Chelsea survive scare, beat third-tier side to reach League Cup semis

Chelsea had to overcome tense moments to secure a spot in the semifinals of the English League Cup . On Tuesday night, the team defeated Cardiff, from the third division, 3-1 at the Cardiff City Stadium, in a quarterfinal clash. Garnacho opened the scoring for the visitors, David Turnbull equalized for the home side, but in the final stretch, Pedro Neto and Garnacho again sealed the London team's qualification.

For this match, coach Enzo Maresca chose to rest several starters. Among them was Estêvão, who was not even included in the squad and did not sit on the bench.

– Tuesday, 16 December 2025

With the win, Chelsea now awaits the draw to determine their semifinal opponent. The other quarterfinal matches are Manchester City vs Brentford and Newcastle vs Fulham, both taking place this Wednesday, in addition to Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, scheduled for next Tuesday, the 23rd.

🔵⚪ CARDIFF 1 X 3 CHELSEA ⚪⚫

Competition : English League Cup (Quarterfinals) Venue : Cardiff City Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales Date : December 16, 2025 (Tuesday) Time : 5:00 PM (Brasília time)

Goals

Garnacho, 56’ 2nd half (Chelsea) David Turnbull , 75’ 2nd half (Cardiff) Pedro Neto , 82’ 2nd half (Chelsea) Garnacho, 90+7’ 2nd half (Chelsea)

Chelsea took the lead 11 minutes into the second half. Defender Dylan Lawlor made a mistake in the build-up and gave the ball away to Buonanotte, who advanced through midfield, entered the box, and set up Garnacho. The Argentine finished first-time, past the goalkeeper, to open the scoring.

Cardiff responded in the 75th minute and leveled the match. Perry Ng crossed into the box and found David Turnbull free between the defenders, who rose well and headed precisely into the net.

Chelsea’s answer came in the 82nd minute. After a series of passes at the edge of the area, the ball fell to Pedro Neto , who finished across goal to put the visitors back in front. In stoppage time, at 90+7 minutes, Garnacho scored his second of the match and sealed the final score.

Lincoln City vs Cardiff Competition : English Third Division (21st round) Date and time : December 20 (Saturday), at 12:00 PM (Brasília time) Venue : LNER Stadium, in Lincoln

Newcastle vs Chelsea Competition : English Championship (17th round) Date and time : December 20 (Saturday), at 9:30 AM (Brasília time) Venue : St. James’ Park, in Newcastle upon Tyne

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.