Chelsea runs through the wall to advance in the EFL Cup

Watching Chelsea in recent weeks has been a bit like trying to run through a wall. The Blues have bashed themselves against their opponents only to come up empty or even worse. Sure, there have been occasional wins but nothing that really indicated turning a corner of the current funk. Brentford didn’t really offer that corner either, but the wall did break on a day the Blues had to simply get the job done to advance in the cup.

The biggest story from the start was the debutants. Jude Soonsup-Bell, Harvey Vale, and Xavier Simons all started as the Blues were forced into rotation. Forced or not, it was something that should have happened much sooner than it did. Some of the Chelsea players have been the walking dead as of late and those that weren’t have been horrendously out of form. The youth were always there to call on Thomas Tuchel was consistently hesitant to trust new blood.

That choice (mostly) taken from him, those three started. Xavier Simons had the worst go of it, though it is worth keeping in mind that he was out of position as well. He did well enough, but he probably won’t be a frequently flyer anytime soon. Soonsup-Bell did pretty well himself and was unlucky to have not got a debut goal. Vale was the true standout which should come as little surprise to anyone that keeps up with the academy. His performance put to shame several of the recent performances other forwards have put in as of late.

Speaking of the performances of others, the results were as mixed as they have been since the Juventus match. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Trevoh Chalobah kept the Blues alive. Saul Niguez may finally be turning a corner, though he still had a few confusing moments. Mateo Kovacic also had flashes but looked rusty overall. Cesar Azpilicueta had a similar tale. Malang Sarr and Ross Barkley were both lucky to have stayed on the pitch as long as they did.

Still, despite the up and down individual performances, Chelsea mostly had control of the match throughout. Brentford had a few counters but they were sporadic at best. The first half ended with the Blues mostly just looking for a way to put it in the back of the net and that remained the tale throughout the second half until the own goal.

The real baffling part of the game had to be the substitutes however. On the one hand, Thomas Tuchel clearly (and rightfully) wanted to win the match. You simply don’t bring on Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Reece James, Jorginho, and N’Golo Kante without wanting the next round. The confusing part was largely who came off. Soonsup-Bell was doing well, but he was pulled off at halftime. Kovacic was as well, though fitness is a concern for him (but who isn’t it a concern for at this point?). Vale, arguably the best attacker on the day before or after the subs, was also taken off. Simons was more justifiably subbed while Barkley was finally subbed off about 76 minutes too late given his performance.

Regardless of how it went down, Chelsea advances to the semifinals. Tottenham, Arsenal, and Liverpool will join them as the Blues look to add to their trophy cabinet this season.