Chelsea survived a major scare to defeat Wrexham in a dramatic encounter that required extra time after finishing 2-2 after 90 minutes. Wrexham appeared on the verge of an upset when Callum Doyle put them ahead in the 78th minute. However, the Blues found a late lifeline through defender Josh Acheampong, who levelled the scoring in the 82nd minute.
In the 93rd minute, VAR intervened to send off Dobson following a heavy challenge to halt a rapid counter-attack, giving the visitors a numerical advantage just before the match headed into extra time.
The momentum shifted afterwards as Garnacho struck in the 96th minute to give Chelsea the lead. Brazilian forward Joao Pedro then sealed the victory, firing home a fourth goal in the 120+5th minute. Chelsea now move forward in their quest to unseat reigning champions Crystal Palace, who famously defeated Manchester City in last season's final.
Parkinson expressed his frustration after the final whistle, believing his side were on the verge of a historic upset before the dismissal. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "In the second half I think we were the better team and I was confident we were going to win. The referee gave a yellow. I'm not sure of the rules, it's the first time we've had VAR and it has to be clear and obvious to overturn it. I think the referee could have just kept it at a yellow."