Mauricio Pochettino came out fighting after Chelsea outclassed Aston Villa to breeze into the FA Cup fifth round.
Enzo Fernandez’s stunning free kick sealed a 3-1 victory and set up last-16 tie against Leeds at Stamford Bridge.
First-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson put Chelsea in control of the fourth round replay and they cruised to victory, despite Moussa Diaby’s injury-time consolation.
Chelsea had come to Villa Park in disarray on the back of 4-1 and 4-2 defeats to Liverpool and Wolves – leaving them 11th in the Premier League.
But Pochettino insists they cannot be compared to the dominant side from the Roman Abramovich era which won five Premier League titles – despite spending over £1billion under owner Todd Boehly.
He said: “We need to stop this thing that we are Chelsea from 20 years ago. We are not this type of Chelsea anymore. Now we need to move on and we need to create this project.
“We need to move on, I don’t care if people are happy or not happy with my speech. I care for the club, I care for my players, I want to help the players.
“We are going to fight, I don’t care what the people say. I’m not more sad or happy today after a win because we have experience, this type of project needs time and trust.
“We cannot build a team to challenge because you need to fix too many things, you need to observe, analyse and compete.
“We are building a project which may be one year, two years, three years.
“Today you can see we were ready to fight. We fight for the fans, the badge, the coaching staff. Now the challenge is to be consistent.”
Just as the Chelsea fans sung for former owner Abramovich the visitors took the lead after 11 minutes.
Jackson and Noni Madueke combined to tee up Gallagher to find the top corner for his first goal of the season.
Ten minutes later it was 2-0 as Chelsea tore Villa apart down the right and Malo Gusto’s perfect cross was nodded in by Jackson.
There was barely a response from the hosts – who lost their 11-month unbeaten home league run to Newcastle last week – and Emi Martinez saved Cole Palmer’s effort as Chelsea looked for a third.
They found it nine minutes after the break when Fernandez, having been lucky to earn a foul off Youri Tielemans, curled a brilliant 25-yard free-kick into the top corner.
Villa were beaten but managed a consolation in stoppage time when Diaby’s strike went in off both posts and they now welcome a resurgent Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Boss Unai Emery said: “We were excited and motivated and we started well, we didn’t score but we were feeling good.
“When they were getting in our box we were not being strong and they were affecting us. They got into our box with some crosses and were clinical.
“I was more or less feeling the difference was the clinical way for them.
“We scored a little bit late and had no time to score the second goal. We have to accept and analyse the match. To beat them is not easy when you’re not being clinical.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. PORTUGAL WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE ON PENALTIES Nuno Mendes 😎 Anti Right Winger Morata : Me again? Congratulations Portugal & Ronaldo Kepa in Arsenal be like I am sorry. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
- 1 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 4 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 5 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 9 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 10 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal