Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea head coach, admitted he had to get angry with his players as they trailed League One Lincoln City at half‑time but believes his young players will be better for the experience of overcoming such an intense battle.
Lincoln scored from 30 set-pieces last season, more than any other side in the top four English divisions, and led after a ferocious barrage of long balls and long throw-ins in the opening 45 minutes.
Rob Street, who turns 24 on Friday, must have thought his birthday had come early when he gave Lincoln a deserved lead at the end of a bemusing first half in which Chelsea, fresh from defeats against Manchester United and Bayern Munich, were outfought.
However, two goals within the first five minutes of the restart – from Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte – denied Michael Skubala’s side a famous cup victory.
Chelsea unsurprisingly made eight changes but, unexpectedly to the neutral, allowed themselves to be bullied for the first half. Filip Jörgensen, the goalkeeper who came in after Robert Sánchez’s red card at Old Trafford, again struggled to dominate his area.
Maresca said: “We knew already, we were aware, the game that we expect in terms of long balls, duels, throw‑ins, every time inside the box. I know that some of [my players], they didn’t play this kind of game [before]. I asked today, how many of them had played against League One teams. Then you know you need to play a different kind of game.”
Asked if he had been obliged to deliver some harsh words to his players, he replied: “Absolutely, absolutely. And sometimes it’s more about desire … and we struggle. But if the next game is away to a League One or a League Two side, we need these experiences.”
It was not rocket science. Lincoln’s predilection for a set-piece was signalled from the off. Receiving the kick-off, Freddie Draper, a Chelsea fan, teed the ball up with his first touch before volleying a veritable up-and-under to force the first of two long throw-ins. From the second hurled in by Tom Hamer, Chelsea only half-cleared, and Lewis Montsma cracked a near-perfect shot against the post.
The stage was set. Lincoln, surging into third place in League One after a run of only one defeat in 12 games in all competitions this season, had nothing to lose; Chelsea, the club world champions, everything. Even with this much-changed lineup, the London club should have had too much for your average League One promotion hopefuls. But Lincoln are anything but average.
Skubala’s team evidently believed in their game-plan. The club are still renowned for their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals nine seasons ago and showed that same underdog spirit in the first half here.
The goal came from Lincoln’s ninth shot at goal, compared with Chelsea’s two at this stage. And while the breakthrough reflected Lincoln’s tactically timed ability to press, it also spoke of Chelsea’s carelessness.
Unpressured on the left corner of his own penalty area, Enzo Fernández curled the ball across the 18-yard line. Ivan Varfolomeev pounced to beat Trevoh Chalobah to the bouncing ball and fed Street, who composed himself to fire home. “To score in a game like this, against the world champions, is the stuff of dreams,” he said.
“I’m really proud of the way the lads went about their work,” Skubala, the Lincoln head coach, said. “I’m really pleased with the first half and it could have been more than 1-0. We are adaptable and we changed shape, went 5-diamond-1 and really pressed with our No 8s and ‘put it on them’ first half – but it’s with design.
Diego Gómez scored four goals as Brighton thrashed Barnsley 6-0 at Oakwell. Gómez, signed from Inter Miami in January, struck Brighton's early opener and followed up with two spectacular efforts – a blistering shot into the roof of the net and a 30-yard volley over Barnsley keeper Murphy Coopers.
The Paraguay midfielder (pictured) then slid home his fourth goal in the second half, with substitutes Harry Howell and Yasin Ayari also on target late in the game as Fabian Hürzeler’s side hit six for the second Carabao Cup game in a row, having beaten Oxford 6-0 in the third round.
Cardiff City won 2-1 at Burnley to reach the fourth round for the first time since reaching the final in 2012. The League One side went in front on the half-hour mark when Calum Chambers crossed for Joel Colwill to score from close range. Six minutes later, Callum Robinson converted Rubin Colwill’s centre to deservedly double the visitors’ lead.
Scott Parker had made 11 changes from Burnley’s draw with Nottingham Forest, and his reshuffled team pulled a goal back through Zian Flemming, who curled home from the edge of the area in the 56th minute. They could not find an equaliser, though, as Brian Barry-Murphy’s Bluebirds advanced to the last 16.
Marshall Munetsi and Tolu Arokodare struck in each half as Wolves put their league woes aside with a 2-0 home win over Everton. Munetsi opened the scoring in the 29th minute, slamming home the rebound after Jhon Arias’ volley was saved. Substitute Arokodare sealed victory in the 87th minute, finishing off a break as Everton pushed for a leveller.
Fulham struggled to a 1-0 home win over fourth-tier Cambridge United at a half-full Craven Cottage, with Emile Smith Rowe netting the only goal in the 66th minute from Timothy Castagne’s cross after Raúl Jiménez's volley was saved.
Wrexham advanced to the fourth round for the first time since 1977-78 with a 2-0 home win over Reading, striker Nathan Broadhead scoring both goals. In an all-League One tie, Wycombe continued their winning start under Michael Duff with a 2-0 victory at Wigan. Guardian sport and PA Media
“In the end, we were disappointed not to take it to penalties. Not many teams can make Chelsea time-waste at the end of a game. We can take massive confidence from this.”
Lincoln had made Chelsea wait for them at the start of the second half. But the Premier League side indicated that they were more than ready to restart. Within five minutes of the second half kicking off, they were ahead.
George, receiving Montsma’s hashed clearance on the edge of the penalty area, dispatched a cracking shot in off the far post. Confidence restored, Chelsea played the ball slickly up though the thirds, Fernández inviting Jamie Gittens to run at his full-back, before Buonanotte received a return pass from George to clip home his first goal since joining on loan from Brighton.
