On Tuesday, December 16, Cardiff hosted Chelsea (1:3) in the quarterfinals of the English League Cup.

The first teams to battle for a spot in the English League Cup semifinal were Cardiff and Chelsea. Interestingly, the Welsh side was the only club representing not even the Championship, but League 1 – the third strongest division (the other seven teams were from the Premier League). The “Bluebirds” on their way to this stage eliminated Swindon (2:1), Cheltenham (3:0), Burnley (2:1), and Wrexham (2:1), while Chelsea proved stronger than Lincoln (2:1) and Wolverhampton (4:3).

By the middle of the first half, the teams were showing completely even play, and Cardiff was in no way inferior to their illustrious opponent. Moreover, Isaac Davies could have put the hosts ahead after receiving a luxurious cross on the edge of the box and taking a shot, but the strike didn’t come off, and the ball flew far from the right post. Chelsea responded with a chance from Guiu – Nathan Trott made a brilliant save.

In added time, Cardiff earned a dangerous set-piece: Chambers met the delivery in the box, but couldn’t beat Jørgensen.

After the break, Trott saved Cardiff again after a low shot into the right corner from Garnacho. Moments later, Chambers got in the way of the ball after a cannon shot from Santos. Chelsea stepped up significantly, while the Welsh side increasingly pressed back toward their own goal and eventually conceded: Buonanotte carried the ball through the center, burst into the box, and played it left to Garnacho – who finished with one touch past the goalkeeper.

On the 60th minute, the assist provider was close to a goal himself – Trott pulled off a save on his strike from the edge of the box under the crossbar. In the middle of the second half, Gusto went on a mad sprint bursting into Trott’s area, but as he swung to shoot, a defender knocked the ball from under his foot, and it nearly rolled into the net.

On the 76th minute, Cardiff equalized: after a cross from the right flank, Turnbull headed it into the right top corner. Unfortunately for the hosts, their joy was short-lived: Neto received a pass on the right side of the box and curled it accurately from a tight angle under the far post – the ball was going wide, but at the last moment, it grazed a defender’s leg and fatally changed trajectory.

In added time, a Cardiff player went down in Chelsea’s box, but the referee saw no foul and didn’t award a penalty. Pedro had a chance to complete a brace, but he shot over the bar while falling. Instead, the second goal of the match was scored by Garnacho, essentially repeating his first one.

Chelsea won and became the first semifinalist of the English League Cup.