Palmer inspires Chelsea’s stunning 6-3 comeback against Leeds

Cole Palmer came off the bench to inspire Chelsea’s remarkable comeback as the Blues recovered from two goals down to beat Leeds United 6-3 in a dramatic Carabao Cup encounter at Stamford Bridge.

Xabi Alonso’s side appeared to be heading for a shock exit after falling behind before half-time and conceding again shortly after the restart.

But the introduction of Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Reece James and Pedro Neto transformed the contest, with Chelsea scoring four times in 11 minutes to turn the game around.

Chelsea fall two goals behind

Alonso made several changes to his starting line-up, handing 16-year-old Reggie Watson an opportunity while resting Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers.

Leeds took advantage of Chelsea’s sluggish display and went ahead when Tarik Murahemovic rose to head home Harry Wilson’s deep corner.

Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders had earlier produced two important saves, but the Blues struggled to create enough clear opportunities at the other end.

Danny Welbeck came close before the break, only to see his effort blocked by Jaka Bijol.

Chelsea’s situation worsened shortly after the restart when former academy player Ethan Ampadu broke forward before Lukas Nmecha’s flick found Brenden Aaronson, who tapped home to make it 2-0.

Palmer leads Chelsea fightback

With Chelsea in serious trouble, Alonso turned to his senior stars.

Palmer made an immediate difference after Daniel James brought down Pep Chavarria inside the penalty area. The England international stepped up and calmly converted from the spot in the 53rd minute.

Two minutes later, Palmer had Chelsea level.

The playmaker met the ball with a composed half-volley and guided his effort into the bottom corner to suddenly change the direction of the game.

Chelsea completed the turnaround soon afterwards when Neto fired home their third goal.

Rogers then played a key role in extending the lead, setting up Welbeck to score Chelsea’s fourth as the hosts produced a devastating spell of attacking football.

Leeds pulled another goal back through Dominic Calvert-Lewin with 15 minutes remaining, briefly raising hopes of another twist in the contest.

Chelsea, however, responded again and added further goals to seal the 6-3 victory.