Chelsea produced a remarkable second-half comeback at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Leeds United 6-3 and secure a place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Leeds appeared firmly in control after taking a 1-0 lead into half-time and extending their advantage shortly after the restart.
However, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso’s second-half substitutions completely changed the game as Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Pedro Neto sparked an extraordinary turnaround.
Tarik Muharemović put Leeds ahead in the 23rd minute with a powerful header after the visitors dominated the opening period.
Brenden Aaronson then doubled Leeds’ advantage in the 48th minute, finishing after Ethan Ampadu’s move created an opportunity inside the Chelsea area.
Chelsea responded almost immediately. Palmer pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute after Dan James was adjudged to have fouled Pep Chavarría.
Just two minutes later, the England midfielder levelled the contest with a curling finish from the edge of the box following a flick-on from Rogers.
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Neto completed Chelsea’s rapid turnaround in the 60th minute, finishing a counter-attack after being released by Palmer and Rogers.
Danny Welbeck then added Chelsea’s fourth in the 65th minute, turning inside the penalty area before firing a low shot beyond Leeds goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.
Leeds briefly threatened another comeback when Dominic Calvert-Lewin reduced the deficit to 4-3 in the 75th minute, guiding Noah Okafor’s cross into the corner.
But Chelsea refused to surrender their advantage.
Valentin Barco restored the two-goal cushion in the 80th minute with a powerful finish after another dangerous delivery from Rogers.
Welbeck completed the rout in stoppage time when his touch deflected Barco’s wayward effort into the net, sealing a nine-goal thriller.
Palmer was named player of the match after his influential performance, receiving an average rating of 8.75, while Rogers also impressed with an 8.50 rating after playing a major role in Chelsea’s second-half revival.
The match saw both managers heavily rotate their squads following their Premier League fixtures, with Chelsea making nine changes and Leeds eight.
Chelsea’s victory sends them through to the fourth round of the EFL Cup, with the next round scheduled to be played in late October.
