Norwich 0-0

Telegraph:

Norwich 0 Chelsea 0: Toothless performance leaves Antonio Conte with unwanted replay

Antonio Conte faces another 90 minutes of football this month

Sam Dean, at carrow road

Who would have thought, barely 48 hours ago, that Antonio Conte would end the weekend with a pair of rather pressing problems? The first of those is a certain Jose Mourinho who, as we learned on Friday night, is hellbent on waging a campaign of media warfare against the Chelsea manager. The second is an unexpected addition to Chelsea’s already congested fixture list, as a dogged Norwich City side held the Premier League champions to a deserved draw at Carrow Road.

Having lost just one game in 15, a trip to face a mid-table Championship side seemed unlikely to pose too much of a challenge. But, then again, neither did a Manchester United press conference following a routine FA Cup victory over Derby County. So here we are, with Chelsea needing to find time for an unwanted replay and Conte having to deal with an escalating conflict with the master of footballing feuds.

Conte’s side never found their groove here, and rarely troubled Daniel Farke’s impressive Norwich outfit, who will perhaps consider themselves unfortunate not to have turned their first-half dominance into a memorable victory. Against a desperately poor Chelsea team, Norwich were the more energetic, creative and exciting side, and frankly, deserved more than this stalemate.

With Chelsea set to face Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final, Conte made nine changes to the side that had featured in that thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates in midweek. The rotation meant that David Luiz was selected for only the second time since October, while backup goalkeeper Willy Caballero and the Brazilian Kenedy made just their fourth appearances of the season.

There was also space for Michy Batshuayi, who has largely failed to impress his manager in a turbulent first half to the season but boasts an impressive record against lower league opposition. In four matches against sides below the Premier League before this trip to Carrow Road, the Belgian had scored seven goals and created two others.

The wholesale changes appeared to take their toll in the first half as Conte’s unimaginative side struggled for fluidity and coherence in possession. Norwich, meanwhile, looked threatening through electric winger Josh Murphy, their top scorer this season, and the highly-rated attacking midfielder James Maddison.

It would, though, be an exaggeration to say that Daniel Farke’s side looked particularly close to breaching that Chelsea defence in what was a tentative start to proceedings. Maddison had the first glimpse of goal but was blocked by a mass of Chelsea legs, while Murphy curled well over after another of those jinking runs down the Norwich left.

In truth, the home side’s best opportunity in the first half appeared to be to give the ball to Luiz in the hope that he might implode. It certainly looked a viable plan after 25 minutes, when Luiz was unnecessarily caught in possession twice in the space of a few seconds. The first occasion was in his own penalty area, and nearly allowed Norwich forward Alex Pritchard the easiest of openers. The second, just a moment later, gave Pritchard an opportunity to bustle his way towards goal, where his shot was blocked as the overlapping Murphy screamed for a pass.

A difficult return to the side for Luiz, who has been overtaken by Andreas Christensen in the defensive pecking order this season, was then made worse by a yellow card he was awarded for a late challenge on the turning Maddison.

With his speed and weaving runs, Murphy was the game’s stand-out attacking player, and Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger could have been forgiven for needing a brief lie-down at the break. One particularly explosive burst sent the Norwich winger clear in the penalty box as his side continued to dominate, but his final ball was neither shot nor cross.

Murphy’s twinkling feet contrasted sharply with the stodginess of Willian, Pedro and Batshuayi in the Chelsea attack, where the absence of Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas was clearly having a telling impact.

As the game wore on, Norwich grew in confidence. Suddenly, they very much did look like scoring, as Maddison curled over from range and a threatening cross from Pritchard forced Chelsea’s Davide Zappacosta into a crucial clearance.

Thankfully for Chelsea, Willian was a man reborn after the break, dipping between challenges and firing shots on goal. Danny Drinkwater and Pedro also had attempts from range, while Norwich were for a time too preoccupied with defending to overly worry about the other end.

But they were able to regroup, just at the point it looked like the game may be slipping away from them. Pritchard and Murphy went close again, while Timm Klose headed wide. At this stage, though, both sides became frightened of over-committing, and a draw ultimately proved inevitable, even if Zappacosta nearly won it at the death with a strike from range.

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Observer:

David Luiz makes rusty return as Norwich take Chelsea to FA Cup replay

Norwich 0 - 0 Chelsea

Nick Ames at Carrow Road

On this evidence Antonio Conte will have multiple subjects at which to direct his anger this weekend. The buildup to this largely sterile, listless affair had been dominated by the Italian’s mutual antipathy with José Mourinho, a long-brewing feud now unfolding at a rate of knots. If only events here had moved at anything like that kind of speed: Chelsea barely created a clear chance to speak of against a brighter Norwich side that, although toothless, fully merited its replay. The fixtures continue to mount up and so, surely, will Conte’s frustration that his squad lacks the depth to compete capably on all fronts.

David Luiz’s return from a six-week injury absence was the most notable of nine changes made by Conte from the rollercoaster ride at Arsenal. Essentially, the Chelsea manager brought in a number of his less-used senior squad members; the bench, though, was a different matter and alongside Álvaro Morata sat six players with barely 10 appearances between them.

If the away side could be forgiven for other priorities, the same could hardly be said for Norwich, who lie nine points and seven places shy of the Championship play-off spots. Their coach, Daniel Farke, had pronounced himself a “deep believer in cup competitions” and kept alterations to a relative minimum, the main interest being the lack of an out-and-out striker in a fluid front three.

One of them, James Maddison, had a shot blocked within four minutes and it was Norwich who fizzed with intent. Josh Murphy had a go at Antonio Rüdiger down the left and Alex Pritchard, a playmaker of similarly deft touch to the vaunted Maddison, served notice that he would not be limited to a perch on the opposite flank.

Under Farke, Norwich have had few problems retaining possession; that was proved amply in an opening quarter when Chelsea, struggling for both shape and initiative, failed to produce a move of note.

They were almost punished when David Luiz, dithering in his own area, was caught on the ball by Pritchard and fortunate to see it rebound out for a goal-kick. Murphy then cut inside and curled over; in between, the response had been an attempted through ball by Tiémoué Bakayoko that ran harmlessly out of play.

A shot from Kenedy that deflected two yards wide off Christoph Zimmermann was notable mainly because it was Chelsea’s first real moment of threat. That was after 31 minutes and shortly afterwards the Brazilian lost a battle of strength with the diminutive Pritchard in an episode that said plenty for the teams’ respective appetites.

Norwich were keen to set Murphy against Rüdiger, although it was a fair match for pace. When Murphy appeared to have burst beyond him, the defender’s recovery pulled him wide enough to drag a cross-shot out for a throw-in. It was the cue for Murphy to swap flanks in search of a more profitable dig at Gary Cahill; it was the rusty David Luiz, though, who erred again with a foul on Maddison that brought a deserved booking.

Chelsea could hardly have been less incisive and emerged for the second half with more vigour and Zimmermann was forced to clear ahead of the poised Willian almost instantly. Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater missed the target and Willian finally forced Angus Gunn into a sharp save down to his left. He followed that with a driving run into the area and an effort that was gathered rather more comfortably.

There was less rhythm to Norwich now although a clumsy foul by Cahill on Pritchard, again penalised with a yellow card by Stuart Attwell, was a reminder of their variation in the opposing half. Pritchard, seemingly re-energised, watched a shot loop over off Drinkwater as the half’s midway point loomed but the game had yet to stretch out in the manner that both managers – neither enamoured with the prospect of a replay – might have preferred.

If Murphy had kept his cool rather than volleying wide after a fluffed punch by Willy Caballero, Norwich might have had their victory. Their lack of a centre-forward had brought a lack of authority at the sharp end. Michy Batshuayi had, damningly, had a similar effect for Chelsea and was replaced for the final 15 minutes by Morata. But there was no late charge; a winner rarely looked likely.

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Mail:

Norwich City 0-0 Chelsea: Blues held by Championship side in disappointing performance as they are forced into FA Cup third round replay

By Riath Al-samarrai for The Mail on Sunday

Too bad that after all the fighting talk from their manager in the build-up, Chelsea’s second string rocked up in Norfolk without anything like the same appetite for a scrap.
They were weak, lacking in edge, spite and purpose — just about the opposite of Antonio Conte in his controversial performance on Friday, when he didn’t just light the touchpaper on a feud with Jose Mourinho but rammed it into his mouth as well.

While the finer points of Conte’s rant crossed a line in taste, there can be no doubting his side needed some of the fire of his wider message here. It was a mess of a performance, from a flat first half that bordered on the inept to the second, when time and again they were limited to half-chances by the 13th-ranked side in the Championship.

Conte was back on the anti-Mourinho beat straight after the game, saying: ‘We know him very well from the past, but it is always the same. This is his way, which isn’t surprising to me.
‘When you insult another person I think you are a little man. That’s what I think, he is a little man. Life will go on, I’m not worried about him, but for sure, there is an opportunity when we play Manchester United to clarify this in a room.’

As for this game, take nothing away from Norwich City — they did a brilliant job of containment and showed more ambition going forward than most Premier League sides when faced with the bigger creatures of the top flight. Josh Murphy, in particular, had chances to win this game.
Chelsea will now run into extra fixture congestion and for that can blame themselves, because the performance was generally lousy. It was a drastically changed side to the one Conte prefers in the league.

On the specifics, Conte made nine changes, with only Gary Cahill and Tiemoue Bakayoko retained from the side that drew at Arsenal. Most notable among the incoming was David Luiz, playing for the first time since November 22 and still rusty after recovering from a knee injury.
He was caught in possession twice in dangerous areas and each time allowed Alex Pritchard a look at goal.

It is hard to recall a half from Chelsea’s season so far when they have made so many individual errors, sent so many passes to the wrong shirt and delivered so many long punts on purely a whim. Danny Drinkwater, Davide Zappacosta, Antonio Rudiger — none of them found any traction in that first 45 minutes. It didn’t help that Michy Batshuayi again struggled to serve as a meaningful target man.

That shouldn’t detract from Norwich’s effort. They controlled the half, forced plenty of the errors and made the only decent openings, such as they were in a period where no shots went on target.
Most of what was good came from Murphy, who repeatedly got the better of Rudiger and might have made a tangible difference with sharper finishing.

Chelsea were better in the second half. Almost immediately the chances came, with Christoph Zimmermann blocking a goalbound Zappacosta header before Bakayoko drilled wide and Willian drew a pair of saves from Angus Gunn.

Still Norwich wouldn’t lie down. Pritchard had a shot deflected over and Murphy had a volley touched wide by Luiz with Willy Caballero stranded, which concerned Conte sufficiently to bring on Alvaro Morata. Nice option from the bench, but it altered nothing.

Norwich (3-4-3): Gunn 6.5; Hanley 6, Zimmermann 7, Klose 6; Pinto 6.5, Tettey 6.5, Trybull 6, Lewis 6; Pritchard 7 (Wildschut 87), Murphy 7 (Oliveira 83), Maddison 6
Unused subs: McGovern, Husband, Vrancic, Hoolahan, Watkins
Booking: Hanley 77, Tettey 86

Chelsea (3-4-3): Caballero 6; Rudiger 5.5, Luiz 5, Cahill 6; Zappacosta 6, Drinkwater 5, Bakayoko 6.5, Kenedy 7 (Musonda 78); Willian 7.5, Batshuayi 5 (Morata 74, 6), Pedro 6 (Sterling 89)
Unused subs: Eduardo, Ampadu, Clarke-Salter, Hudson-Odoi
Bookings: David Luiz 41, Cahill 62

Ref: Stuart Attwell 6.5
MOM: Willian

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Independent:

Impressive Norwich City hold Chelsea to goalless draw and force FA Cup third-round replay

Norwich City 0 Chelsea 0: Antonio Conte mixed up his team selection but fresh legs failed to find a way through the Canaries' stubborn resistance

Derren Howard Carrow Road

An excellent Norwich City earned a deserved replay against Premier League Champions and last year’s FA Cup finalists Chelsea. Norwich were much better than many expected while a lacklustre Chelsea simply didn’t show enough ambition or aggression to break through Daniel Farke’s well-organised team, who are hovering around mid-table in the Championship.
A replay was the last thing Chelsea manager Antonio Conte would have wanted but his team didn’t deserve any better.

Norwich, who are unbeaten in their last three games in the Championship, have been knocked out in the third round of the FA Cup for the last four seasons. The last time they advanced into round four was a 3-0 win against Peterborough in 2013 when Norwich had Harry Kane, on loan from Tottenham, as an unused substitute.

Conte didn’t risk the likes of Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas but left Alvaro Morata as an option from the bench. Michy Batshuayi started up front and defender David Luiz contested his first match for six weeks following a knee problem.

Norwich are at something of a cross roads. They sit 13th in the Championship and nine points adrift of the play-off places and their Premier League parachute payments end this season. Last campaign, the Canaries ran up a wage bill of £55m, the second-highest recorded in Championship history. Head coach Farke is rebuilding the team while preparing for departures of high earners. The visit of Chelsea reminded home supporters of what they are missing following relegation under Alex Neil two seasons ago.

The hosts started well and enjoyed decent spells of possession. Alex Pritchard and James Maddison, their two best attacking players, looked lively without seriously troubling the Chelsea back three of Luiz, Gary Cahill and Antonio Rudiger or goalkeeper Willy Caballero, in for Thibaut Courtois.

Norwich’s first attempt on target came from Josh Murphy. The 22-year-old winger advanced down the left, beating Rudiger, and his cheeky near-post effort was well gathered by the alert Caballero. Murphy also wasted a half-chance on 35 minutes as once again he made good progress on the left but lost his composure in the box and dragged his effort, neither a shot or cross, well wide. Norwich were expanding plenty of energy, playing at pace while Chelsea were composed, held their positions without offering too much going forward. They were waiting for Norwich to blow themselves out and then exploit the gaps – it never happened, Norwich were to good and didn’t allow it while Chelsea were too passive to make it happen.

With Premier and Champions League commitments looming, the last thing Chelsea wanted was an FA Cup replay. Conte’s team showed a touch more ambition after the break and Willian had their best effort on 59 minutes when he tested Angus Gunn with a fierce drive from 18 yards after Tom Trybull had lost possession.

Cahill was booked for clattering Pritchard but the former Spurs man was soon back on his feet. He wriggled free in the box and his effort looped off Luiz and dropped narrowly over the cross bar. Still Norwich came forward. Jamal Lewis’ freekick was tamely punched by Caballero but Murphy’s shot once again lacked accuracy – he should have done better.

Last year’s beaten finalists Chelsea have advanced from 20 of their last 21 FA Cup ties against sides out of the Premier League. Morata came on for Batshuayi with just under 20 minutes to go but not even the former Real Madrid man could find a way through well-drilled home defence.
The closest they came was in the 92nd minute when Davide Zappacosta walloped a volley wide of the post.

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Sun:

FEELING BLUE Norwich 0 Chelsea 0 match highlights: FA Cup replay forced by Canaries as second-string Blues fail to make an impression

The likes of Kenedy, Michy Batshuayi and David Luiz were given a chance to stake their claims for a place in the main starting XI

By Anthony Chapman

CHELSEA'S multi-million pound stars were forced into an unexpected FA Cup third round replay after drawing with a plucky Norwich City side this evening.
The Canaries held their own at Carrow Road as Antonio Conte's first-team hopefuls failed to make an impression in East Anglia.

Given Antonio Conte's regular fixture complaints, he would not have wanted a replay, but Championship Norwich frustrated the Blues, who came closest when Willian's effort was turned round a post by Angus Gunn.
And Chelsea, Premier League champions and FA Cup finalists last season, will now host Daniel Farke's men at Stamford Bridge in 10 days' time.

Conte, as promised, rotated his side, with Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg with Arsenal in mind.
Nine changes were made following the midweek Premier League draw at Arsenal as Conte reverted to his cup side.

David Luiz played his second game since October after a rumoured fallout with Conte and a subsequent knee injury.
The Brazil defender is not the only person to get on the wrong side of Conte this season, with the Italian's feud with Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho escalating on Friday.
Conte says he is "ready to fight...with everyone". And he was as animated as ever in his technical area, despite the "clown" comment from Mourinho which the United boss had insisted was self-deprecating, rather than aimed at the Italian.
Norwich troubled their visitors. Murphy's runs made Antonio Rudiger uncomfortable and Pritchard pounced on two Luiz lapses.

Pritchard stole the ball when Luiz received a Willy Cabellero pass, but his heavy touch saw the ball go out for a goal kick.
Next Luiz's mis-kick was seized upon by Murphy and Pritchard created a chance, but Luiz recovered to block.
This was not to be as straightforward as Luiz's last appearance, a 4-0 win over Qarabag in Baku on November 22.

Chelsea were seeking an outlet, but Michy Batshuayi's control continually let him down, up against imposing pair Christoph Zimmermann and Grant Hanley.
Willian and Pedro, under pressure to perform following the arrival of Ross Barkley, offered little support, while Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater could not get a foothold in midfield.
Murphy again ran at and beat Rudiger, but appeared caught by indecision as his final ball was neither a shot nor a cross. The ball went out for a throw in.

Luiz was booked for catching Maddison late and Batshuayi made his frustration clear by squabbling with Hanley at half-time.
Batshuayi's tame effort early in the second half was Chelsea's first on target. There were plenty off target.
Chelsea's best chance was fashioned by Willian, but Gunn turned his shot around a post. The goalkeeper held another effort from the Brazilian soon afterwards.
Norwich continued to cause problems and Conte had seen enough.
With 16 minutes remaining Alvaro Morata was on, with Batshuayi withdrawn.
Charly Musonda was also sent on, for Kenedy, but Davide Zappacosta's stoppage-time volley wide from distance was the closest Chelsea came to breaking the deadlock.

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Mirror:

Norwich 0-0 Chelsea: Antonio Conte's B-team held by Canaries in FA Cup third round - 5 talking points
A much-changed Chelsea side were unable to break down the Canaries' defence at Carrow Road

By Darren Lewis

B team were outplayed by battling Norwich as they were taken to a replay.
The defending Premier League champions put in their worst display since their October Champions League defeat to Roma in Italy.

Conte sent out just two starters from the line-up that drew 2-2 with Arsenal last Wednesday night. But the Blues were still expected to see off a Norwich side 13th in the Championship.
Instead last season’s beaten finalists failed to register a shot in the first half. David Luiz - expected to leave this month after being frozen out by Conte - was poor while striker Michy Batshuayi, another out of favour, struggled throughout.

Norwich, meanwhile, impressed with midfielders Alex Pritchard and James Maddison - both targets for Premier League clubs putting in eye-catching displays.
Daniel Farke’s men remain on course to make it past the past third round for the first time in six years.

1. Do Conte's reserves have the fight?
He’d led from the front with his pre-match tear up with both Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger. Now Antonio Conte wanted to find out whether his Chelsea fringe players could match him for willingness to fight when the going gets tough. On a day when the Championship clubs showed elsewhere that they were not to be taken lightly, Chelsea could take no chances against Daniel Farke’s Norwich team. The Canaries had come into this contest pumped up courtesy of a win over Millwall last week..Chelsea’s B team had to prove they could cope.

2. Maddison shows what the hype is all about
He is the bright young thing about whom there is a big noise at the moment. Here it was easy to see why. Against superior players in midfield he showed little fear, good distribution and the craft to help create chances. His clever movement rattled David Luiz so much that the fed-up Brazilian eventually hacked him down to earn a yellow card. Late in the first-half, Maddison beat his man to send an effort over the Chelsea bar from the edge of the box. He’d already had a growing army of admirers before this TV game. He’ll have added a few more after this game - and a couple more quid to his rising price tag.

3. Batshuayi put in the show window
If this was to be the last time that we see Michy Batshuayi in a Chelsea shirt then he had to make it count. Conte quite clearly doesn’t fancy the Belgian. Despite the noises to the contrary in his press conferences, the Italian has made that quite clear with his team selection (or lack of it). So this was a rare chance for Batshuayi to remind prospective buyers (or loan clubs) that he still does have it. It didn’t go well during the first half. He struggled to get on the ball and when he did, he couldn’t hold it up. To be fair the Chelsea first-half display was shocking, their worst for some time. But he is the one who needs the regular first team action to get a chance of the World Cup. At the moment it is touch and go.

4. Pritchard shows why he's in demand
Huddersfield want to sign him in this window and it easy to see why. Pritchard is neat and tidy on the ball and produced one of the moments of the first half when he left Gary Cahill for dead on the right before sending the ball into the six-yard box. Terrier’s boss David Wagner will know already that he will have to improve Pritchard’s decision-making if he does land the ex-Spurs man. But he’ll have seen here that there is a lot to work with.

5. Luiz does his cause no favours

If he was trying to put himself into the shop window he wasn’t making a very good job of it. The speedy Norwich forward line ran rings around him in the first half. He very nearly gifted Alex Pritchard a golden opportunity in the 22nd minute when he failed to control a pass from keeper Willy Caballero. He was booked for taking out the promising James Maddison and he kept giving the ball away in dangerous areas. If Arsene Wenger had been watching from the warmth of his living room he’d have probably switched over to The Voice and Will.I.Am after 20 minutes.

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Express:

Norwich 0 - Chelsea 0: Canaries force FA Cup replay at Stamford Bridge with goalless draw
JAMES MADDISON wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League.
By PETER OAKES

Norwich ground out a 0-0 draw at Carrow Road
And Norwich will be expecting the phone to ring with big clubs asking them how much they want for the 21-year-old wonder kid after he lit up the FA Cup.
The Canaries reckon he’s the most talented Englishman outside the top flight – and you can see why.

The cool-headed youngster wasn’t at all fazed facing the likes of Brazilian defender David Luiz and England international Gary Cahill.
And, at times, the Blues had to chop him down to stop him, Luiz getting a yellow for one tackle.
Maddison, who was spotted at Coventry City, joined Norwich for £3million two years ago this month but has only established himself in the side this season after loan spells back with the Sky Blues and at Scottish Premiership Aberdeen.
He’s already scored seven goals and, on his first-half showing, would have walked into this misfiring Chelsea midfield.

It wasn’t until after the break that the champions woke up after what must have been a big dressing room dressing-down from manager Antonio Conte, who looked more and more disgruntled as the Canaries bossed the first half.
But you always had the feeling that the Canaries had missed their opportunity while they dominated the first half without seriously troubling keeper Willy Caballero.
And it was a different Chelsea in the second half as they carved out several chances but never looked like a team 30 rungs higher up the league ladder.
Tiemoue Bakayoko fired wide, Willian, getting a start as Conte made nine changes from the midweek spectacular against Arsenal, forced Angus Gunn to push his shot around the post and the Brazilian star then shot straight at the keeper.

And Davide Zappacosta almost decided it in stoppage time, his long-range effort fizzing beyond Gunn but the wrong side of the post.
But Chelsea still had their scares over 90 minutes. A rusty-looking David Luiz almost let in ex-Spurs winger Alex Pritchard, who closed him down quickly and got a toe on to the ball.
With a little bit of luck it could have found the target but it went wide.

The Canaries’ attacking trio of Pritchard, the highly-rated Maddison and Josh Murphy were a real handful without being able to supply a finish.
Murphy wasn’t scared of reputations and let fly from well outside the box but couldn’t find the accuracy to match his invention.
A clever turn by Pritchard, which forced Antonio Rudiger into a hasty clearance, had Cahill remonstrating with his midfielders who hadn’t tracked his run.

Despite having history on their side – the Londoners have gone through from 20 of their last 21 ties against teams from a league below them – Conte was a frustrated figure.
The last time City went beyond the third round was five seasons ago but there was no sign of an inferiority complex. Murphy again exposed the Chelsea defence but fi red harmlessly across the face of the goal.
It was that sort of day.

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