Chelsea Work Hard to Eliminate Third-Class Team in the English League Cup

JAKARTA - Chelsea had to work hard to get rid of Cardiff City who competed in League One or the third tier in the English League in the English League Cup or Carabao Cup quarter-final match. In the duel at the Cardiff City Stadium, Wednesday, December 17, 2025 early morning WIB, Chelsea won 3-1 so that they qualified for the semi-finals.

Chelsea appeared with a different team. Manager Enzo Mareca overhauled the squad after winning 2-0 over Everton in the English Premier League. Furthermore, in the midweek match, Maresca brought down five players from the academy plus those who have been sitting on the bench such as Jamie Gittens.

The player, who was bought for no less than 50 million pounds from Borussia Dortmund, only warmed the bench. Ironically, the England U-21 national team player actually became a shining star at Dortmund.

In addition to Gittens who started in the match, Maresca relied on Marc Guiu as a centre forward and midfielder Moises Caicedo who was the only main player.

Only the second-tier squad of the Blues was unable to meet expectations. During the first 45 minutes, they failed to show their best performance and rarely created opportunities to break into the Cardiff goal.

Guiu finally got a good chance when he received a pass from Caicedo in the 30th minute. However, the kick from the former Spain U-17 national team player who previously played at Barcelona could still be stopped by goalkeeper Nathan Trott.

On the other hand, Cardiff, who received full support from the supporters because they played at home, had trouble with Chelsea's defense.

Wing player Isaak Davies has three opportunities that could break Filip Jorgensen's goal. The first opportunity was obtained by Davies who welcomed a pass from Joe Bagan. However, his kick was still wide.

Furthermore, his efforts could still be thwarted by Jorgensen even though he had hit the crossbar. Another opportunity also failed and only produced a corner kick.

In the second half, Maresca brought in Joao Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho, which made Chelsea's attack more lively.

The offensive game that was demonstrated by the two-time Champions League champions went well. As a result, Garnacho finally broke the deadlock after breaking into Cardiff's goal in the 57th minute.

This goal was created when midfielder Facundo Buonanotte managed to cut off a pass from defender Dylan Lawlor. The 20-year-old Argentine then delivered an assist to his compatriot, Garnacho, who immediately executed to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead.

After successfully breaking the deadlock, Chelsea became more aggressive in putting pressure. However, while attacking, Chelsea even conceded a goal in the 75th minute. Midfielder David Turnbull successfully equalized the score when he ran to greet Perry Ng's cross. Turnbull's header failed to be saved by Jorgensen so the score changed to 1-1.

The goal raised the adrenaline of the Cardiff players. They tried to match Chelsea's attacking game. It's just that the Bluebirds' efforts didn't bear fruit.

On the other hand, Chelsea regained the lead after Pedro Neto, who came on as a substitute, scored in the 82nd minute. His kick hit Bagan so much that it slightly changed direction, which made Trott confused.

The goal that killed Cardiff's power. Moreover, Garnacho then scored a brace in injury time. Garnacho's goal that welcomed Pedro's assist changed the score to 3-1. The score remained until the end of the match.