Chelsea were made to work hard in a hostile environment against Wrexham, with their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in attendance.
Twice the Blues fell behind in normal time, although forced their way into an additional 30 minutes when Josh Acheampong scored late on.
Chelsea’s man advantage showed in extra-time, with Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro scoring to finally put an end to a stubborn fight from the Championship side.
Garnacho is on fire right now!
Does he get in your attack to face PSG on Wednesday?
Wrexham v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney proud as Wrexham lose to Chelsea
In truth, Wrexham were probably the better side on the day, and this was reflected in how the owners reacted when the full-time whistle was blown after 120 minutes.
The BBC cameras captured the Americans on their feet applauding their players for the effort they had put in, despite falling short.
Wrexham v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Reynolds swiftly took to social media after the game to share how proud he was of his players, taking into consideration how far they had come since taking over.
He said on X: “Three years ago this week, we battled Maidenhead United to a draw. Today we pushed Chelsea to overtime. So incredibly proud of Wrexham’s performance today.”
Liam Rosenior cut a relieved figure when he congratulated his players after the game, knowing that they were in a real game and had to dig deep to rescue a result.
The Blues only really took control of the game once their opponents went down to 10 men, coinciding with the introduction of Pedro to the fray.
The Brazilian, who is tipped to start for his country at the World Cup, instantly brought a level of quality that the starters simply didn’t have for Chelsea, and was rewarded with his late goal.
Chelsea are in the hat for the next round, although will know they need to perform far better if they are to get the better of PSG in the Champions League Round of 16.
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