Chelsea Overturn Two-Goal Deficit to Thrash Leeds 6-3 in Carabao Cup
Chelsea recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Leeds United 6-3 at Stamford Bridge and move into the Carabao Cup fourth round after an extraordinary second-half collapse from the visitors.
The tie was level only briefly after the interval before Chelsea produced a decisive burst, scoring four times in 12 minutes to overturn Leeds’ advantage. Eight of the nine goals arrived in the second half as the match swung from a potential cup upset into a convincing home win.
Chelsea substitutes change the tie
Head coach Xabi Alonso responded to the position at half-time with four substitutions, with Cole Palmer among those introduced. The changes gave Chelsea far greater urgency and attacking momentum after they had made nine alterations to the side beaten by Arsenal on Sunday.
Leeds had established a 2-0 lead through Tarik Muharemovic and Brenden Aaronson, but Palmer began the comeback by winning and taking a penalty. He then struck again two minutes later to bring Chelsea level.
Pedro Neto, another player introduced from the bench, put Chelsea in front to complete a six-minute reversal. Danny Welbeck soon added a fourth goal after a delivery from Morgan Rogers, who proved central to the home side’s surge.
Rogers supplies three assists
Rogers finished the match with three assists after making a major impact as a substitute. His creativity helped Chelsea exploit a Leeds defence that had looked composed during an encouraging opening spell but could not withstand the sustained pressure after the break.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave Leeds a brief route back into the contest with their third goal. Chelsea, however, remained in control. Valentin Barco registered his first goal for the club before Welbeck headed in again during stoppage time to complete the 6-3 result.
Fourth-round place confirmed
Chelsea are the sixth side through to the last 16, joining Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Bradford City, Sunderland and Newcastle, who all progressed on Tuesday.
The other 10 third-round fixtures will be played across next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The fourth-round draw is scheduled for next Wednesday evening, after Manchester United’s match against Brighton has finished.
