Mauricio Pochettino's decision to bring off Mykhailo Mudryk in the second-half of their FA Cup quarter-final tie was met with a chorus of boos and chants of "you don't know what you're doing".
In the 78th minute of Sunday afternoon's clash against Leicester at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino decided to substitute Mudryk and bring on Carney Chukwuemeka.
The Ukrainian looked dangerous in spells but, after goals from Axel Disasi [OG] and Stephy Mavididi levelled the scores at 2-2, the Chelsea manager clearly wanted some fresh legs in the final stages.
Advert
That decision, however, was criticised by some sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd.
"Listen to the boos," said BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce as Mudryk's number emerged. "The crowd aren't happy with this. It's a long trudge around the pitch and the Chelsea fans aren't happy."
Pochettino had the last laugh, however, as Chukwuemeka handed Chelsea a 3-2 lead in the 92nd minute, while another substitute, Noni Madueke, made it four moments later.
Advert
It was an afternoon of mixed emotions for Chelsea fans, who appeared to boo Raheem Sterling after he fired a free kick over the crossbar during a forgettable performance.
The Blues raced into a 1-0 lead thanks to Marc Cucurella but shortly after, Sterling missed a penalty, which sparked plenty of reaction from fans on social media.
Sterling continued to struggle and things took a nasty turn in the second-half, when the England international blazed a free-kick over the bar, sparking boos from the home crowd.
Sterling was recently left out of England's 25-man squad ahead of friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Advert
“It’s difficult to talk because what am I going to tell him?" Pochettino said after being asked about Sterling's absence from the Three Lions side.
"All we can do is support him and try to help him to perform here. It is not our decision.
“Of course he needs to perform well to convince Gareth but what I tell him is no consolation, (nothing I can say) can make him happy. Nothing. Football is like this.”
Featured Image Credit: BBC SportTopics: Chelsea, FA Cup, Mauricio Pochettino, Leicester City
