Chelsea narrowly escaped a Carabao Cup upset on Tuesday night, coming from behind to beat Lincoln City 2–1 in a tense third-round clash at Sincil Bank.

The Blues were rattled early and often, with Filip Jorgensen enduring a nervy night between the sticks, but second-half goals from Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte turned the tide.

Lincoln nearly took the lead inside two minutes as Lewis Montsma struck the post. Lincoln dominated with nine shots on goal, exploiting Chelsea’s vulnerability to long throws and set pieces. The home team took a deserved lead through Freddie Draper, capitalizing on a defensive lapse right before half time.

Five minutes into the second half, Tyrique George equalized with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box to get the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup champions back into the game. The game got intense until new Chelsea loanee, Facundo Buonanotte finished a solo run to put Chelsea ahead.

Despite the turnaround, Lincoln continued to threaten, with Draper missing two close-range chances and Francis Okoronkwo failing to convert after a Jorgensen error.

After the game, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca praised his side’s resilience:

“It was a very tricky game away. Long balls inside the box, free-kicks, throw-ins… the way they defended was outstanding. We win and we are happy.”

He highlighted the importance of the experience for his younger players:

“Many of them hadn’t played this type of game before. It’s not about quality, it’s about desire, winning duels and second balls. Today was a good experience because we won.”

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala was also proud of his side’s performance:

“You don’t often see Chelsea pinned back. It wasn’t by fluke—it was by design and desire. We pressed them high and made it hard.”

He lamented the lack of tactical information after Chelsea’s halftime changes but praised his players for pushing until the final whistle.