Chelsea’s substitute appearances made a difference on Tuesday as wingers Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto scored second-half goals as they secured a 3-1 win over third-tier Cardiff City and a place in the English League Cup semi-finals.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca started the quarter-final first leg with a predominantly second-team lineup, but needed some of his first-team stars to avoid an upset in south Wales.
Garnacho was one of two attackers brought on at the start of the second half and took the lead in the 57th minute when a defensive error resulted in a low shot into the top corner.
Cardiff equalized in the 75th minute through David Turnbull, but they regained the lead seven minutes later when Neto curled a low deflected shot into the corner, before Garnacho grabbed his second goal of the game in stoppage time.
“Sometimes you have to start the game, and sometimes you have to help from the bench,” Garnacho said. Joined from Manchester United In August. “We’re not focused on this, we’re just trying to help the team.”
Maresca said there was a “huge difference” after the substitution.
“In the second half, we handled the ball much better,” said the Italian.
Chelsea aim to win their third cup since Maresca arrived in the summer of 2024, and have reached the semi-finals for the third time in five years. Last season, they won the European Conference League and the Club World Cup.
At a press conference over the weekend, Maresca said The player endured the worst 48 hours of his time at Chelsea last weekend, expressing his frustration at the club’s lack of support without going into details.
Chelsea went without a win in four games in all competitions, but they defeated Everton 2-0 in the Premier League and advanced to the cup semi-finals.
Quarterfinal lineup
On Wednesday, Manchester City host Brentford, while Fulham face defending champions Newcastle.
The quarter-finals conclude next week when Arsenal host Crystal Palace.
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Steve Douglas is https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
