Tammy Abraham’s fourth goal in the FA Cup this season was enough to see Chelsea defeat a brave Barnsley side.
Abraham’s 64th minute goal was all that the Blues needed to come away with a 1-0 victory away at the Oakwell Stadium and the goal moved the striker to the top of the goal-charts in the competition.
Speaking post-match the Abraham said he was confident his chance would come: “Coming here is never an easy place, we knew it would be hard.
“I just had to stay patient for that goal, I knew that chance was going to come eventually and I just had to be in the right place at the right time to finish it.”
Despite scoring the winner the 23-year-old claimed his heroic clearance at the other end was more enjoyable: “I probably preferred the goal line clearance, I grew up being a defender and it was my instinctive reaction to get in and be in the right place.
“I saw the ball coming in and I just told myself I have to do this I have to get something on it and luckily I did.”
The Championship side started brightly refusing to let Chelsea play out from the back which unsettled the Premier League side.
Callum Brittain could have put the hosts in front early on but his first-time effort from point blank range was straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga who parried away.
The chance did little to liven up the visitors but Tammy Abraham was harshly denied a penalty after he was brought down in the box by Toby Sibbick. However without VAR present at the ground, referee Martin Atkinson waved play on – deeming it a fair challenge.
Brittain went close again on the brink of half-time with a neat corner routine which saw the 22 year-old’s goal-bound shot go marginally wide of the post after an unfortunate deflection off his own teammate Victor Adeboyejo.
After the break a similar pattern ensued as Barnsley continued to frustrate the Blues by disrupting their usual possession-based game.
It took until the 59th minute for Chelsea to have their first real chance through Callum Hudson-Odoi’s left-footed effort which went just wide of the far post.
Blues defender Antonio Rudiger then saw his free header flash just wide from a Hakim Ziyech cross as Chelsea looked to turn up the heat on a bitterly cold night in Yorkshire.
The Blues eventually made the most of their best ten minutes in the game to take the lead. Half-time substitute Reece James broke in behind before setting up Tammy Abraham to tap into the empty net in what proved to be the visitors only shot on target in the entire match.
The goalscorer then became Chelsea’s defensive hero, denying Michael Sollbauer his first ever goal for Barnsley. Abraham headed the Collier defender’s shot off the line after Arrizabalaga failed to clear the initial cross.
Barnsley continued to push for an equaliser but failed to create any more clear-cut chances as the Chelsea defence stayed resolute to record a fourth clean sheet in five matches since Thomas Tuchel took charge.
The Blues will now host Sheffield United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on the weekend of the week beginning 15th March.
