Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has apologised for missing a penalty against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
Despite a chaotic second half, Chelsea were able to prevail by a 4-2 scoreline, surviving a two-goal comeback from the Foxes to book their place in the semi-finals.
However, despite their success, it was a mixed afternoon for some of Chelsea's players, with Robert Sanchez and Axel Disasi receiving criticism for a bizarre own goal scored by the latter.
That negative reaction was nothing in comparison to what Sterling received at various points in the contest, stemming from a missed penalty in the first half.
Not for the first time this season, Sterling attempted to take the ball from Cole Palmer, who boasts a 100% record from the spot this season, and succeeded on this occasion before producing a tame effort that was comfortably saved.
Later in the opening period, Sterling ran through on goal and fired wide of the target, before he produced a comical free kick from 20 yards that threatened clearing one of the Stamford Bridge stands.
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As a result, Sterling became roundly jeered by the club's supporters, a reaction that led to Mauricio Pochettino coming to his defence in his post-match press conference.
Nevertheless, on Sunday evening, the England international took to social media to apologise for squandering an opportunity to put Chelsea two goals to the good against the Championship promotion contenders.
On Instagram, he said: "Wembley Bound. To all the Chelsea fans, apologies for the penalty miss. I'll be back 10x times stronger to help the team win and continue to keep fighting for the badge every single day. Let's go Blues."
Sterling did produce a moment of quality soon after the penalty miss, advancing down the left flank before providing the ideal low cross for Palmer to convert from low range.
That made it eight goals and 10 assists for the season from 36 appearances, but moments such as the one on Sunday have generally led to Chelsea fans calling for alternatives to be selected by Pochettino.
A recent report claims that Chelsea are open to cashing in on Sterling at the end of the season as they bid to boost their efforts to pass the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Darren Plant
