Chelsea’s substitutes made the difference Tuesday as wingers Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto scored second-half goals to secure a 3-1 win at third-tier Cardiff City and a place in the English League Cup semifinals.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca started with a largely second-string lineup for the first quarterfinal, but needed some of his first-team stars to avoid an upset in south Wales.
Garnacho was one of two attackers brought on for the start of the second half and opened the scoring in the 57th minute, delivering a low finish into the corner following a defensive mistake.
Cardiff equalized in the 75th through David Turnbull but Neto restored the lead seven minutes later with a low, swerving shot into the corner and Garnacho grabbed his second goal of the match in stoppage time.
Chelsea reached the semifinals for the third time in five years as the team seeks a third cup triumph since Maresca arrived in the summer of 2024. It won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup last season.
On Wednesday, Manchester City hosts Brentford and Fulham travels to defending champion Newcastle. The quarterfinals are wrapped up next week when Arsenal hosts Crystal Palace.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
