The Blues clinched a hard-fought win to reach the Carabao Cup’s third round.
Chelsea defeated Wimbledon 2-1 in the Carabao Cup on Thursday. A hard-earned comeback ensured the Blues’ qualification for the next round of the EFL Cup.
What happened?
Chelsea established dominance over the possession early on, but the visitors stunned with an opener in the 19th minute. James Tilley’s penalty made it 1-0 for the visitors, forcing Chelsea to rush forward for an equalizer.
Following a host of missed chances, Chelsea finally got what they were looking for in the 45th minute. Noni Madueke converted a spot-kick to make it 1-1 just before the break.
Chelsea started their efforts to complete the comeback as soon as the second half started. But a number of fantastic saves from Alex Bass delayed their next goal until the 72nd minute.
Enzo Fernandez scored his first goal for the Blues after a careless clearance from Bass. Wimbledon pushed hard to get back into the game in the final ten minutes, but Fernandez’s goal was enough to win the match for the hosts.
Man of the Match
Noni Madueke was simply outstanding throughout the game, constantly putting pressure on the left-hand side of Wimbledon’s backline. He also scored Chelsea’s first goal from the penalty spot with a precise low shot. It seems that Mauricio Pochettino has already found a solid backup for Raheem Sterling in his squad.
Player Ratings
Chelsea: Sánchez (7); Disasi (6), Humphreys (7), Colwill (7), Cucurella (7); Ugochukwu (6), Gallagher (8); Moreira (6), Maatsen (7), Madueke (8); Burstow (6).
Bench: Jackson (7), Gusto (6), Fernandez (8), Caicedo (6).
Wimbledon: Bass (7), Ogundere (5), Lewis (5), Pearce (5), Johnson (5), Neufville (6), Ball (5), Williams (5), Tilley (6), Pell (7), Davison (6).
Bench: Brwon (5), Al-Hamadi (7), Bugiel (6), Sasu (6), Mclean (6).
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