Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers were instrumental as Chelsea produced a sensational second-half comeback to defeat Leeds United 6-3 in a dramatic EFL Cup third-round encounter.
Chelsea overturned a two-goal deficit at Stamford Bridge after scoring six times in the second half. Palmer, introduced at the interval, grabbed a brace, including a penalty, while Rogers provided three assists.
Xabi Alonso opted to leave Rogers, Palmer and Joao Pedro on the bench from the start, and Chelsea struggled to make an impact during a cautious opening 45 minutes.
Leeds threatened early, with Brenden Aaronson testing Mike Penders before the Chelsea goalkeeper tipped away Tarik Muharemovic’s rebound header. The warning was not enough to wake up the Blues.
Leeds eventually took the lead in the 23rd minute when Muharemovic rose at the back post to power Harry Wilson’s floated corner into the net. Alonso responded by introducing Palmer and Rogers as part of a four-player substitution.
The changes did little to prevent Leeds from extending their advantage shortly after the restart. In the 48th minute, Lukas Nmecha flicked Ethan Ampadu’s low delivery into the path of Aaronson, who fired beyond Penders from around the penalty spot.
Chelsea finally found a way back when Daniel James stepped on Pep Chavarria’s foot inside the area. Palmer confidently converted the resulting 53rd-minute penalty into the bottom-right corner.
Just two minutes later, Rogers laid the ball off to Palmer, who curled a superb effort into the bottom-left corner to bring Chelsea level.
The comeback was completed on the hour mark when Rogers raced past Melvin Bard to meet Palmer’s pass and then squared for Pedro Neto, who calmly slid the ball beyond Michael Zetterer.
Rogers continued to cause problems and registered another assist soon afterwards, delivering a cross for Danny Welbeck to finish.
Leeds briefly responded when Noah Okafor set up Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who fired home from close range with 15 minutes remaining to make it 4-3.
Chelsea, however, finished the contest emphatically. Five minutes later, Valentin Barco smashed the ball into the far corner before a bizarre stoppage-time sequence saw his miscued effort deflect off Welbeck’s head and beat Zetterer, completing an extraordinary 6-3 victory.
Into the fourth round of the #CarabaoCup! #CFC
Goals galore for Alonso’s free-scoring Blues
Chelsea have undergone significant changes since their FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds last season, with Calum McFarlane taking temporary charge in late April, only four days after Liam Rosenior departed.
Enzo Fernandez scored a first-half header in that Wembley encounter but has since left Chelsea to reunite with Enzo Maresca at Manchester City.
The new-look Chelsea side appears to be developing under Alonso, who has now recorded four victories from his first five games in all competitions.
Goals have been a major feature of their early-season form. The Blues scored three against Fulham, four against Brighton and six against Leeds, taking their total to 16 goals in five matches.
Despite the impressive scoreline, the statistics suggest the result may have been somewhat flattering, with Chelsea recording 2.4 expected goals compared with Leeds’ 2.39.
Still, having players such as Palmer, who now has four goals in five games, Rogers and experienced striker Welbeck gives Chelsea plenty of quality in front of goal.
Defensively, however, Alonso will know there is still work to do, even after the arrival of World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez.
The Chelsea boss will now look to find the right balance between attacking firepower and defensive stability when the Blues host Hull City on Saturday. Hull remain the only Premier League side yet to concede this season.