Thomas Tuchel will not have liked his first taste of armchair management as League One side Plymouth gave Chelsea an almighty FA Cup scare.
It took a penalty save from Kepa Arrizabalaga deep into extra-time to deny the visitors a shoot-out at Stamford Bridge and the chance of a famous upset.
Chelsea had to come back from a goal down and needed a Marcos Alonso strike to finally put them in control of a tie that would have made anything but easy viewing for their manager, who was forced to watch on from home after testing positive for Covid-19.
Tuchel is now likely to miss the Club World Cup while he observes a minimum of five days isolation.
Chelsea remain hopeful their manager will be able to join up with the rest of the squad in Abu Dhabi in time for next Saturday’s final – should they qualify. And after this 2-1 win, Tuchel, too, will be counting down the days until he can return to the touchline.
Had cameras been trained on his living room, they might have made for more entertainment than at Stamford Bridge as his European champions struggled to put away their lower-league opponents.
Tuchel’s antics in the technical area can be box office as he kicks every ball and barks instructions to those close enough to get an ear-bashing. So you can only imagine scenes as he watched on from a distance.
He would have felt powerless - even if he was in contact with assistant Arno Michels. He was forced to watch on as his near-full-strength team were desperately short of attacking ideas, despite dominating possession.
And what would he have made of £97.5million Romelu Lukaku failing to make his presence felt against a three-man defence made up of free signings?
One of them, Macaulay Gillesphey, even got the better of the Belgium international when the tables were turned – heading Plymouth into a shock lead when Lukaku failed to clear Jordan Houghton’s eighth-minute free kick.
Cesar Azpilicueta equalised shortly before half-time – but it was not until extra-time when substitute Alonso steered a shot past Mike Cooper through a crowded area that nerves finally settled among the home fans.
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That feeling was only short-lived as Malang Sarr was panicked into bringing down substitute Ryan Hardie in the dying moments – only for the forward to see his spot-kick smothered by Kepa.
There would be no shock on this occasion – Chelsea would not join Manchester United as big-name victims of the fourth round.
But even through the television screen, Tuchel will know how close his side came to a cup humbling. He will have been as stunned as the rest of the Bridge when Gillesphey struck early on.
While it was an unforgettable moment for the goalscorer, it would have been particularly sweet for Houghton who provided the cross, given the midfielder spent 16-years at Chelsea as part of their academy.
Falling behind sparked the expected response from the home side, who forced Plymouth to retreat in numbers as the half progressed.
If the crowd thought the scene was set for Chelsea to roll over their opponents, it did not work out like that.
They hit the woodwork three times, through Mateo Kovacic, twice, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, before finding an equaliser.
That came through the unlikely source of Azpilicueta, who sweetly back-heeled Mason Mount’s cross, four minutes before the break.
If the home crowd thought the scene was set for Chelsea to roll over their opponents in the second half, it did not work out like that.
Plymouth had not read the script – and while they were forced to defend deeper and deeper, they managed to hold their illustrious rivals at bay to force the game into extra time.
Lukaku was millimetres away from connecting to Hakim Ziyech’s cross-shot early in the second half, while Plymouth goalkeeper Cooper substitute Kai Havertz and Mount. In-between that, Kepa was called upon when substitute Hardie went through one-one.
Chelsea finally went in front in stoppage time at the end of the first-half of extra-time. It was created by three subs in Timo Werner, Havertz and Alonso, who combined on the left to open up Plymouth’s defence.
Where Chelsea’s forwards failed, Alonso succeeded, side-footing low into the corner.
There was still time for late drama when Hardie hustled the ball from Sarr and burst into the box. The Chelsea defender clumsily brought him down and referee Simon Hooper pointed to the spot.
But just as the Plymouth fans behind Kepa’s goal dreamed of a shoot-out, the keeper dropped low to his left to smother Hardie’s effort and prompt roars from around the Bridge – and, no doubt, the Tuchel residence.
