNE