Yet all the ingredients were there for an extraordinary evening. An extraordinary crowd, a packed stadium, a Premier League team with everything to lose. In short, for Cardiff, there was every chance of winning this Carabao Cup quarter-final against Chelsea. Unfortunately, the Bluebirds lost last night (1-3), but they can hold their heads high.

After the club’s sound and light show, it was time for the team line-ups. Brian Barry-Murphy fielded almost his usual starting eleven but decided to leave out Yousef Salech, the team’s top scorer this season. Opposite them, the Blues rotated their squad and only Caicedo and Gittens were familiar faces to Enzo Maresca’s team. The kick-off was given and the Bluebirds did not sit back in defence. On the contrary, they pressed their opponents and played on equal terms with a team that plays in the Champions League. There were few dangerous attempts on either side, but it was the Welsh who impressed the most given the difference in division between the two teams. Joel Colwill sends a beautiful cross to Robinson’s head in the 7th minute after a fine team move. As for Chelsea, they rely more on the technical skills of their wingers, such as Gittens on the left. The first half ends with the same score as it started (0-0).

After the break, Enzo Maresca made two changes, bringing on Joao Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho, two high-level players who did not perform equally well. The Brazilian striker seemed lost and uninspired against the solid central defence of Chambers and Lawlor. As for the Argentine winger, it was a different story. He caused a lot of trouble for Ng on the left side, with the Cardiff City full-back already worn down by Gittens’ dribbling. Chelsea came back much stronger in the second half and opened the scoring after a poor clearance by the Bluebirds’ defence, with Garnacho scoring the goal in the 57th minute (0-1). The Welsh side had their backs against the wall and needed to score to have any hope of reaching extra time. Cardiff pushed forward, trying everything they could to trouble Jorgensen, until they finally got their reward. In the 75th minute, following a magnificent cross from Perry Ng, Turnbull found himself alone in the box and scored a superb header to equalise for the Bluebirds (1-1). The atmosphere then became completely explosive. But just as the stadium began to believe, Chelsea sat back and opted for quick counter-attacks to win the game, a choice that paid off.

Having come on a few minutes earlier, Pedro Neto scored with a shot that was very difficult for Nathan Trott to save, putting the Blues back in front in the 82nd minute (1-2). Despite numerous attempts, the Welsh side cracked again at the end of the match, with Garnacho scoring his second goal on a fine counter-attack led by Joao Pedro (1-3). Unfortunately, the score remained unchanged. Disappointed but proud of their team’s performance, the supporters applauded their players for a match on a par with a Premier League side.

Eliminated in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, Brian Barry’s men can be proud of their run, notably their victory over Premier League side Burnley. Now they have only one goal left before the end of the season: promotion back to the Championship. Their next match is this Saturday away from home against Lincoln City.

Picture : Tom Delourme / SportW