"Enzo Maresca changed his whole team after their win over Everton on Saturday, and it initially showed as Chelsea struggled to gain a foothold, with their best early chance seeing Benoit Badiashile blaze over the bar. Isaak Davies provided a threat for Cardiff, with a delightful cross deflecting narrowly wide off Moises Caicedo after Nathan Trott had made a smart stop to deny Marc Guiu."
"Cardiff could not turn their pressure into a lead, and Maresca introduced Joao Pedro and Garnacho at the break, effectively turning the momentum in Chelsea's favour. The Argentinian saw a shot smothered by Trott but did find the breakthrough in the 57th minute; Dylan Lawlor gifted the ball to Facundo Buonanotte, who picked out Garnacho to slot his effort into the bottom-right corner."
"Chelsea missed chances to double their lead, and Cardiff punished them for it, with David Turnbull stooping to flick Perry Ng's whipped delivery over Filip Jorgensen 75 minutes in. Neto broke Cardiff hearts eight minutes later, though, guiding a low shot across goal into the bottom-left corner to restore Chelsea's lead. Turnbull's attempt to find a second equaliser looped onto the roof of the net before Garnacho got his second in the third minute of stoppage time, with another fine, drilled shot across goal."
Enzo Maresca made eleven changes to his Chelsea side, and the rotated team struggled early to assert control. Cardiff produced chances including Isaak Davies’ cross and Nathan Trott’s smart stop to deny Marc Guiu. Maresca introduced Joao Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho at half-time, shifting momentum. Garnacho opened the scoring after Facundo Buonanotte’s assist. David Turnbull equalised for Cardiff before Pedro Neto restored Chelsea’s lead with a low finish. Garnacho sealed the tie with a stoppage-time strike. Chelsea finished with 2.57 expected goals from 18 attempts, with substitutes Garnacho and Joao Pedro heavily involved.
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