Chelsea came from two goals down to beat Leeds 6-3 in a League Cup third-round thriller on Wednesday, with Cole Palmer and Danny Welbeck inspiring a remarkable comeback at Stamford Bridge.
Xabi Alonso’s side appeared to be heading for an early exit after Tarik Muharemovic gave Leeds the lead in the first half and Brenden Aaronson doubled the advantage shortly after the interval.
But Alonso introduced England forward Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Pedro Neto and Reece James at half-time, and the changes sparked a dramatic Chelsea revival.
Palmer scored twice to bring Chelsea level before Neto put the hosts ahead. Welbeck added a fourth, and although Dominic Calvert-Lewin pulled one back for Leeds, Valentin Barco and Welbeck struck late to send Chelsea into the fourth round in style.
Chelsea had seen Alonso’s three-game winning start to his reign ended by a 2-1 defeat at Premier League champions Arsenal on Sunday.
But the Blues responded with a chaotic victory that has become characteristic of Alonso’s brief spell in charge.
Chelsea have now scored 16 goals in Alonso’s first five matches, underlining their considerable attacking threat. However, they have also conceded 10 times, suggesting the defensive problems that plagued the club last season remain unresolved.
Despite spending £349 million ($472 million) during the transfer window, Chelsea finished the Arsenal defeat with James and Malo Gusto — both normally right-backs — operating in central midfield.
Alonso again experimented in midfield against Leeds, handing a debut to 16-year-old Reggie Watson alongside Argentine youngster Barco.
Watson, Chelsea’s fourth-youngest player, is the son of former Wigan midfielder Ben Watson, who scored the winning goal against Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final.
Alonso’s decision to make nine changes to his starting XI initially looked set to backfire when Leeds took the lead from a 23rd-minute corner.
Chelsea turn the game around
Harry Wilson’s delivery to the far post caught the Chelsea defence flat-footed, allowing Bosnia defender Muharemovic to power a header past goalkeeper Mike Penders for his first Leeds goal.
The visitors were not intimidated by Chelsea’s second-half reinforcements and doubled their advantage three minutes after the restart.
Ethan Ampadu’s cross was flicked on by Lukas Nmecha and Aaronson finished clinically to put Leeds 2-0 ahead.
Chelsea were handed a lifeline five minutes later when Daniel James was penalised for a soft challenge on Pep Chavarria. Palmer calmly converted the resulting penalty.
Two minutes later, Palmer struck again as his effort squeezed past Leeds debutant goalkeeper Michael Zetterer to bring Chelsea level.
The momentum had completely shifted and Chelsea took the lead in the 60th minute when Neto curled a superb effort beyond Zetterer from 20 yards.
Just two minutes later, Welbeck turned sharply before unleashing a powerful strike that Zetterer could only weakly attempt to stop, completing a remarkable four-goal burst in 12 minutes.
Leeds refused to surrender and Calvert-Lewin reduced the deficit in the 75th minute, clinically converting Noah Okafor’s pass.
But Chelsea restored their two-goal cushion five minutes later when Barco tapped into an empty net after Zetterer mishandled Rogers’s cross.
Welbeck completed the rout in stoppage time, cushioning a header from Barco’s shot to cap a nine-goal classic.
League Cup holders Manchester City and Premier League champions Arsenal will play their third-round ties next week against Norwich and Ipswich respectively.
Liverpool, who host Tottenham, and Manchester United, who welcome Brighton to Old Trafford, are also in action next week.
Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Bradford all secured places in the fourth round on Tuesday.
