Chelsea entered a hostile Cardiff City Stadium, with the League One side hoping to cause a shock in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup.
Despite a spirited performance from the hosts, Enzo Maresca’s bench made the difference as the Blues clinched their spot in the final four with three second-half goals.
The opening 45 was reserved from Chelsea, allowing the Bluebirds the lion’s share of the ball and only hoping to go forward directly via a long pass. But the injection of pace and finesse from Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro at halftime gave Chelsea the final third quality needed to pounce on the mistakes made by Cardiff.
Chelsea will have to wait until tonight to find out their semi-final opponent, with the draw taking place after Newcastle's tie with Fulham.
The first of the two semi-final legs will be played the week commencing 12th January 2026.
Starting XI
Filip Jørgensen – 6
Last night was the Danes’ first start for the Blues since their 4-3 victory over Wolves in the last round. Jørgensen made a top stop to deny a deflected Isaak Davies cross from beating him near post in the 34th minute to keep the tie 0-0, and overall put in a decent display.
His distribution tonight, however, was underwhelming; too many of his kicks were swept up by Cardiff’s defence and allowed the hosts plenty more opportunities to attack. An area to work on.
Josh Achempong – 6
The Cobham graduate has shown real promise this year, but his performance yesterday was more reserved. On occasion, Davies did get the better of the young Englishman, but for the most part remained unfazed when one-on-one.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 6
Tosin displayed ambition with his passing early on, hoping to switch play and break lines, albeit every pass didn’t come off, but his positivity on the ball in the first half was one of their few bright sparks.
Benoît Badiashile – 6
Badiashile’s time at Chelsea has always been viewed as underwhelming, and last night's performance was a mirror of that verb. Some very sloppy passing in the first half almost led to a David Turnbull goal, but when Yousef Salech stepped onto the pitch, the Frenchman dealt with his physicality well, snuffing a Cardiff momentum shift.
Jorrel Hato – 6
Hato had to face a confident Cian Ashford, similar to Achempong, the Welshman looked better in the first, but his influence on the game shrank when the Dutchman advanced both further up the pitch and when inverting inside.
Hato has been short of opportunities to show his qualities, but in the tight spaces yesterday evening, he showed talent.
Moises Caicedo © - 7
Caicedo was the heart of this Chelsea win. His strength and instinct were key in transition for Chelsea’s goals, with a highlight his turn and through ball to Marc Guiu in the first half.
Andre Santos – 6
Santos like Achempong, has shown sparks, yet his first 45 was a quiet one as the hosts were keen to stamp their authority. The Brazilian currently feels like an awkward medium in this Chelsea system, not a true six or ten.
With more minutes, he’ll find his place and be a great asset for the future.
Tyrique George – 6
George being hooked at halftime didn’t reflect his performance. The young winger was direct and delivered some dangerous crosses into the box with no one in white to slot the ball home.
Facundo Buonanotte – 6
On his day Buonanotte is a terrific footballer, but yesterday his inability to meet the physical demands of the game made for a frustrating performance.
Once accompanied by Joao Pedro, his influence grew, managing to capitalise on a Dylan Lawlor error to feed through Garnacho for his opener.
Jamie Gittens – 5
Gitten’s like Buonanotte physically struggled to compete. Yes, the Englishman had a few drives forward with the ball, but they ultimately led to little.
Last night was a great opportunity to show his talent versus weaker opposition, and he didn’t quite take it.
Marc Guiu – 5
Guiu was busy for the Blues in his 45-minute cameo, but he squandered a good opportunity to get on the score sheet.
Substitutes
João Pedro – 8
The Brazilian was the linchpin of Chelsea’s attack and capped off his fine second-half display with an assist for Garnacho’s second of the night.
Alejandro Garnacho – 9 MOTM
The Argentine, who was criticised on the weekend for his lack of potency in front of goal, made no mistake last night with two fine finishes.
Garnacho will be eyeing a starting spot this weekend versus Newcastle.
Malo Gusto – 6
Deployed as a six, Gusto put in a decent performance; however, the blame for Cardiff’s goal must fall on the Frenchman for the poor tracking of **David Turnbull**’s run.
Pedro Neto – 7
Neto was direct down the right, and as the game opened, he was a real threat. A slight Joel Bagan deflection aided his effort, which gave the Blues the lead again.
Trevor Chalobah – N/A