Frank Your Lucky Stars

Barkley is Chelsea’s FA Cup magic charm but only got his match-winning chance after ruthless Lampard pulled a tactical masterstroke

- John Cross

Ross Barkley was Chelsea’s FA Cup lucky charm again after Frank Lampard showed his ruthless streak.

Barkley came off the bench to score his third goal in this FA Cup run and guide Chelsea into the semifinals.

He was one of three substitutes brought on to start the second half by Lampard in a clear display by the Chelsea boss of his frustration at his team’s poor performance before the break.

It proved Lampard is not afraid to make the tough decisions and, even though managers now have five replacements to choose from, it is still a major call to hook three players after 45 minutes.

His move to bring on Barkley, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Mateo Kovacic in place of youngsters Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour, and Reece James reaped rich rewards.

It also demonstrated that sometimes experience in a team is vital, the older heads calming nerves and changing the course of the game.

Ultimately, it was Barkley who proved to be the matchwinner.