Chelsea star Axel Disasi slammed for “ridiculous” own goal in FA Cup quarter-final

Matt Hobkinson
Axel Disasi

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has criticised Chelsea defender Axel Disasi after the Blues star was responsible for a horrendous own goal from 30-yards out.

Chelsea had begun the second-half of their FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City with a commanding 2-0 lead. It could have even been more if not for a missed penalty from Raheem Sterling.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were looking comfortable after the break, until a moment of madness from Disasi gave Leicester a lifeline.

The 26-year-old, under pressure from Foxes forward Patson Daka, went to pass the ball back to Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Yet Disasi hugely overhit the ball, sending it flying past his teammate and into an empty net.

Disasi slammed for Chelsea own goal

Keown, watching on in his commentary duties for BBC, simply could not believe what he had seen.

“Well it’s ridiculous isn’t it,” Keown said. “It’s just an easy ball back to the goalkeeper but he absolutely lumps it. The goalkeeper looks way out of his goal. Diassi, what is he doing?

“That is all down to concentration. You come out for the start of the second-half and really who’s clued in, who’s ready for the game, who’s in the right mindset?

“No real care in that one. [He had] a little push on him, but really he’s put so much weight on that when he just needs to roll it back to the goalkeeper.”

A replay then showed Sanchez coming up to Disasi after the own goal and giving the Chelsea defender a kiss on the cheek, much to the shock of Keown.

“I don’t think I would have got a kiss off [ex-Arsenal goalkeeper] David Seaman if I had done that!”

Adding insult to injury, Leicester then made it 2-2 shorty afterwards thanks to a superb strike from Stephy Mavididi.

Despite the calamitous mistake, the Blues did eventually book their trip to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final after a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge.