Chelsea have successfully booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals after a hard-fought 3–1 victory over Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night. Despite manager Enzo Maresca making eight changes to his starting lineup, the Blues found the clinical edge required in the second half to overcome a spirited challenge from the Welsh side.
The breakthrough arrived in the 57th minute when second-half substitute Alejandro Garnacho—on for the injured Noni Madueke—controlled a lofted pass from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and slotted a low strike into the bottom corner.
However, Cardiff threatened an upset in the 76th minute when David Turnbull capitalized on a defensive mix-up to level the scores. Chelsea responded by shifting gears; Pedro Neto restored the lead with a powerful 82nd-minute effort before Garnacho sealed the win in stoppage time with a composed finish on the counter-attack.
Wednesday’s Quarter-Final Results
Following Chelsea’s progression, two more heavyweights secured their spots in the final four during Wednesday’s fixtures:
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Manchester City 2–0 Brentford: Pep Guardiola’s side eased past the Bees at the Etihad Stadium with goals from Rayan Cherki and Savinho.
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Newcastle United 2–1 Fulham: The defending champions survived a scare at St. James’ Park. Yoane Wissa opened the scoring for the Magpies, and though Sasa Lukic equalized for Fulham, teenage sensation Lewis Miley headed home a 92nd-minute winner.
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