LONDON: Chelsea left it late to beat a desperately unlucky Cardiff City in the Premier League on Sunday as Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal saw Maurizio Sarri’s side run out 2-1 winners.
Blues boss Sarri was on the brink of another defeat that would have piled on the pressure and pushed him closer to the Stamford Bridge exit after Victor Camarasa’s sweeping effort put relegation-battling Cardiff ahead early in the second half.
And Chelsea’s traveling support did not hide their displeasure, chanting “We want Sarri out” throughout the second half.
Sarri’s response was to send on Eden Hazard, and the Belgian was straight into the action as Chelsea looked for their talisman to turn things around.
The London club had to ride their luck before Cesar Azpilicueta headed in Chelsea’s equalizer, even though he was clearly offside, with just six minutes left.
And Loftus-Cheek’s goal in the 91st minute completed the turnaround.
Chelsea’s fightback was further boosted when it looked likely Antonio Rudiger would receive a red card for bringing down Kenneth Zohore but the referee refrained from sending the German off.
The pressure on Sarri will reduce somewhat with this victory, which keeps the Blues in sixth place in the Premier League table and in the hunt for Champions League football, but the performance was unconvincing.
And Sarri will be fearing another tight affair against another relegation-threatened team in Brighton on Wednesday.
“We did not play very well in the first half. In the second half (we got better) as usual. We conceded a stupid goal but today we reacted better.
“We were lucky for timing but in the end I think we deserved to win.
“I don’t know if the (equalizing) goal was offside, I have to see the situation. Sometimes we can be lucky,” the Italian said.
Meanwhile, Cardiff remain third bottom and boss Neil Warnock was visibly furious at the decisions that pushed his team closer to relegation.
“It hurts. The referee had a decent game but we didn’t get the major decisions. The linesman, though, it is so disappointing.
“Chelsea know they have got away with murder today,” Warnock said.
“It is difficult, because I am feeling a bit flat now, but I am so proud of my players because we wanted to give it a go.
“To get let down by the officials (again), roll on VAR. I might be too old by the time we get VAR, but that’s why we need it,” he said.
“The biggest and best league in the world but probably the worst officials at the minute.
“It doesn’t matter who you play at the minute, it is who has a flag in his hand and who has a whistle.
“The offside (for Azpilicueta’s goal) is not even close. We’ve worked three weeks for this, and we get let down by decisions.
“We felt that (Sean) Morrison could’ve easily had a penalty in the first half and the second half,” he added.
“It has been one kick in the teeth after another this season, but we have always bounced back, and we have got some great games left to play.
“I will probably play the U-23s on Wednesday against Manchester City and try to keep it down to 10 or 11,” Warnock joked.
Chelsea break Cardiff hearts to save Maurizio Sarri’s blushes as Neil Warnock hits out at ‘worst officials’
Chelsea break Cardiff hearts to save Maurizio Sarri’s blushes as Neil Warnock hits out at ‘worst officials’
Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia unveils 2026 International Jockeys’ Challenge
- Japan Cup hero Mickael Barzalona and defending champion Mohammed Aldaham among 14-strong lineup
RIYADH: Japan Cup hero Mickael Barzalona, newly appointed Irish Champion Dylan Browne McMonagle and last year’s winner Mohammed Aldaham have been unveiled by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia as part of the 2026 Saudi Cup International Jockeys’ Challenge at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 13.
Prince Bandar bin Khaled Al-Faisal, chairman of JCSA, said: “The Saudi Cup International Jockeys’ Challenge has always been a favorite part of Saudi Cup weekend for me.
“It is the only challenge in the world that includes equal numbers of men and women competing as individuals, and it has been gratifying to see so many winners from different parts of the world since its inception in 2020,” he said.
The seven women and seven men who will compete in the four-race series over the big weekend includes global representation and features leading UK riders Saffie Osborne and Hollie Doye, Marie Velon from France, Australia’s Angela Jones and the American-based Frenchman Flavien Prat and the US’s Forest Boyce.
Two of the men are locally based jockeys, with Panamanian-born Luis Morales, who has more than 600 winners to his name in Saudi Arabia alone, joining defending champion Aldaham in the lineup after he created history in 2025 by becoming the first Saudi jockey to triumph.
Barzalona will be aiming to carry through his remarkable run of form from 2025, a year in which he won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, King George VI Stakes, England’s Champion Stakes and the Japan Cup on Calandgan (IRE) in addition to notable strikes in the French 1000 Guineas and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Joining Barzalona is 22-year-old Northern Irishman Dylan Browne McMonagle, who is a multiple Group 1 winner and was crowned Irish Champion Jockey last November.
Like Barzalona and Browne McMonagle, Flavien Prat will be making his first appearance in the IJC having established himself as a dominate force in American racing, where he won the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Country House and has multiple Breeders’ Cup wins to his name, including in the 2022 Classic on the brilliant and unbeaten Flightline (US).
Completing the men’s team is Keita Tosaki, one of Japan’s leading riders with more than 4,000 wins, with strikes on champions such as Real Impact (JPN) and Danon Decile (JPN), and rising British rider Billy Loughnane.
At the age of 17, Loughnane was crowned Champion Apprentice and just two years on is a Group 1 winner; on Dec. 31, 2025, he made modern history with the most number of wins in a calendar year with 223 victories.
Both Hollie Doyle and Saffie Osborne are previous participants, and Doyle will be making her third appearance, having starred in 2025 and 2021 when she also won the Neom Turf Cup for Irish mastermind Willie Mullins aboard True Self (IRE).
The Classic-winning rider has partnered multiple Group 1 winners and heads to Riyadh after a successful stint in Hong Kong through the latter part of 2025.
Osborne makes her return after appearing in 2024 and has broken new ground since then by partnering Heart of Honor (GB) in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in America last year, and the duo have since dazzled with wins at Meydan in Dubai.
American Forest Boyce is a multiple graded stakes-winning jockey, one of Maryland’s most accomplished riders, and makes her first appearance in Riyadh.
With more than 1,000 victories and $40 million in earnings, Boyce will be joined by Australia’s Angela Jones, who has quickly risen through the ranks to become a consistent force in Queensland racing.
Since transitioning to senior status in 2023, Jones has recorded more than 450 career wins from more than 2,800 rides, and has partnered regularly with leading trainer Tony Gollan, forming one of Queensland’s most successful jockey-trainer combinations.
European women are strongly represented, with six‑time winner of the Cravache d’Or Feminine Marie Velon returning, along with debutants Nina Baltromei and Frida Valle‑Skar.
Baltromei is a German jockey who made history in 2025 as the first woman to win the Deutsches Derby.
Valle‑Skar is of Swedish origin and has built a strong career riding in France and internationally. She made her first race ride in 2017, rode her first winner the following year and has since amassed more than 230 wins from more than 2,800 rides.
Last year she also achieved an historic breakthrough when she partnered Matilda to victory in the German 2000 Guineas at Cologne. It was the first time in 54 years that a filly had won the race, and Valle‑Skar became the first female jockey to ride the winner of the Classic.
And Velon has more than 600 career victories, including major international successes. Her partnership with Iresine (FR) has been particularly notable, delivering victories in the Prix Foy (2023) and the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak (2022).
“The JCSA is proud to promote this event with its equal opportunities for men and women, and we are glad to echo this key message shared by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 — which is a guiding light for all sport in Saudi Arabia,” Prince Bandar said.
“Last year we celebrated the first victory by a Saudi jockey and Mohammed Aldaham is back this year to defend his title, may he have the best of luck,” he said. “Jockeys are tremendous and inspiring athletes and I look forward to personally welcoming them all to King Abdulaziz Racecourse and the Saudi Cup.
“The best of luck to all participants,” he added.
