Chelsea survive another struggle against lower league opposition to reach semi-finals

Cardiff City (0) 1 v Chelsea (0) 3

Garnacho 57

Turnbull 75

Neto 82

Garnacho 93

By Kaz Mochlinski at the Cardiff City Stadium

Football League Cup

Quarter-Final

Chelsea were taken to within eight minutes of a penalty shoot-out by a spirited Cardiff City side before being rescued from an immensely embarrassing result against League One opposition through fine finishes from second half substitutes.

A double from Alejandro Garnacho and an equally crucial goal from Pedro Neto justified the Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca replacing all of his front four players after half-time, as his team reached the League Cup semi-finals.

Having made 11 changes to the starting line-up, while leaving Cole Palmer and Estêvão Willian out of the matchday squad altogether, Chelsea struggled like they were strangers early on once again, reaching the break goalless and almost chanceless.

It was a situation only surpassed away to another League One club in Lincoln City a couple of months ago in the third round of this Carabao-sponsored competition, where they trailed at half-time before mounting a second half salvage operation.

At Lincoln the Blues scraped through 1-2, and in Cardiff they suffered some similarly fraught moments before securing a 1-3 success late on, yet Maresca afterwards solely wanted to emphasise the positives, to an almost comical extent.

“These are the kind of games that I fall in love even more with the players” insisted the Chelsea boss, while retaining a miserable expression. “Because it is very, very easy, you cannot imagine how easy it is to slip, to slide. Because they are tricky games.”

Extremely significantly, five months into his second season coaching Chelsea, the travelling supporters could be heard chanting “Oh, Enzo Maresca!” towards the conclusion of the Cardiff contest with the Blues having regained the lead.

After his weekend comments implying a rift with the club hierarchy, the fans made it clear who they were backing, while appreciating getting into a third semi-final, to follow the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, both won under Maresca.

It would indicate that a mostly disappointing Chelsea performance was outweighed by emerging with a victory and making progress in the League Cup, plus there was an approval of the effective adjustments made by the coach during the match.

However, the side Maresca sent out initially hardly impressed. And that was despite facing a much-weakened Cardiff City, whose teamsheet looked a long way removed from the set-up which has taken the Bluebirds to the top of the table in League One.

Captained by the former Arsenal central defender, Calum Chambers, Cardiff made five changes for the visit of Chelsea on a cold but dry night in South Wales before a sell-out capacity crowd creating a memorable atmosphere.

The hosts’ top scorer this season, Yousef Salech, was dropped to the bench, and right-back Ronan Kpakio was suspended, while attacking midfielder Omari Kellyman is on loan from Chelsea so the 20-year-old was ineligible to play against his parent club.

Much was made in advance about Kellyman and the current connection he provides between Cardiff City and Chelsea. The official matchday programme put him on the front cover and in a centrepage spread, as well as including a long interview.

Then there were the three Colwills who could have played, but the Blues’ Levi Colwill is a long-term absentee with a serious knee injury, and the Bluebirds’ Rubin Colwill was ruled out due to an ankle problem, leaving just Joel Colwill at inside-right for Cardiff.

Against the only side left in this season’s Carabao Cup from outside Premier League, Garnacho finally put Chelsea ahead in the second half, but David Turnbull equalised with a quarter of an hour left to have Cardiff dreaming of an immense upset.

The home team’s hopes lasted for only seven minutes before Neto restored Chelsea’s lead. And Garnacho finally sealed the outcome in stoppage time. It was not comfortable or pretty, but it was ultimately another Chelsea win.

Cardiff City: (4-1-4-1) Trott - Ng (Fish 90), Lawlor, Chambers, Bagan - Wintle - Ashford, Joel Colwill (Robertson 80), Turnbull, Davies (Willock 56) - Robinson (Salech 56)

Chelsea: (4-2-3-1) Jørgensen - Acheampong (Chalobah 84), Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Hato - Andrey Santos, Caicedo - George (Garnacho 46), Buonanotte (Gusto 66), Gittens (Neto 66) - Guiu (João Pedro 46)

Attendance: 33,027