Chelsea avoided a potential cup upset at Sincil Bank, coming from behind to beat Lincoln City 2-1 in a dramatic night that had the home fans believing early on. The Blues, under pressure after back-to-back defeats, showed grit to turn things around with Alejandro Garnacho handed his first start since arriving from Manchester United, Softfootball reports
Lincoln made a dream start and sent shockwaves through the away end after just 42 minutes. A long throw wasn’t dealt with by Chelsea’s defence, and Robert Street pounced to slam home the opener, sparking wild celebrations and raising hopes of a famous giant-killing.
But Chelsea, licking their wounds from a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend, couldn’t afford a third loss on the bounce. They responded well, and it was Tyrique George who settled nerves few mintues into the second half latching onto a loose ball before striking a beautiful finish from outside the box past the Lincoln keeper.
The second half brought more drama, and this time Chelsea’s quality told. Facundo Buonanotte, who powered through midfield and had a quick one two with Tyrique George before curling a superb strike into the corner to complete the comeback. Relief swept through the away fans, though Lincoln refused to give up the fight.
The Imps pushed hard in the final minutes, and Collins went agonisingly close with a strike that whistled just over the bar. But Chelsea, much-criticised for letting leads slip in recent weeks, stood tall and ground out the result.
After full-time, Chelsea took to its official X handle to share their excitement with their fans and supporters all over the world , after making it to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with a hard fought victory against a resilient League one side away from home.
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Lincoln, meanwhile, leave with plenty of credit for pushing a Premier League side all the way, but Chelsea’s resilience ensured their cup journey goes on
