Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca got a rare praise from fans after he led the team to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and Alejandro Garnacho was hailed for his impact, Softfootball reports.
Chelsea beat League One side Cardiff 3-1 in the quarter-final of the competition. The first half was colourless as it ended without goalless but in the second half, Garnacho scored a brace and Pedro Neto got the other while David Turnbull got the consolation goal for the home side.
Chelsea celebrated the win with their fans via their official X handle as they zoomed into the semi-final. They posed:
Carabao Cup semi-finalists! 💫 pic.twitter.com/YgiVGaUCoj
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 16, 2025Brazilian winger, Willian Estevão was injured and missed the game against Cardiff and he will also be unavailable for the match against Newcastle United in the premier league on Saturday and fans would hope he recovers in time for the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Reacting to the game on Tuesday night, @Ahmadht8_ praised Enzo Maresca’s substitutions and Garnacho for his impact.
Maresca’s substitutions turned the game around and saved the night. Garnacho was outstanding, and those two goals will hopefully give him a big confidence boost going forward. Overall, it wasn’t a great team performance, but in December the priority is getting results.
@eyup_io compared the win to a Cup of tea and wants the team to win it all from here.
Well, that’s a nice change! Now let’s see if we can give it a right good go and bring home some silverware—nothing like a good cup of tea to lift the spirits, eh?
@AdetolaBaros seems to enjoy the win a lot more than others and shows it through his post.
Chelsea to Cardiff City last night.
It was a one night stand of a thing. pic.twitter.com/PZTSgL5ge4
— @GodSeeker (@AdetolaBaros) December 17, 2025@Engr_MKO had two man-of-the-match awards for players he felt performed well for each half.
I’m so much happy for Alejandro Garnacho tonight for his great performance. Maresca spot on with the early substitution with Neto. Great performance from Uncle Tosin tonight too. MOTM :Josh Acheampong (1st Half) and Alejandro Garnacho (2nd half).
@wealth_ui was so impressed with Garnacho and hailed him for his goalscoring abilities.
That’s the difference between garnacho and gittens, no matter how bad garnacho may be in a game he somehow still generates chances. Once he perfects his finishing it’s going to be scary but not for us.
@hollyboysol shared a hilarious post expressing how happy he feels.
Up Bluesssssss pic.twitter.com/rdNs2Rf5m4
— Hollyboy (@hollyboysol) December 16, 2025@lKriptoBluel praised Enzo Maresca for helping to unite Chelsea.
Since Enzo Maresca arrived, Chelsea looks more united, more disciplined, and closer to its true identity than at any point in the last decade. Real progress, real direction, and the fans can feel it.
@Accra360_ joined in the praise for Maresca as he praised the Italian for Chelsea’s progress under his guidance.
Absolutely, he’s doing well and deserves credit for the progress. But he also needs to be careful with his utterances. There’s been a bit too much rotation, and imagine if that had backfired – the conversation would be very different right now.
Chelsea will return to action next week Saturday when they face Newcastle United in the Premier League Match-Day 17 at Saint James’ Park.
