Chelsea Defeat Cardiff City 3-1 to Reach Carabao Cup Semi-Finals
Chelsea secured a 3-1 victory over Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final at the Cardiff City Stadium, advancing to the semi-finals. Alejandro Garnacho played a key role by opening the scoring and adding a second goal during stoppage time to seal the win for Chelsea. David Turnbull equalised for Cardiff with a header 15 minutes before the end of regular time, but Chelsea responded with a late winner from Pedro Neto.
Enzo Maresca fielded a youthful Chelsea side, featuring four teenagers in the starting lineup, with Moisés Caicedo captaining the team. Cardiff City also made significant changes by including five homegrown players, such as Joel Colwill, and Dylan Lawlor's misplaced pass contributed to Chelsea's opening goal.
Goalkeeper Nathan Trott made several notable saves for Cardiff, including a fingertip stop on Buonanotte and multiple stops against João Pedro. The match was played in front of a sell-out crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium, marking the first such occasion since April 2019 for a club match. Pre-match moments featured a warm handshake between Maresca and Cardiff manager Barry-Murphy, highlighting a connection through Pep Guardiola, and former club boss Bellamy attended the match as a spectator.
