Chelsea held off League One leaders Cardiff City to win 3-1 at a sold-out Cardiff City Stadium and book their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, with substitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto turning a difficult tie in their favour after the break.
Roared on by a capacity home crowd, Brian Barry-Murphy's side contained their Premier League visitors throughout a goalless first half and went on to draw level through David Turnbull, only for Neto's deflected strike and Garnacho's late second to spare Enzo Maresca's blushes.
Maresca's tricky week meets a tricky tie
Maresca had named a completely different XI from the side that beat Everton at the weekend, a fixture whose aftermath had been dominated by his cryptic remark that the preceding 48 hours had been the 'worst' of his tenure. Even so, the Italian was able to recall £100m midfielder Moisés Caicedo to captain a youthful line-up that featured four teenagers, with Tosin Adarabioyo the only outfield starter over 24, and a bench worth close to £400m.