Chelsea deny Wrexham as Garnacho and João Pedro seal Cup win

Chelsea ended Wrexham’s cup run after extra time, Alejandro Garnacho volleyed home and João Pedro added a late fourth. Wrexham had twice taken the lead through Sam Smith and Callum Doyle, only for an Arthur Okonkwo own goal and a Josh Acheampong strike to force extra time, where Chelsea ultimately prevailed.

The match saw the first use of VAR at Cae Ras. Video review upgraded George Dobson’s yellow card to a red, and Lewis Brunt’s 114th‑minute header was ruled out by a narrow offside call. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson called the sending‑off harsh, while Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior defended both VAR decisions.

Wrexham opened the scoring after Callum Doyle’s long pass found Sam Smith, who capitalised on a hesitation from Robert Sánchez. Chelsea responded when a cleared effort struck goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo and crossed the line, and late in normal time Josh Acheampong levelled to send the tie into extra time.

chelsea, wrexham, alejandro garnacho, joão pedro, sam smith, callum doyle, arthur okonkwo, josh acheampong, var, cae ras