"He should have scored" - Mauricio Pochettino gives honest take on Raheem Sterling after Chelsea star fails to impress in Leicester City win
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has reacted to Raheem Sterling's performance during his side's 4:2 victory over Leicester City in the FA Cup.
The Blues booked their place in the semi-final of the competition courtesy of goals from Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer, Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke's stunner in stoppage time.
The visitors, Leciester City, however, did give the Blues a tough fight and nearly punished Pochettino's men for their inability to kill off the game in the first half.
Chelsea were guilty of missing a handful of clear cut-chances during the encounter, of which winger Sterling was one of the culprits.
The 28-year-old forward missed the opportunity to double Chelsea's lead from the penalty spot in the 26th minute and was also guilty of missing a one-on-one scoring chance minutes later.
The Blues' supporters weren't too pleased with Sterling's performance and booed the English forward during the game. However, head coach Pochettino has come to Sterling's defence by stating that the fans need to support him.
Speaking about Sterling during a post-match interview, Pochettino said as quoted by Blue_footy, on X (formerly Twitter), he said:
"We need to support him, he's an amazing player. He has more than 10 years experience in the Premier League.
He continued:
"Of course I think the contribution was good. He was a little bit unlucky with some actions where he would have scored. But we are a team and we need to be there for everyone.
How has Raheem Sterling performed for Chelsea this season?
The 29-year-old winger is currently in his second season with the Blues following his £50 million move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022.
Sterling is one of the few experienced stars in the relatively young Chelsea squad currently being managed by Mauricio Pochettino. He has also been heavily relied on by the Argentine tactician this season.
The England international has made the joint-third-most appearances for the Blues this season (35). He has also managed a combined total of eight goals and six assists across all competitions.
His most recent goal contribution came in the Blue's 4:2 FA Cup quarterfinal victory against Leicester City, where he turned provider for Palmer's first half strike.