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Xabi Alonso admitted he had made it “hard” for his Chelsea players after watching his side recover from 2-0 down to beat Leeds United 6-3 in the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea progressed to the fourth round despite being booed off at half-time following what Alonso described as arguably the worst first half of his short tenure.
The BBC reports that the Head Coach made nine changes to his starting line-up, and the team’s rhythm was disrupted. Leeds, who also made eight changes, took control.
Defender Tarik Muharemovic opened the scoring before Brenden Aaronson doubled Leeds’ lead shortly after the break.
Alonso responded by making four substitutions at half-time, bringing on Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Pedro Neto and Reece James.
The changes turned the game. Palmer scored twice, Neto also netted, and Rogers helped to create four goals from open play in Chelsea’s remarkable turnaround.
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Speaking after the match, Alonso refused to put the blame on his players.
“I need to take my own blame and my own responsibility on the things that happen,” he said. “I need to be able to help them better so they are not responsible, and after you need to react and think what’s better for the team.”
Alonso said the raft of substitutions should be considered “part of the game” and defended his team selection despite the shaky start.
The win keeps Chelsea’s Carabao Cup hopes alive and gives Alonso a timely boost after a difficult opening 45 minutes that threatened to derail their cup run.
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