Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk sent a message to Newcastle Kieran Tripper after the defender’s dismal display in Tuesday evening’s Carabao Cup encounter.
Chelsea secured their passage into the Carabao Cup semi-finals by beating Newcastle 4-2 on penalties, having snatched a late 1-1 draw in stoppage time.
Callum Wilson put Newcastle ahead with his 16th-minute goal, only for Chelsea to strike back with minutes remaining through Mudryk.
The Ukrainian pounced on a loose Trippier header in the box and found the bottom corner to send Chelsea’s fans into raptures.
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Trippier then saw his night get even worse as he missed his penalty, firing a wayward shot a yard beyond the bottom corner. Matt Ritchie also failed from 12 yards, allowing Chelsea to reach the final four.
After the game, Mudryk expressed sympathy for Tripper.
Writing on Instagram, the Chelsea winger said as per Fabrizio Romano: “Kieran, I just wanna say to you: stay strong.
“Sometimes s**t happens but I think you are a strong footballer, no matter what”.
Elsewhere, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino praised his side for the display, which had come after several underwhelming performances in the Premier League.
Pochettino told Sky Sports: "When we conceded it was our mistake and we dominated after.
“Overall we deserve [to win] and give full credit to the players because they always believed until the end. In this type of thing in football, you need some luck but by always trying luck can arrive, and the situation was amazing.
"It's important. After winning you can see the whole squad on the pitch, players that are injured are all there together.
“It was an unbelievable feeling with the fans. It's these types of games and situations that make us really believe, grow and improve.
“There's still much to do and improve but step-by-step we are doing well and recovering players."
Topics: Football, Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea, Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United, Carabao Cup
Chris Byfield