A much-changed Chelsea side made a decent enough start to the game, but after about 10 minutes, that early impetus faded and the visitors started controlling proceedings. They didn’t exactly pose a great threat, but they did grab the lead thanks to a series of corners that we proved incapable of dealing with properly.
Chelsea were offering even less however, and other than a tight-angle shot from Jamie Gittens and a flick from Danny Welbeck after some good work from Reggie Watson and Estêvão in the final
five minutes of the half, we deservedly headed into the break down a goal.
Xabi Alonso made four(!) changes at the half, but Leeds would double their lead immediately after the restart, and Chelsea had it all to do.
Thankfully, just a few minutes later we would have a penalty as Pep Chavarría got his toes stood on — not sure it would’ve survived VAR scrutiny, but no VAR in this round of the competition just yet! — and Palmer dispatched it with unerring accuracy.
And just a couple minutes later, Palmer would pick out the opposite corner from open play, curling a low shot around a defender after Rogers flicked the ball into his path off his own backside.
And the same spot was picked out by Pedro Neto not five minutes later, with Rogers again picking up the assist, this time by poking the ball away from a defender and into the path of the oncoming winger.
And we weren’t done after that furious 15-minute comeback, as Danny Welbeck added a fourth not much later. Of course it was Rogers with the assist once again, his third of the second half.
Leeds responded with a quadruple change of their own, and soon after they did get one back, cutting Chelsea’s lead in half. And there were 15 minutes still to go.
Thankfully, we were next to score, Rogers again doing the setup, this time for Barco at the far post, to score his first Chelsea goal. Excellent way to repay the Leeds boos that had come raining down on him in the first half.
And no, that wasn’t the final goal of the game, with Welbeck getting his brace in added-on time, deflecting a shot from Barco that was going wide. Excellent instincts from the veteran striker.
Nine goals total, six to the good guys. Are we not entertained?
Carefree.
- Malo Gusto the nominal right wing-back, but I’m not sure he played a single second there
- Senior debut for Reggie Watson at 16 years and 226 days, our fourth youngest player ever; congrats!
- That’s four assists for Rogers, if you’re counting
- The draw for the fourth round will be next Wednesday with the fixtures of the third round being split over two weeks
- Next up: Hull City, away on Saturday afternoon
- KTBFFH
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