Why Raheem Sterling took Chelsea's penalty against Leicester

  • Sterling saw weak penalty saved against Leicester in dramatic FA Cup tie
  • England international has a poor record from a spot and has struggled during 2023/24
  • Fans were confused why Cole Palmer didn't step up
Sterling's weak penalty was saved
Sterling's weak penalty was saved / Alex Pantling/GettyImages
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Raheem Sterling could barely catch a break during the first half of Chelsea's FA Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester on Sunday.

The England winger, who was left out of the Three Lions' squad for the upcoming March internationals, has scored just once in his last 13 appearances for the Blues, though he has managed six Premier League goals and three assists in 25 matches so far in 2023/24.

However, he created a rod for his own back when he attempted to convert a spot-kick against the Foxes on Sunday, with many fans confused as to why Cole Palmer did not step up instead.


Why Raheem Sterling took Chelsea's penalty against Leicester

Chelsea were already 1-0 up against Leicester thanks to Marc Cucurella's 13th-minute tap in and things looked set to get even better against the Championship title hopefuls.

In the 25th minute, Sterling was felled in the box by Abdul Fatawu as referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot. Somewhat surprisingly, Sterling claimed the ball ahead of regular Blues penalty-taker Cole Palmer, who had scored his last five spot-kicks in a row.

Sterling could only send a tame effort down the middle of the goal from the spot, allowing Jakub Stolarczyk to make an easy save.

In his post-match press conference, Mauricio Pochettino said: "Raheem asked for the ball for the penalty and Cole gave the ball. You saw on the TV but that is not a problem.

"Cole can miss, Raheem can miss. For me, their decision and I will always support the decision of my players on the pitch.

"It's obvious that I cannot hide nothing. You are like me, the feelings weren't good for him [Sterling] but I am going to support him, we are all going to support him.

"We need to accept. It doesn't mean we agree or not agree but we have to accept because our fans, all the fans in football live expectation and want the best for the club, the best for the players."


Raheem Sterling's penalty record compared to Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer
Palmer is ice-cold from the penalty spot / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages

With Sunday's miss in the FA Cup, Sterling has now missed more penalties than he's scored in his professional career.

The England forward has previously converted four times from the spot, three coming with former club Manchester City and another with England back in 2020. However, he also fluffed his lines on four occasions during his spell with the Cityzens, who previously struggled to regularly convert penalties before the arrival of Erling Haaland.

In contrast, Palmer is yet to miss a spot-kick. The 21-year-old has taken five penalties so far for Chelsea, netting all five of his efforts to date against the likes of Burnley, Arsenal, Tottenham, former side Man City and Fulham.


Raheem Sterling - penalties scored

Date

Fixture

Competition

16/09/2017

Watford 0-6 Man City

Premier League

05/09/2020

Iceland 0-1 England

Nations League

11/12/2021

Man City 1-0 Wolves

Premier League

26/12/2021

Man City 6-3 Leicester

Premier League


Raheem Sterling - penalties missed

Date

Fixture

Competition

27/12/2019

Wolves 3-2 Man City

Premier League

21/07/2020

Watford 0-4 Man City

Premier League

13/01/2021

Man City 1-0 Brighton

Premier League

12/02/2022

Norwich 0-4 Man City

Premier League

17/03/2024

Chelsea vs Leicester

FA Cup


Cole Palmer - penalties scored

Date

Fixture

Competition

07/10/2023

Burnley 1-4 Man City

Premier League

21/10/2023

Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal

Premier League

06/11/2023

Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea

Premier League

12/11/2023

Chelsea 4-4 Man City

Premier League

13/01/2024

Chelsea 1-0 Fulham

Premier League


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