Chelsea moved on to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday, but their 4-2 extra-time win over Championship side Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground raised a lot of red flags. The Blues came back from behind twice to avoid an upset, but the first half was probably the worst 45 minutes of football Liam Rosenior has seen as head coach in the last two months.
The performance was so bad that Romeo Lavia and Pedro Neto were seen arguing as they walked across the field to the tunnel during halftime. It was clear that the two Chelsea stars didn’t agree on something, and since the whole team played so badly, there were probably even more arguments when the players got to the locker room. Lavia got his first start since coming back from an injury, and Neto was back in the lineup after serving a one-match suspension against Aston Villa.
There were some improvements in the second period, but Rosenior’s men still didn’t play well enough to win. Sam Smith scored the first goal for the home team, but an own goal by Arthur Okonkwo brought Chelsea back to level. Callum Doyle put Wrexham back in the lead, but Josh Acheampong tied it up again. Then Garnacho and João Pedro both scored in extra time to win the game.
Alejandro Garnacho Stars as Chelsea Progress Into FA Cup Quarter-Finals
Alejandro Garnacho was a key player in Chelsea’s dramatic entry into the FA Cup quarter-finals against Wrexham. The Argentine winger, who started for the second time in a row after a great game against Aston Villa on Wednesday night, was involved in both goals that ended the tie in extra time.
The 21-year-old was active for all 120 minutes he was on the field in North Wales. He often looked like the most likely player to make something happen in the final third. That turned out to be true when it mattered most: in extra time. Garnacho volleyed in Dario Essugo’s perfect cross in the 96th minute, giving the west Londoners the lead for the first time in the tie.
This season, the Argentine has scored five goals in seven domestic cup games for Chelsea. In the Premier League and the Champions League, he has scored only two goals in 25 games. Garnacho’s game-winning goal was his first FA Cup goal since he scored against Manchester City in the 2024 final while still playing for Manchester United. His recent performances will only make him more confident as he tries to prove his critics wrong at the end of the season.