Chelsea would be already dead and buried in the EFL Cup semi-finals had it not been for one of Liam Rosenior’s subs delivering when he really needed it.
Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench to score twice against Arsenal to pull the first leg back to a 3-2 defeat, giving them a chance still when they visit the Emirates.
It was the first time a Chelsea player scored twice in a domestic semi-final, and created an argument that he should be handed the chance to start at the weekend against Brentford.
Garnacho is the most unfairly criticised player at Chelsea 🤜🤛
Do you agree?
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
This is added to by various injury and illness problems in attack, with Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and Cole Palmer all absent against the Gunners.
Alejandro Garnacho scores v Arsenal.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho is thriving as a super sub for Chelsea
The Argentine did start the first game of Rosenior’s tenure against Charlton, where he failed to impress as Gittens, Estevao Willian and Pedro Neto all starred instead.
It is becoming a theme that Garnacho is offering more to the Blues when coming off the bench. Of the six goals he has scored for Chelsea, five of them have come as a substitute.
The theory was floated round that this was his best role when he was at Manchester United, and this was one of the factors that led to his frustration at Old Trafford.
While he will no doubt hate the ‘super sub’ tag, it can become a really useful asset for Chelsea to have in games that require a spark in the second half.
Who was Chelsea’s biggest disappointment on the night? 😡
Some terrible performances on such a big night…
Chelsea v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Chelsea fans starting to change minds on Garnacho
Chelsea’s decision to sign Garnacho was an opportunistic one due to the drastic turn of events at his former club.
It is not the first time this has happened. The move had plenty of parallels to Jadon Sancho’s brief stint at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea supporters were not on board with the Garnacho signing early on, however will be starting to change their opinions based on his output so far.
His numbers far exceed Gittens‘ so far, despite the fact he was signed for a much lower transfer fee in the summer.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox