Second-half objectives from supersubs Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto gave Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca a lot to smile about, because the Blues claimed a 3-1 win away at League One leaders Cardiff Metropolis to e book their place within the Carabao Cup semi-finals and prolong their good quarter-final report to 6 straight victories, Softfootball experiences.
Chelsea arrived in Wales on the again of a dramatic 4-3 win over Wolves within the spherical of 16, however Maresca’s closely rotated facet struggled to hold that momentum right into a flat first-half show. The Italian had described the build-up to Saturday’s 2-0 league win over Everton as his “worst 48 hours” in cost, and the opening interval right here did little to raise the temper.
A completely modified Chelsea XI laboured to seek out any actual rhythm as a packed Cardiff Metropolis Stadium urged the hosts ahead. Cardiff created the primary actual opening of the night time when Isaak Davies raced onto Joel Bagan’s by way of ball halfway by way of the half, however the winger snatched at his effort and dragged it extensive.
The distinction in assets was stark Cardiff fielded 5 academy graduates, whereas Chelsea’s midfield anchor Moisés Caicedo alone price £115m. Nonetheless, high quality was briefly provide. Caicedo did present his class with a wonderfully weighted cross to launch Marc Guiu on the half-hour mark, although Nathan Trott stood agency to dam on the close to submit. On the different finish, Filip Jörgensen needed to be alert to push Davies’ deflected cross onto the submit, making certain the perimeters went in stage on the break.
Maresca wasted no time in turning to his bench, introducing João Pedro and Garnacho at half-time, and the change paid off. Simply 12 minutes after the restart, Garnacho broke the impasse after Facundo Buonanotte intercepted a unfastened cross and teed up the Argentine to twist a composed end into the far nook.
Chelsea regarded extra assured from there, however Cardiff refused to roll over. Trott produced a high-quality save to disclaim Buonanotte’s long-range effort, and the hosts have been rewarded for his or her persistence with quarter-hour remaining. David Turnbull timed his run completely to satisfy Perry Ng’s cross and head house his first objective in over a yr, sparking perception among the many house assist.
That perception didn’t final lengthy. With seven minutes left, Chelsea restored their lead in barely lucky trend as Pedro Neto’s low effort deflected off Bagan and wrong-footed Trott, making the Portuguese winger Chelsea’s outright high scorer this season with six objectives. Garnacho then struck once more deep into stoppage time to place the consequence past doubt.
After the sport ended, Chelsea through its official X deal with, shared a submit match response displaying that the gamers and the supervisor Enzo marseca have a good time their qualification to the the semifinals of the EFL Cup. They posted:
In the long run, Chelsea’s high quality off the bench proved decisive, permitting them to keep away from a possible cup upset and remove the competitors’s final remaining non-Premier League facet as their Carabao Cup run continues.
