- Chelsea defeated Cardiff City 3-1 away from home.
- Alejandro Garnacho scored two goals after coming on.
- Pedro Neto scored the winning goal in the second half.
- Cardiff briefly equalised and pushed Chelsea hard.
Chelsea were forced to dig deep on Tuesday night as they came from behind in the second half to overcome a brave Cardiff City side and secure a place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Manager Enzo Maresca made wholesale changes, naming an entirely new starting eleven from the team that beat Everton over the weekend. The rotated side struggled to find fluency in the first half, allowing Cardiff to grow in confidence.
The League One leaders pressed with discipline and energy, unsettling Chelsea at times. Isaak Davies caused problems down the flank, while a dangerous cross nearly turned into an own goal after striking Moises Caicedo.
At the other end, goalkeeper Nathan Trott stood firm, denying Marc Guiu, as Benoit Badiashile headed over from a promising position. The opening 45 minutes ended goalless, but Cardiff looked anything but overawed.
Sensing the need for urgency, Maresca introduced Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro after the break. The impact was immediate, with Chelsea playing at a higher tempo and stretching the home defence.
Just before the hour mark, a mistake from Dylan Lawlor proved costly. Facundo Buonanotte picked up the loose pass and slid the ball through to Garnacho, who calmly finished into the bottom corner to give Chelsea the lead.
Despite Chelsea’s growing control, Cardiff refused to fold. In the 75th minute, Perry Ng’s cross found David Turnbull, who rose above the defence to head past Filip Jorgensen and level the match.
The equaliser lifted the stadium, with home fans daring to believe in a famous upset against the Premier League giants.
That hope did not last long. Seven minutes later, substitute Pedro Neto cut inside and fired a low shot that took a deflection, wrong-footing Trott and restoring Chelsea’s lead.
As Cardiff pushed forward in search of another equaliser, space opened up. In stoppage time, Joao Pedro slipped a neat pass to Garnacho, who showed composure to chip the ball over the advancing goalkeeper and seal his second goal of the night.
The final whistle confirmed Chelsea’s place in the semi-finals and eased pressure on Maresca after recent mixed performances. Cardiff, meanwhile, bowed out with pride after pushing top-level opposition all the way in an entertaining cup tie.
Chelsea will now wait for Wednesday’s draw to learn their semi-final opponents, while Cardiff turns their focus back to their promotion push with heads held high
