“Misha playing 4D chess level trolling” “I’m actually in tears” - Chelsea fans can’t believe Mudryk’s message to Trippier after EFL Cup win

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk sent a message to Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier after the Blues beat the Magpies in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night (December 19).

It was a close affair at Stamford Bridge as the Blues ousted Newcastle in a penalty shootout (4-2) after the game ended 1-1. Mudryk scored Chelsea's open goal in the game after capitalizing on a Trippier error in the dying seconds of regulation time.

The English defender added to his woes after missing from 12 yards out during the shootout, with Chelsea eventually beating last season's finalists in a tense shootout.

Sympathizing with Trippier's dejected state of mind, Mudryk sent the defender a message on Instagram (via Fabrizio Romano):

“Kieran, I just wanna say to you: stay strong. Sometimes s**t happens but I think you are strong footballer, no matter what”.

While to the regular eye, it appears to be a message of solidarity and consolation, some fans are wondering if this was a ploy by the Chelsea player to troll Trippier.

"Mudryk has that dawg in him I’m actually in tears man," one fan wrote.

"You can send that msg in private but no. Misha playing 4D chess level trolling. I love it," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more reactions:

Chelsea deservedly beat Newcastle United in the EFL Cup quarterfinals

Chelsea and Newcastle came into the game with strong lineups, indicating the intentions of both teams to win the contest. Chelsea dominated possession (78%) but failed to convert chances once again, as has been their story this season.

Newcastle smelled blood on a transition and Chelsea panicked under pressure, which led to Callum Wilson being gifted a goal in the 16th minute. The Magpies, however, did very little otherwise and mostly sat in their own half, running down the clock to manage the game.

The Blues made attacking changes and produced good chances but their forwards continued to be wasteful, managing to land only four of their 15 shots on target. It was finally another erroneous moment in the game where Trippier failed to clear the ball, as Mudryk came in and scored the equalizer.

In the shootout, the Blues converted all four spot-kicks with Newcastle's Trippier and Matt Ritchie missing their shots to hand the Blues a 4-2 win.