Lincoln City Push Chelsea All the Way in Hard-Fought Clash

Chelsea narrowly avoided embarrassment as they defeated League One side Lincoln City 2-1 in the third round of the EFL Cup. Enzo Maresca made sweeping changes to his team following the 2-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester United just three days earlier. The starting XI featured eight new faces, with Jorgensen, Gusto, Hato, Santos, Gittens, Buonanotte, Garnacho, and academy prospect Tyrique George all drafted into the side.

Maresca may have viewed this as the perfect chance to rest key players, but Lincoln had other ideas. The Imps dominated the opening 20 minutes and Chelsea were fortunate not to concede early. The Blues struggled to find rhythm throughout the first half and rarely troubled goalkeeper Zach Jeacock.

Their sluggish start was punished in the 41st minute when Enzo Fernández’s misplaced pass out from the back was intercepted by Ivan Varfolomeev, who quickly set up Robert Street to calmly slot home. Chelsea applied some late pressure before the interval, but failed to create clear chances, leaving the League One side deservedly ahead at the break.

The second half sparked into life almost immediately. Just two minutes after the restart, academy graduate Tyrique George struck a thunderous 25-yard volley to draw Chelsea level in the 47th minute. The goal drained Lincoln’s momentum, and within two minutes Chelsea had turned the game around. New signing Facundo Buonanotte danced through the defence before finishing coolly to make it 2-1.

Despite Lincoln continuing to threaten with direct play and dangerous crosses into the box, they were unable to find an equaliser. Chelsea, though unconvincing, scraped through to the next round of the competition.

Whilst Maresca may argue that his wholesale changes excused the lacklustre performance, critics will be quick to point out that Chelsea’s recurring flaws were again exposed. Sloppy build-up play, errors in possession leading to goals conceded, and the lack of creativity in the final third all remain pressing concerns. Unless addressed quickly, they could derail the Blues’ chances of silverware this season.