Chelsea staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to beat Leeds United 6-3 in the Carabao Cup third round. Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Danny Welbeck, and Valentín Barco all found the net as Xabi Alonso’s side produced a second-half blitz to secure passage into the fourth round.
Xabi Alonso named a much-changed line-up but had to backtrack and make four substitutions at half time. That took the home side from 1-0 down to 2-0 down, before Cole Palmer’s penalty began a comeback.
Leeds stunned Stamford Bridge by racing into a 2-0 lead, capitalising on Chelsea’s defensive errors. Palmer’s penalty sparked the turnaround before he added a second. Neto and Welbeck then struck to put Chelsea ahead, but Leeds clawed one back to make it 4-3.
Barco’s composed finish restored the cushion, and Welbeck’s second sealed a wild 6-3 victory. Alonso’s halftime substitutions proved decisive, transforming a shaky start into a dominant attacking display.
this comes after Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League season with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on September 6, 2026
softfootball ratings:
Player Ratings
Chelsea
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Mike Penders | 7 |
| Josh Acheampong | 5 |
| Maxence Lacroix | 4 |
| Levi Colwill | 4 |
| Malo Gusto | 4 |
| Valentín Barco | 8 (Goal) |
| Reggie Watson | 5 |
| Pep Chavarría | 6 |
| Estevão | 5 |
| Jamie Gittens | 5 |
| Danny Welbeck | 8 (2 Goals) |
Leeds United
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Michael Zetterer | 4 |
| Melvin Bard | 5 |
| Tarik Muharemović | 7 |
| Jaka Bijol | 6 |
| James Justin | 7 |
| Dan James | 5 |
| Sean Longstaff | 5 |
| Ethan Ampadu | 7 |
| Brenden Aaronson | 7 |
| Harry Wilson | 6 |
| Lukas Nmecha | 7 |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Chelsea | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 6 | 3 |
| Shots | 18 | 12 |
| Shots on Target | 9 | 5 |
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Passes | 482 | 441 |
| Pass Accuracy | 86% | 84% |
| Fouls | 11 | 13 |
| Yellow Cards | 3 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 2 | 1 |
| Corners | 6 | 4 |
