Sports
Three things we learned from Chelsea win as substitutes make all the difference
After making headlines in recent days for what he has said, Enzo Maresca this time let the Chelsea supporters do the talking.
As he went over to the travelling fans at the Cardiff City Stadium, they were left chanting his name after the Blues reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win.
The performance itself was far from an encouraging one, particularly in the first half, but victory was what mattered most in the Welsh capital.
Despite being pegged back to 1-1 in the 75th minute by David Turnbull’s sensational header, a goal from Pedro Neto and two from Alejandro Garnacho — both of whom were substitutes — proved enough to send Chelsea into the next round.
Standard Sport’s Dom Smith picks out three key talking points from the game.
More questions over Maresca’s rotation
There has been criticism in recent weeks of how often Maresca rings the changes to his starting lineups, but he was always going to make wholesale alterations for this one with an eye to resting players for Saturday’s huge league game against Newcastle at St James’ Park.
But the 11 changes from the Everton win — an entirely new team — produced a repeat of the Lincoln game in September when they lacked cohesion and only won narrowly against League One opposition. For long periods, it showed again that the difference between Chelsea’s first XI and squad players remains concerningly big.
Chelsea were ponderous and stilted for all of the first half and long periods of the second. League One leaders Cardiff average more possession than any club in the top four divisions, and they, by contrast, looked assured on the ball and did not give it away needlessly.
Quality: Pedro Neto continues to prove one of Chelsea’s most reliable and consistent options in attack
Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Yes, Chelsea’s XI was inexperienced and featured four teenagers, but they should have played an awful lot better. It shouldn’t have needed the regulars to arrive as second-half substitutions for the Blues to click into gear and win the tie.
Slow starters but Chelsea grow into game
Chelsea looked lethargic in the first half. For that they had no excuse, given Maresca was largely playing his second-stringers, all of them short of minutes.
But throwing Joao Pedro and Garnacho on at the interval and Pedro Neto on shortly after that did the trick for Maresca as the necessary quality duly, if belatedly, arrived.
After about 50 minutes, the chances finally started to come. Garnacho and Moises Caicedo had shots blocked, before the lively Facundo Buonanotte set up Garnacho for the opener.
Cardiff levelled — and on the balance of play deserved it — but Chelsea asserted more pressure again.
Pedro Neto has all too often felt the only Chelsea player capable of scoring a goal out of nothing this month, and his deflected strike regained Chelsea’s advantage.
Garnacho ran free and caressed into the far corner in stoppage time for daylight between the visitors and Cardiff.
“They brought me on and I tried to help the team,” said Garnacho. “Me, Pedro and the rest of the players did that.”
Chelsea had made harder work of the League One leaders than they ought to have done, but into the pot for the last four they go.
Jorgensen’s steady showing
Filip Jorgensen has played in all three of Chelsea’s matches in the Carabao Cup this season and this was by far his most assured display.
He saved a certain goal from Isaak Davies in the first half with the game still goalless, as the Cardiff man tried to catch him out at his near post from a tight angle, only for the goalkeeper to backpeddle and claw the ball off the line.
Unlike against Wolves and Lincoln, when he was unconvincing, Jorgensen held crosses confidently, invariably won the ball when coming for punches, and was not beaten in the air.
There was absolutely nothing he could do about Turnbull’s sensational headed equaliser and he should not shoulder any of the blame for Chelsea’s failure to keep a clean sheet.
Still very much Robert Sanchez’s understudy and with that situation unlikely to change any time soon, all he could do here was perform better than when previously called upon this season. That he did.
