Morning, Chelsea fans
Romelu Lukaku’s late surge for an FA Cup final place just got serious.
The striker’s late clincher in last night’s 3-0 cruise at Leeds made it three goals in two Prem games since his recall.
And the Belgian is now favourite to start against Liverpool in Saturday’s Wembley showpiece.
Mateo Kovacic must be a major doubt, though, after being forced off last night by Dan James’ horrific red-card tackle midway through the first half.
The midfielder returned after treatment – but soon signalled to come off and limped down the tunnel.
Mason Mount’s neat early opener had rewarded the Blues’s swarming start.
And Leeds were overwhelmed once James was dismissed, Christian Pulisic and Lukaku giving the scoreline a fairer reflection after the break.
Victory leaves third-placed Chelsea four points clear of Arsenal, whose game in hand is at Spurs tonight.
Off the pitch, Barcelona are being linked with two more Blues defenders.
Having reportedly tied up a deal for centre-back Andreas Christensen, the Spanish giants are keen on widemen Marcos Alosno and Cesar Azpilicueta.
A swap deal is regarded as a serious option.
Finally, it’s claimed Chelsea and Manchester United are trailing Liverpool in the race for Monaco’s France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
