Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea supporters to get behind him and Raheem Sterling after they showed their displeasure during the FA Cup win over Leicester.
The Blues booked a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday with a 4-2 win over their Championship opponents, but it was far from straightforward. Sterling became a lightning rod for supporters after seeing a weak penalty saved - after convincing Cole Palmer to let him take it - and missing a one-on-one chance in the first half.
While he did set up Palmer to score Chelsea's second, Sterling endured a difficult day on Sunday and Pochettino's decision to take off Mykhaylo Mudryk for Carney Chukwuemeka, instead of the struggling England star, sparked abuse from the stands. Sterling was also jeered and booed after shanking a promising free-kick well wide in the second half.
"We need to support him, he's an amazing player," Pochettino told the BBC. "He has more than 10 years experience in the Premier League. Of course I think the contribution was good. He was a little bit unlucky with some actions where he should have scored. But we are a team and we need to be there for everyone.
"Fans are entitled to show their emotion. For us we try to empathise with our fans not to criticise. They want the best for our team and players. But we are in a project. We need support and to really believe. We are trying to build something.
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"We are in a process to build the team. I know really well how to manage. What the fans want is to win the game and that we achieved. What the fans want is to go to Wembley and that we achieved. They need to trust me to manage in the way I think is the best way for the club. We need to respect their opinion as much as they need to respect my decision."
Chelsea opened the scoring through Marc Cucurella, who tapped in Nicolas Jackson's cross at the back post. Sterling then saw his spot-kick saved by Jakub Stolarczyk after he was brought down by Abdul Fatawu in the box. The Chelsea forward missed a one-on-one opportunity before teeing up Palmer to make it 2-0 with a cool finish at the near post.
Raheem Sterling saw a weak penalty saved and missed a one-on-one chance (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! What did you make of Chelsea fans booing Raheem Sterling vs Leicester? Comment below.
Sterling's misses seemed costly when Axel Disasi scored a remarkable own goal past Robert Sanchez with a terrible back pass and Stephy Mavididi curled in a brilliant second for the Championship side. But a red card for Callum Doyle after a VAR review, for a foul on Jackson, tilted things back in Chelsea's favour.
It was the Pochettino's substitutes who ultimately made the difference, with Chukwuemeka slotting through Stolarczyk's legs from a brilliant pass from Palmer to make it 3-2 in injury-time. Fellow sub Noni Madueke then added gloss to the scoreline with an eye-catching run and curling finish, which took a slight deflection to send it into the top corner.
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