Plymouth manager 'gutted' not to take Chelsea to penalties

LONDON : Plymouth Argyle coach Steven Schumacher was left to rue how close his side, from the third tier of English football, came to taking European champions Chelsea to a penalty shootout in their FA Cup fourth-round tie on Saturday.

Chelsea came from behind to beat Plymouth 2-1, but only after Ryan Hardie's penalty was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga in the dying minutes of extra time.

"I'm gutted we didn't manage to take it to penalties and then who knows?" Schumacher told reporters.

"Ryan is a good penalty taker ... I had confidence in him. By his own admission, it wasn't a good strike.

"All the players will get round him," Schumacher said. "Nobody wants to miss a penalty, especially that late in the game, but that's part of football. But you just have to put it to bed and move on quickly."

Plymouth, roared on by thousands of their supporters who made the 450-mile round trip to West London, took a shock lead in the eighth minute with a header by defender Macaulay Gillesphey.

It took Chelsea until just before halftime to draw level through captain Cesar Azpilicueta, and until extra time to take the lead when wing-back Marcos Alonso stroked home a cross by Kai Havertz.

Schumacher, whose playing career included spells at Bradford City and Bury, spoke of his pride in his players.

"Each and everyone of them, to a man, stuck to the task. They gave everything," he said.

(Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by Ed Osmond)