Chelsea Come From Two Down to Beat Leeds in Wild Carabao Cup Thriller

Chelsea came from two goals down to beat Leeds United 6-3 in a wild Carabao Cup third-round tie at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, with second-half substitutes Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Pedro Neto leading a stunning turnaround.

Leeds looked the better side for most of the first half and led 2-0 early in the second, but four changes from Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso at the break flipped the game on its head. The result sends Chelsea through to the fourth round, with those ties set for late October.

Leeds Dominate The First Half

Both teams heavily rotated their squads after Premier League games at the weekend. Chelsea made nine changes and Leeds made eight, handing a first-team debut to 16-year-old Reggie Watson, who became the fourth-youngest player ever to appear for the club.

Despite the young lineup, it was Daniel Farke's Leeds who took control early on. Chelsea keeper Mike Penders had to make good saves to deny both Brenden Aaronson and Tarik Muharemovic from close range in the 21st minute. Leeds didn't have to wait long to break through, though. Muharemovic got his goal soon after, heading home from a corner at the far post to make it 1-0.

Leeds had other chances to add to their lead before halftime. Muharemovic missed a similar header, and midfielder Sean Longstaff fired over the bar from a good position. Chelsea's best moments in the first half came from a couple of efforts by Jamie Gittens and a flicked chance from Danny Welbeck just before the break, but nothing troubled the scoreboard.

Alonso's Changes Spark a Comeback

At halftime, Alonso made his move. Palmer, Rogers, Neto and Reece James all came on, with young debutant Watson making way along with Malo Gusto, Gittens and Estevao Willian.

Leeds struck first after the restart anyway. Ethan Ampadu won the ball off Valentin Barco in midfield, and the play worked its way to Aaronson, who finished well to make it 2-0.

That's when Chelsea turned the game around. A foul by Dan James on Pep Chavarria gave Chelsea a penalty, which Palmer converted past Leeds debutant goalkeeper Michael Zetterer to pull one back. Just two minutes later, Palmer struck again, curling home after Rogers flicked on a throw-in from Josh Acheampong. The score was suddenly level at 2-2.

Leeds almost responded straight away, but James clipped a one-on-one chance just wide. Instead, Chelsea took the lead moments later through Neto, who was played through by Palmer and Rogers before slotting home on the counter-attack.

Welbeck made it four not long after, cutting inside the box and driving a low shot past Zetterer. Leeds pulled one back through their own substitutes, as Noah Okafor's cross was turned in by Dominic Calvert-Lewin to make it 4-3, but Chelsea had the final say. Barco smashed in a fifth goal after another good delivery from Rogers, and Welbeck grabbed his second of the night in stoppage time to complete the scoring at 6-3.

The Numbers Behind The Comeback

Even though Leeds had more shots overall (18 to Chelsea's 16) and won more of the ball in the box, Chelsea were far more clinical in front of goal. The Blues scored four of their five big chances, while Leeds managed just two from four. Chelsea also had the edge in shots on target, eight compared to Leeds' six.

Palmer was named man of the match after his 45-minute cameo, which included two goals, a big chance created and a strong overall work rate off the ball. Rogers also had a big say in the result, setting up three of Chelsea's goals from open play.

Chelsea now turn their attention back to the Premier League before their next Carabao Cup outing in the fourth round.