Chelsea secured their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought victory over league leaders Cardiff City in South Wales.
The home side, cheered by an enthusiastic crowd at Cardiff City Stadium, impressed both in possession and out of possession to contain their Premier League opponents and show their attacking threat in a goalless first half.
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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca transformed his entire squad for Saturday’s Premier League win over Everton, overshadowing his post-match comments that the previous 48 hours had been the “worst” of his tenure.
A lackluster first half from the Club World Cup winners did little to improve the Italian’s mood, so he made two substitutions at half-time, one of whom – Alejandro Garnacho – fired in after Cardiff City centre-back Dylan Lawler had given the ball away.
Brian Barry-Murphy’s side reacted strongly and equalized, triggering deafening celebrations when David Turnbull headed home Perry Ng’s cross.
However, their victory was short-lived as another Chelsea substitute, Pedro Neto, restored their lead with a low shot that took a deflection.
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Garnacho then added another goal in stoppage time to secure victory.
The goals have dampened the raucous atmosphere for now, but Cardiff City can take a huge boost from the way they have equipped themselves against elite opposition as they turn their attention back to an immediate return to the Championship.
It was a welcome result for Chelsea after a difficult few days for Maresca – albeit an unconvincing performance.
They will find out their semi-final opponents when the draw is made on Wednesday.
Chelsea analysis: Maresca’s ‘worst’ week improves
Maresca has come under scrutiny for his unexpected and somewhat cryptic comments after Chelsea’s win over Everton and in the build-up to the game. The Italian was visibly annoyed when he was repeatedly asked to clarify his comments during Monday’s pre-match press conference.
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It was a distraction, but ultimately not enough to derail Chelsea.
Despite making 11 changes against Everton, Maresca was still able to put together a strong squad, including midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is worth £100m, while the bench is worth close to £400m.
The manager was not satisfied with the first half inflicting little impact on his lower-league opponents and brought on Garnacho and Joao Pedro at half-time.
Their introduction immediately added purpose and sharpness to Chelsea’s attack, with Garnacho forcing a fine save from Cardiff goalkeeper Nathan Trott.
The former Manchester United winger was more clinical with his subsequent shot, finishing off a pass from Facundo Buonanotte, who won possession from Lawler’s loose pass.
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Chelsea might have feared the game was coming when Cardiff City equalized, but to the London club’s credit they reacted calmly, with Neto firing into the bottom corner via a Joel Bagan backheel deflection.
Garnacho’s final second place arguably flattered Chelsea, but they were worthy winners as they moved one step closer to winning this trophy for the first time in a decade.
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