Chelsea scored four times in 12 second-half minutes to turn the tables and win 6-3 in the third round at Stamford Bridge.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds led 2-0 just after half-time thanks to Tarik Muharemovic and Brenden Aaronson against a Blues side showing nine changes from Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal, but after Xabi Alonso sent on Cole Palmer at the head of four half-time substitutions, everything changed.
Palmer got two in two minutes to equalise – the first a penalty – then Pedro Neto, another half-time introduction, scored to complete a six-minute turnaround.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer scores their side's first goal of the game from the penalty spot during the Carabao Cup third round match with Leeds at Stamford Bridge.placeholder image
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer scores their side's first goal of the game from the penalty spot during the Carabao Cup third round match with Leeds at Stamford Bridge.
Danny Welbeck made it four as Morgan Rogers marked his impact from the bench with three assists.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored as Leeds looked to pick up the shattered pieces of what had been an excellent away performance, putting them within one goal of forcing the tie to penalties.
But it became a horror show when Valentin Barco got his first goal for the Blues to make it five before Welbeck headed in a sixth in stoppage time.
A topsy-turvy game was further evidence of Chelsea’s new reality under Alonso, that they have a fine first XI capable of scintillating attacking football but a squad that lacks quality in depth and is defensively brittle.
For Leeds it was a first defeat of the season, one in which they had previously only conceded two goals in four matches.
Chelsea 6 Leeds United 3: Whites hit for six in second-half Carabao Cup goal blitz
Chelsea 6 Leeds United 3: Whites hit for six in second-half Carabao Cup goal blitz