Ruben
Loftus-Cheek headed home on 90 minutes as Chelsea escaped South Wales with a
controversial 2-1 win over Cardiff.
Loftus-Cheek, on as a second-half substitute, steered his header into the
corner of the net from Willian's cross to seal Chelsea's comeback after
Cesar Azpilicueta's header from an offside position had cancelled out Victor
Camarasa's fine opener.
Cardiff, who also saw two good penalty shouts turned down, had looked set
for a precious three points in their fight against relegation when Camarasa
clipped a fine first-time effort past Kepa Arrizabalaga on 46 minutes,
prompting boos and jeers from the visiting fans towards Sarri.
Player ratings
Cardiff Etheridge (6), Peltier (6), Morrison (8), Manga
(7), Bennett (7), Arter (7), Gunnarsson (7), Camarasa (8), Murphy (7),
Hoilett (6), Niasse (6)
Subs: Mendez-Laing (N/A), Zohore (N/A), Ralls (N/A)
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga (6), Azpilicueta (6), Rudiger (6),
Luiz (6), Alonso (6), Jorginho (5), Barkley (6), Kovacic (6), Pedro (6),
Higuain (5), Willian (6)
Subs: Hazard (7), Loftus-Cheek (8) Giroud (N/A)
Man of the match: Sean Morrison
But Azpilicueta, two yards offside when Marcos Alonso flicked the ball into
his path, levelled on 84 minutes and after Antonio Rudiger was fortunate to
escape a red card for hauling down Kenneth Zohore, it was left to
Loftus-Cheek to leave Cardiff boss Neil Warnock fuming on the touchline.
The result lifts Chelsea to within a point of the top four, with Cardiff
five points adrift of safety, albeit with a game in hand on Burnley.
A tepid first half saw Chelsea dominate possession but fail to muster a shot
on target, with Josh Murphy creating the best chance of the opening 45 when
he bent a shot just wide from the angle after working some space in the box.
Meanwhile, Sean Morrison should have won a penalty for the hosts when his
shirt was tugged by Alonso, with Pedro's fizzed effort over the bar on 10
minutes the closest Chelsea came to threatening Neil Etheridge's goal.
But the game sparked to life straight after the break when Chelsea failed to
properly clear a set-piece and Harry Arter's low ball into the box was met
by Camarasa, leaving Kepa with no chance.
Sarri's response was immediate as he threw on Eden Hazard, who started the
game on the bench, and the Belgian drew a yellow card from Arter before
Morrison should have had a second spot-kick - Rudiger this time hauling him
to the ground.
At the other end, Morrison was putting in a heroic shift, blocking Pedro's
shot before intercepting Hazard's dangerous ball across the six-yard box.
Willian then flashed an effort across the face of goal, but with Cardiff
looking solid in defence, they were undone by Azpilicueta's offside header.
Zohore was then set free only to be hauled down by Rudiger, but with the
home fans and players baying for a red card, referee Craig Pawson produced a
yellow, sending Warnock apoplectic.
And his mood would only worsen, as Loftus-Cheek's late intervention left him
staring down the officials as they left the pitch to a chorus of boos.
What's next?
Cardiff visit Manchester City on Wednesday night - live on Sky Sports
Premier League. Chelsea, meanwhile, host FA Cup semi-finalists Brighton on
the same evening.
Teams
Cardiff City Etheridge, Morrison (c), Bennett, Peltier,
Manga, Gunnarsson, Arter (Ralls 80), Camarasa, J. Murphy (Mendez-Laing 90),
Hoilett, Niasse (Zohore 85)
Subs Not Used De Cordova-Reid, B. Murphy, Harris, Bacuna
Booked Arter, Gunnarsson
Goals Camarasa 46
Chelsea Kepa, Azpilicueta (c), Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso,
Kovacic, Jorginho (Loftus-Cheek 64), Barkley, Pedro (Hazard 53), Willian,
Higuain (Giroud 77)
Subs Not Used Caballero, Christensen, Kante, Hudson-Odoi
Booked Jorginho, Azpilicueta, Rudiger
Goals Azpilicueta 84, Loftus-Cheek 90+1
Attendance 32,657
Referee Craig Pawson