The Pride of London
Fansided

Ingle and Kerr send Chelsea into FA Cup quarterfinals: 3 takeaways

By Caden Charpentier

Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten of Chelsea (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten of Chelsea (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND – JANUARY 22: Jelena Cankovic of Chelsea arrives at the stadium prior to the FA Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Kingsmeadow on January 22, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Getty Images)
KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND – JANUARY 22: Jelena Cankovic of Chelsea arrives at the stadium prior to the FA Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Kingsmeadow on January 22, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Getty Images) /

Cankovic fills No. 10 role well in Kirby’s absence 

It is a luxury to be able to have Jelena Cankovic on the roster to fill the gap that Fran Kirby’s injury presents. This is the kind of player Hayes brought in to make this club serious competitors for all four major trophies. She was involved in the build-up to both of CFC’s goals at Kingsmeadow on Sunday afternoon. Hayes giving the nod to Cankovic in the fifth round of the FA Cup brought back the quality she presented the Gunners with a month ago. Coming in with just nine minutes plus stoppage times at the Emirates in January during a Women’s Super League fixuture, the Serbian flipped the game on its head.

Pure brilliance from Cankovic as she feeds Kerr with a perfectly weighed pass:

Her creativity, and passing range going forward found Kerr to equalize the match and salvage an important point for the Blues on the road. Sunday was the second time that Cankovic assisted a Kerr goal against the north London outfit. In just her first season playing with Kerr, the two seem to have extraordinary chemistry. If it was not for the awareness of Manuela Zinsberger between the sticks, the Serbian could have had a goal for herself.

Her selfless attitude was brought out in her interview post game as she continues to emphasize the team result over any individual  accolades. CFC fans should see Cankovic next Sunday in the Conti Cup final, whether it is in the starting XI, or on the bench. The Serbian just has a knack to impact the Blues obsession with winning.

Home/Chelsea Women