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, deflected shot into the corner and Garnacho grabbed his second goal of the match in stoppage time. “Sometimes you have to start games and sometimes you have to help from the bench,” said Garnacho, who joined from Manchester United in August. “We don’t focus on this, we just try to help the team.”