Garnacho rescues Chelsea in extra-time win over Wrexham

Chelsea needed extra time to beat 10-man Wrexham, prevailing 4-2 in North Wales. The Blues fell behind twice but found two equalisers, and a VAR review late on produced a red card that sent the tie into extra time. Wrexham stunned the visitors after 18 minutes when Callum Doyle’s pass sent Sam Smith beyond Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo; the striker slotted under Robert Sanchez.

On the verge of half-time, Liam Delap drove forward and shifted the play to Alejandro Garnacho; his shot was cleared off the line by George Thomason but deflected off goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo and into the net. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Josh Windass volleyed from a cleared corner and Doyle flicked it on to leave Sanchez flat-footed and put Wrexham back in front.

Chelsea levelled within minutes when Andrey Santos chased a loose ball and found Josh Acheampong, who tucked the finish into the roof of the net. Pedro Neto rattled the crossbar late on, and George Dobson was then sent off after a VAR review for a high challenge on Garnacho.

Wales, Wrexham

garnacho, chelsea, wrexham, extra-time, var, red card, sam smith, callum doyle, robert sanchez, josh acheampong