Chelsea survived a major FA Cup scare to reach the quarter-finals with a 3-2 win at Luton just hours after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale on Wednesday, while Liverpool edged Norwich 1-0.
Thomas Tuchel’s side took to the Kenilworth Road pitch for the fifth round tie with their heads still spinning from Abramovich’s bombshell announcement.
Chelsea’s travelling fans sang Abramovich’s name when news of the impending sale filtered through before kick-off.
Chants of ‘we’ve won it all’ prompted an acerbic response from Luton supporters, who sang ‘you bought it all’ in reponse to the millions invested by Abramovich in star signings.
Chelsea conceded a shock goal in the second minute as Reece Burke rose above Malang Sarr to glance his header past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Tuchel’s side hit back in the 27th minute when Saul Niguez scored for the first time since his August loan move from Atletico Madrid.
Saul drilled a composed finish from the edge of the area after Timo Werner started an incisive counter-attack.
Sarr was at fault again in the 40th minute when he tried in vain to play offside and Harry Cornick sprinted onto Carlos Mendes Gomes’ pass to net Luton’s second goal.
Chelsea snatched an equaliser in the 68th minute when Werner controlled Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s superb high pass and slotted home for his first goal in eight games.
Lukaku has yet to repay much of that mammoth fee but he bagged his 11th goal of the season as he stretched to tap in Werner’s cross in the 78th minute.
Liverpool kept up their bid for an unprecedented quadruple as Takumi Minamino’s double sealed a 2-1 win against Norwich at Anfield.
Japan forward Minamino put Liverpool ahead in the 27th minute with a clinical finish from Divock Origi’s pass.
He netted again in the 38th minute, this time lashing home off the inside of the post, before Lukas Rupp got one back for Norwich in the 76th minute.
Having lifted the League Cup last weekend, Liverpool are firmly in contention for the Premier League and Champions League, with no English side ever winning all four prizes in one season.
“If you make 10 changes you can’t expect perfection. We are in four competitions, three left, because of the quality of the squad,” Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said.
Elsewhere, Southampton eased through with a 3-1 win against West Ham at St Mary’s.