Xabi Alonso and Chelsea are back to winning ways, a hard fought victory in thriller against Leeds United
Chelsea fought from behind to claim a 6-3 win over Leeds United in a breathtaking Carabao Cup tie at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
A second-half onslaught that included six goals for Xabi Alonso's men saw the Blues bounce back from defeat against Arsenal with a thrilling win against Daniel Farke's side to advance them to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
The Blues looked in control early against Leeds, but offered little going forward and let the visitors take hold of the contest. Midway through the first half, they were punished; a few warning signs didn't wake the hosts up, and Tarik Muharemovic headed in from a corner to open the scoring.
As the first half progressed, frustration grew around Stamford Bridge, while Chelsea eventually found their rhythm. Michael Zetterer was only really tested once; the German goalkeeper easily smuggled Jamie Gittens' effort behind for a corner.
A disappointing opening 45 minutes meant it wasn't a surprise when Alonso made multiple changes at the interval. The Spaniard made four substitutions at the break, bringing on Reece James, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. The players who left the field were Malo Gusto, Gittens, Estevao and the yellow-carded Reggie Watson.
The second half got off to a flying start for the travelling side when Brenden Aaronson thumped home from close range to double their lead. It looked as though the visitors were in a very commanding position, but the game rapidly turned on its head.
Chelsea pegged their first goal back from the penalty spot. Daniel James brought Pep Chavarria down in the box; Palmer stepped up and stroked his penalty past Zetterer to haul the Blues back into the contest.
Just two minutes later, Palmer had the ball in the back of the net for a second time. Rogers was the provider for this goal; his flick found Palmer, who calmly tucked his effort into the bottom left corner and tied the score at 2-2.
In the 60th minute, Chelsea took the lead, sending Stamford Bridge crazy. Another one of the half-time substitutes, Neto, was the scorer this time. In a similar fashion to Palmer's second goal, the Portuguese international rolled his strike into the corner. After being two goals down just seven minutes earlier, Chelsea somehow took the lead.
The Blues were not done there, though; a fourth goal was wonderfully converted by Danny Welbeck. Following some excellent footwork, the 35-year-old tucked his finish past Zetterer to give Chelsea some breathing room.
With the game finally looking as though it was out of the visitors' reach, substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin brought his side right back into the game, slotting past Penders with a low strike following Noah Okafor's pass. The hosts responded quickly, though, eliminating any chance of a Leeds comeback. Rogers was once again the provider, picking up his fourth assist in just the second half; he set up Valentin Barco, who smashed home to score his first goal for the Blues.
As the wild second half edged closer to its end, there was still time for one more goal. Welbeck doubled his tally for the day, adjusting well to head Barco's skewed effort into the back of the net. A fitting end for a truly bonkers game of Football.
Here are five things learned from Chelsea's victory in the Carabao Cup over Leeds United.
Substitutions save the day for Chelsea
The Blues made four changes when down a goal at half-time, but when Leeds extended their advantage at the start of the second-half, the Blues looked in serious trouble. Fortunately, it did not take too much longer for things to start clicking for the newly introduced substitutes.
Palmer scored twice, Neto scored once, and Rogers provided four assists in the second 45. The players who came on at half-time swung the game in Chelsea's favour; the Blues looked a completely different team in the second half. While it is a positive for Chelsea to have players that can turn a game on its head, it makes the gap in quality the Blues have in their strength in depth glaringly obvious.
First-half a cause for concern
Having made nine changes after the defeat against Arsenal on Sunday, Alonso's new-look side really struggled in the first 45 minutes.
Early on, Chelsea had much of the ball but failed to create anything substantial. Their negativity in the opposition half allowed the away side to build momentum and take hold of the game.
Alonso's disapproval of his side's first-half performance was highlighted at the break; four of his 11 starters were hooked off midway through the contest. The Blues can count themselves lucky they were bailed out in the second half, because their first-half performance was nowhere near good enough.
Games involving Chelsea are rarely boring
In just five games this season, the Blues have scored a total of 16 goals; that is over three goals a game. However, they have also conceded nine in as many matches. While it is exciting to see Chelsea engage in these high-scoring affairs, it naturally comes with worries.
There are vulnerabilities at the back, and despite possessing the firepower to outscore teams regularly, relying on this throughout the season could cause problems. The sheer number of goals creates quite the spectacle and can be enjoyed when on the right end of it, but if there is to be success for Chelsea this season, this might need to be toned down.
Shaky from set-pieces
One of Leeds' biggest strengths is their ability from set-pieces. Chelsea failed to nullify this threat and paid the price when Muharemovic connected with Harry Wilson's corner and headed past Penders.
The goal was not the only moment when the Blues looked vulnerable to deliveries into the box. Just before the opener, a long throw from Ethan Ampadu wreaked havoc in the Chelsea box; Penders was on hand to make an excellent double save on this occasion.
16-year-old Reggie Watson makes professional debut
Even though he was not on the pitch for the action-packed second half, it was still a particularly special night for Watson in midfield. The youngster made his professional debut for the Blues in this contest.
The English midfielder was substituted at half-time, but he delivered a solid performance in the first 45 and was one of the better players in a poor all-round display from the Blues. He was barking out instructions at his teammates and looked like a leader, which is hugely impressive at such a young age.
He's already received high praise from Alonso, and his future is extremely bright.