Chelsea handed cause for optimism ahead of Brighton clash after Carabao Cup tie of two halves

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·23 septembre 2025

Chelsea handed cause for optimism ahead of Brighton clash after Carabao Cup tie of two halves

Chelsea were not at their best against Lincoln but are back to winning ways after a recent slump

Chelsea came from behind to beat Lincoln in the Carabao Cup third round

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This was well and truly a game of two halves for Chelsea. The first period was a continuation of their sluggish recent form, but the second offered hope they can now kick on and build momentum.

Enzo Maresca said he would have rather played a Premier League game than third-tier opposition following three winless matches, and maybe he had a point given how it all played out at the LNER Stadium.

Chelsea a goal down to League One side Lincoln at half-time and only just able to avoid slipping on this potential banana skin, squirming into the Carabao Cup fourth round with an unconvincing 2-1 win.

Things have not been pretty for the Blues of late, a draw at Brentford followed by defeats to Bayern Munich and Manchester United in which they were masters of their own downfall on both occasions.

Their performance at Lincoln was similarly unsightly for the 1,840 away fans who had travelled to Sincil Bank to watch what they hoped and expected to be a first Chelsea win since August.

It was certainly that. The simple fact of victory and of the Blues’ progression to the next round of the competition were encouraging signs for Chelsea, but they must produce a whole lot more chances per game than they are doing right now, and they unquestionably need to firm up (and sometimes wake up) defensively.

Still, positives could be taken from the performances of Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho, who were both solid if unspectacular, from Tyrique George’s blistering strike, and from Facundo Buonanotte notching his first goal since joining on loan from Brighton, who visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Chelsea made such a shoddy start to the game, mere centimetres away from going a goal down after just 77 seconds when Lewis Montsma crashed the ball against the inside of the post but it bounced out.

Off the mark: Facundo Buonanotte

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The clock read nine minutes exactly before Filip Jorgensen nudged his goal-kick to an unmarked Trevoh Chalobah and Chelsea, finally, could enjoy some semblance of controlled possession, so unrelenting was Lincoln’s high press.

Maresca will have been alarmed that this was far from the end of Lincoln’s goal threat, and the hosts again so nearly took the lead when Jorgensen produced a terrible missed punch which caused a goal-line scramble from which Chelsea were, again, mightily lucky.

It was to the surprise of fewer people than it might have been, therefore, when Lincoln did make the net bulge and celebrated the opening goal on their big night. Chalobah waited for an under-hit cross-field pass from Enzo Fernandez rather than coming towards it, so Ivan Varfolomeev stole in and set up Rob Street to beat Jorgensen.

Maresca’s half-time team talk must have been short and curt because the Chelsea players were back out for the second half far earlier than their counterparts. Whatever was said worked almost immediately as George and Buonanotte turned the tie on its head by netting within two minutes of each other.

Familiar failings crept back in, though, and Chelsea displayed yet more ugly defending for which they again went fortunately unpunished. Maresca will breathe a sigh of relief. His side are still in the Carabao Cup, but only just.

The visit of Brighton on Saturday, when Maresca's first XI will return, will teach us more about whether Chelsea have truly weathered the storm or are still very much in it.