Enzo Maresca admitted he had to deliver harsh words to his Chelsea players at half-time after they trailed League One Lincoln City, but his side rallied to secure a 2-1 Carabao Cup victory. The Blues head coach acknowledged his young squad struggled with the physical battle posed by Lincoln's direct approach, which included a barrage of long balls and long throw-ins.
Lincoln took a deserved lead in the first half through Rob Street, who capitalised on a defensive error by Enzo Fernández. The goal came after a period of sustained pressure, with Lincoln having nine shots to Chelsea's two at that stage. Street, a Chelsea fan, described scoring against the world champions as 'the stuff of dreams'.
However, Chelsea turned the game around within five minutes of the second half. Tyrique George equalised with a powerful shot off the post, and Facundo Buonanotte scored his first goal for the club since joining on loan from Brighton to put the visitors ahead. Maresca said his players needed the experience of facing such an intense battle, adding that 'sometimes it's more about desire'.
Lincoln head coach Michael Skubala praised his side's performance, saying they could take 'massive confidence' from the display. He noted that not many teams can make Chelsea time-waste at the end of a game, and expressed disappointment that his team could not take the match to penalties.
