Chelsea battle into League Cup semis to ease pressure on Maresca

Chelsea showed their support for unsettled boss Enzo Maresca as they survived a scare from third-tier Cardiff to reach the League Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win on Tuesday.

Maresca’s side took the lead thanks to Alejandro Garnacho’s strike early in the second half of the quarter-final in the Welsh capital.

Chelsea were pushed hard by the gritty League One leaders, who equalised through David Turnbull’s thumping header.

But the Blues delivered a welcome tonic for Maresca after his recent outburst, as Pedro Neto and Garnacho struck in the closing stages.

When Maresca faced the media on Monday, the Italian refused to clarify his explosive claim after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton that the previous 48 hours had been his worst at Stamford Bridge because he and his team lacked “support” from “many people”.

Maresca’s rant had fuelled speculation he was criticising the club’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

It has been suggested that Maresca was unhappy with the failure of Chelsea’s hierarchy to publicly support him amid criticism of his rotation policy during the team’s recent dip in form.

The victory over Cardiff was only their second in six games in all competitions.

Maresca, who led the Blues to Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League glory earlier this year, has now led Chelsea to three semi-finals in 18 months.

Asked if he felt backed by the club, Maresca said: “Tonight the focus has to be that we reached the semi-final, the support from fans has always been there.”

“We are going in the right direction, everything I do is because I want the best for everyone, the fans, players everyone,” he said.

“Very happy, especially for the effort of the players. I said yesterday that the schedule is full of these tricky games and so you have to pay attention and we did that.”

Immediate impact: Chelsea, eight points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, are bidding to win the League Cup for the first time since 2015.

Prioritising Saturday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle, Maresca made 11 changes, with Cole Palmer rested and Moises Caicedo returning from suspension.

Filip Jorgensen saved from Callum Robinson and then Turnbull as fired-up Cardiff fed off the febrile atmosphere from the sell-out 33,000 crowd.

Chelsea struggled to match Cardiff’s intensity and they nearly fell behind as Isaak Davies’s cross deflected off Caicedo, forcing Jorgensen to make a superb stop.

Maresca’s worst 48 hours had been followed by one of his most forgettable 45 minutes, but he turned the tide by sending on Garnacho and Joao Pedro at the interval.

Garnacho made an immediate impact as he put Chelsea ahead in the 57th minute.

Dylan Lawlor’s woeful pass was intercepted by Facundo Buonanotte who raced into the Cardiff area before slipping a pass to Garnacho, who kept his composure for a clinical finish.

Chelsea lost their lead in the 75th minute. Perry Ng whipped his cross into the Chelsea area and Turnbull punished sloppy marking with a powerful header from 10 yards.

The Blues responded emphatically in the 82nd minute when Neto took Joao Pedro’s pass and drilled a low deflected strike into the far corner.

Garnacho put the seal on Chelsea’s victory in stoppage-time, lifting a deft finish over Nathan Trott after surging into the area.

In Wednesday’s quarter-final action, Manchester City host Brentford and Newcastle face Fulham, while Arsenal meet Crystal Palace on December 23.

Chelsea has seen a 44% spike in injuries after competing in the supersized Club World Cup this year, according to findings published on Tuesday.

But the newly expanded tournament has so far had a “minimal impact” on injuries overall, the latest edition of the Men’s European Football Injury Index found.

There was fierce opposition to FIFA’s new flagship club event when it was confirmed in 2023 that it would increase from seven to 32 teams, with players’ unions warning of physical and mental burnout of players due to an ever expanding match schedule. But FIFA pressed ahead and staged the tournament in the United States in June-July.

Agencies