Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto came off the bench to pull Chelsea out of trouble to win 3-1 at Cardiff and qualify for the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Enzo Maresca had named a completely different Chelsea team to the one that beat Everton on the weekend but had to turn to his bench as the League One side proved a difficult nut to crack.

Garnacho, a fellow substitute like Neto, struck Chelsea in front on 57 minutes when Dylan Lawlor was caught in possession, but David Turnbull sensationally headed Cardiff level with 15 minutes to go.

However, Neto produced a moment of Premier League quality to make it 2-1 before Garnacho wrapped up the tie in stoppage time with his second.

The draw for the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup will take place live on Sky Sports Main Event after Newcastle vs Fulham on Wednesday.

More to follow…

Chelsea’s NINE January fixtures

It’s going to be a busy start to the year for Chelsea!

Reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals means they’ll now play NINE matches across four different competitions in January.

Sunday January 4: Man City vs Chelsea – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports

Wednesday January 7: Fulham vs Chelsea – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm, live on Sky Sports

Saturday January 10: Charlton vs Chelsea – FA Cup third round, kick-off 8pm

W/c January 12: Carabao Cup semi-final first leg

Saturday January 17: Chelsea vs Brentford – Premier League, kick-off 3pm

Wednesday January 21: Chelsea vs Pafos – Champions League, kick-off 8pm

Sunday January 25: Crystal Palace vs Chelsea – Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports

Wednesday January 28: Napoli vs Chelsea – Champions League, kick-off 8pm

Saturday January 31: Chelsea vs West Ham – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports