Chelsea squandered opportunities and will have to replay their FA Cup third-round match.

Chelsea were not complacent in their FA Cup third-round match against Norwich, as evidenced by Antonio Conte's use of several key players in the starting lineup, including Gary Cahill, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Willian, and Pedro. However, the absence of crucial players like N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard meant the visitors' attack lacked cohesion.

The reigning Premier League champions held possession for over 60%, unleashed nearly twice as many shots as "The Canaries," but failed to convert any of them. In the second half, Alvaro Morata was brought on, but Chelsea's main striker only had 15 minutes to showcase his talent and didn't threaten Norwich at all.

Norwich used a 3-4-3 formation, similar to Arsenal's three days earlier, against Chelsea. Despite being outplayed in terms of possession, the most important thing for the home team was ensuring defensive security and effective attacks down the flanks. In the first 45 minutes, Norwich had more shots on goal.Gary Cahill's slow pace was constantly exploited, and Willy Caballero was repeatedly put on the edge of his seat by the lower-league team.

In the second half, Conte adjusted Willian's position, moving him completely to the right wing instead of playing as an attacking midfielder behind the striker as in the first half. The Brazilian midfielder's dribbling and attacking prowess troubled Norwich, but Michy Batshuayi lacked the quickness to find his position. The most noteworthy moment was Willian's breakthrough and shot into the near corner in the 56th minute, which was blocked right on the goal line.

Norwich played cautiously but had the most significant chance of the match. In the 69th minute, following a cross from the right wing, goalkeeper Caballero rushed out to punch the ball away but made a mistake, allowing it to fall right into the path of Josh Murphy. The Norwich number 11 took a one-touch shot but missed the center of the ball; otherwise, Chelsea's net could have been rattled as the home striker was standing very close to the goal.

Morata was brought on as a last-minute solution with only 15 minutes left, but the Spanish forward failed to bring any dynamism, as Chelsea's problem lay in creating chances, not scoring goals.

The London team's lackluster draw ended with a long-range shot from Davide Zappacosta in the third minute of added time. The Chelsea newcomer headed the rebound and fired a powerful shot from nearly 30 meters, sending the ball just over the crossbar.

After the match, Conte shook his head in frustration on the sidelines.They will most likely have to replay the match in mid-January 2018, costing them a full week of rest from January 13th to 20th. The Stamford Bridge team will then have to continue playing at a pace of three days a week, similar to the period from Christmas to New Year, until the end of January, due to two League Cup semi-final matches against Arsenal on January 10th and 24th.

Thang Nguyen