Chelsea analysis: Michy Batshuayi fails to impress David Moyes but Kenedy stakes his claim against Norwich

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Simon Johnson18 January 2018

Chelsea were far from convincing form as they stumbled into the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of Norwich City.

Michy Batshuayi looked to have sealed a narrow victory in normal time, only for Jamal Lewis to head home in the final minute of stoppage time to force another 30 minutes.

Norwich were tireless in their efforts, as the Blues wasted chance after chance, and could have nicked the win. It was not to be, however, as a perfect penalty shootout from the hosts secured a fourth round tie with Newcastle on January 28.

Simon Johnson was at Stamford Bridge to assess the key talking points...

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Moyes will still have second thoughts about signing Batshuayi

He may have ended Chelsea's goal drought lasting around 340 minutes, but it would still be a surprise if Batshuayi ends up at West Ham this month.

The West Ham manager was a notable member of the crowd at Stamford Bridge and one can presume he was here to watch Batshuayi in action.

One of the only ways Chelsea can succeed in a deal to acquire Andy Carroll on loan from the Hammers is if Batshuayi moves the other way for the rest of the campaign.

It is understood Moyes was already having doubts as the Belgium international is not a like-for-like replacement.

Batshuayi is not really known for towering headers or being able to hold off defenders in physical challenges and Moyes was here to see it for himself as the 24-year-old struggled for long periods to make an impact against the Championship club.

In fairness, he took his chance well at the near post, but one would have thought his all-round game is still too raw for Moyes' liking.

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Luiz looks fit, but there is a reason why Christensen is first choice

When these two teams played each other first time around 11 days ago, Luiz looked rusty and out of sorts. It was his comeback game after over six weeks with a knee injury and it showed with some clumsy touches at times.

For the third round replay though, there were definitely signs of improvement. The Brazil international looked assured in possession and led the back three with aplomb - until injury time of normal regulation that is.

Luiz was marking Jamal Lewis, but then bizarrely let him drift behind him to head in Timm Klose's cross.

It was another example of why he won't replace first choice Christensen in the first choice XI. However a player of his experience will be a useful asset for the intense fixture schedule ahead.

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If Chelsea's search for a left wing back fails, Kenedy should be used more

One of Chelsea's priorities this month is to add another left wing back to provide more competition for Marcos Alonso. Emerson Palmieri is their latest target having grown frustrated in their pursuit of Alex Sandro and Alex Telles.

Should Chelsea succeed in adding to their ranks, then Kenedy will be allowed to join Newcastle on loan for the rest of the campaign.

However, it is still a big if at this point and coach Antonio Conte, who has only played him in the early rounds of the domestic cup competitions this term, should trust him a bit more.

Kenedy will never be strong defensively, but he would be good as an attacking option against weaker opponents.

He showed that here by setting up Batshuayi for his goal with a fine cross. There were also some fine displays of skill, like when he nutmegged Norwich captain Ivo Daniel Pinto.

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A learning experience for Ethan Ampadu

The 17-year-old's career has been on a dramatic upward curve since he joined Chelsea last summer.

It is inevitable that the Wales international wouldn't be able to sustain the momentum and that there will be some tougher moments along the way. This was one of them as he lined up for his fifth Chelsea appearance to the right of Luiz in the back three.

Facing an awkward Championship side, Ampadu looked ragged whenever the ball came into Chelsea's area and he was replaced late on by Christensen.

Still, it would have done him good for him to play another 80 minutes, even though it didn't go smoothly. One shouldn't forget, he was playing in League Two last term so even Norwich is a huge step up in class.

There is no doubt the Blues have made a fine acquisition that will benefit them for years to come and having a difficult game will only help his progress.

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Angus Gunn is the real deal

England seem to be blessed with talented young keepers at the moment and Gunn can certainly be added to the list. Currently on loan at Manchester City, the 21-year-old was a major reason why Chelsea were

Gunn, son of Norwich legend Bryan, pulled off some remarkable saves, especially from Danny Drinkwater, Willian and Alvaro Morata. He only went missing during the penalty shoot-out.

Despite his father being a former Scotland international, Gunn junior has represented England in the junior ranks, including 10 caps with the Under-21s.

On this evidence, he is good enough to replace Claudio Bravo sooner rather than later as back-up to Ederson at Manchester City or secure a permanent move to a high level club.

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