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The highlight of Tyrique George’s fledgling Chelsea career may have been in scoring a goal in the Club World Cup three months ago but here he helped stave off another bout of introspection at Stamford Bridge as he scored the equaliser and assisted Facundo Buonanotte’s winner to deny Lincoln City a famous cup victory.
Rob Street, who turns 24 this Friday, must have thought his birthday had come early when he gave the League One side a deserved lead at the end of a bemusing first half in which Chelsea, fresh from defeats against Manchester United and Bayern Munich, were out-thought and outfought.
It was not rocket science. Lincoln’s predilection for a set-piece – they scored from 30 last season, more than anyone in England’s top four divisions – was signalled from the very off.
Receiving the kick-off, Freddie Draper teed the ball up with his first touch before volleying a veritable up-and-under to force the first of two long throw-ins.
The second was hurled in by Tom Hamer and Chelsea only half-cleared; from the edge of the penalty area, Ben House played a cute short reverse pass into the inside-right channel for Lewis Montsma to crack a low near-perfect shot against the inside of a post.
The stage was set. Lincoln, surging into third place in League One after a run of only one defeat in 11 games in all competitions this season, had nothing to lose; Chelsea, the Club World Champions, everything.
Even with this much-changed line-up – only Enzo Fernández, Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana were retained from Saturday’s defeat at Old Trafford – they should have had too much for your average League One promotion hopefuls. But Lincoln are proving themselves everything but average.
The sell-out crowd were well up for this latest shot at glory. They booed Alejandro Garnacho’s every touch, and the hemmed-in home fans cheered to the rafters every time Lincoln forced another throw-in or corner.
Unconvincing with his lack of authority against Manchester United, after coming on following Robert Sánchez’s red card, the deputising goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen miscued his punch from another corner and was mightily grateful when the ball, glancing off his glove behind him, was not turned home in the ensuing melee by Draper, a Chelsea fan.
Some of the home passion spilled toxic. The Tannoy announcer declared that any fan caught on CCTV making homophobic chants would be ejected from the stadium. On the pitch, however, Michael Skubala’s team evidently believed in their game-plan. Where Bayern Munich and United had prospered, they felt they could follow.
When the scoring opened in this Carabao Cup third-round tie, no-one could say the League One hopefuls did not deserve their lead. 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 willingness to press at the right moment, it also smacked of Chelsea’s carelessness. Collecting a short free-kick on the left corner of his own penalty area, Fernández curled the ball all the way across the 18-yard line.
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Ivan Varfolomeev pounced to beat Chalobah to the bouncing ball and fed Street, who composed himself before firing home.
Lincoln, not rushing out of the changing rooms, made Chelsea wait for them at the start of the second half. But the Premier League side indicated they were more than ready to restart. Within five minutes of kick-off, they were ahead.
The home fans did not break their chanting when George, receiving Montsma’s hashed clearance on the edge of the penalty area, dispatched a cracking shot in off the far post. The party continued but their bubble was burst moments later.
Carabao Cup: Gómez hits four for Brighton, Cardiff stun Clarets
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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
Photograph: Andrew Boyers/REUTERS
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 slightly fortuitous return pass from George to clip home his first goal since joining on loan from Brighton.
No-one had told Lincoln that was game over, however. Chelsea introduced an array of precious or precocious talent from the bench – Garnacho’s withdrawal yielding a particularly gleeful response from the Lincoln ultras – but Michael Skubala’s players continued performing with conviction. Draper bludgeoned his way through with a combination of bloody-mindedness and deft touch before shooting into the side-netting; Hamer kept hurling in the long throws at every opportunity.
But Chelsea, for whom Buonanotte was sent clear by Pedro Neto late on only for Zach Jeacock to deny him, also had more time in possession as they made it through to the fourth round with their first win in four matches.
