Chelsea came from two goals down to beat Leeds United 6-3

Chelsea came from 2-0 down to beat Leeds United 6-3 in the English League Cup and advance to the fourth round. Cole Palmer scored twice, while Danny Welbeck also found the net two times.

Chelsea beat Leeds United 6-3 in the English League Cup after falling 2-0 behind to advance to the fourth round. Chelsea secured the victory with goals in the second half of a match that produced nine goals.

Having lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend, Chelsea made nine changes to their lineup against Leeds United. The London side created chances through Jamie Gittens and Estevao in the opening 10 minutes but could not get past goalkeeper Michael Zetterer and the Leeds defense.

Leeds finished the first half ahead

Leeds United came close to scoring in the 22nd minute through successive efforts from Brenden Aaronson and Tarik Muharemovic. Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders turned Muharemovic's header around the post at the last moment.

A minute later, Muharemovic headed home from the resulting corner at the far post to score his first goal for Leeds United and put his team 1-0 ahead. Zetterer denied Gittens in Chelsea's 39th-minute opportunity.

Chelsea scored four goals in the second half

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso began the second half by introducing Reece James, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto. Leeds United doubled their lead in the 48th minute. Ethan Ampadu sent the ball across, and James Justin laid it off to Aaronson with a backheel; the American then finished from a good position to make it 2-0.

Chelsea won a penalty in the 53rd minute after Daniel James fouled Pep Chavarria. Cole Palmer sent the ball into the corner beyond Zetterer's reach to reduce the deficit. Palmer then brought the score level at 2-2 in the 55th minute with a shot from the right side of the penalty area.

The home side went ahead in the 59th minute. Controlling Morgan Rogers' pass on the edge of the penalty area, Pedro Neto fired first time to put Chelsea 3-2 ahead. Chelsea scored their fourth goal within 12 minutes when Danny Welbeck controlled Rogers' ball into the penalty area, beat two players and found the net.

Leeds reduced the deficit before Chelsea sealed the win

Leeds United pulled the score back to 4-3 in the 75th minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted a ball played across to the penalty spot by Noah Okafor. Chelsea restored their two-goal advantage in the 80th minute through Valentin Barco's powerful effort from inside the penalty area.

Welbeck completed the scoring in the fourth minute of added time. The English forward met Barco's shot from the edge of the penalty area with a header and sent the ball into the net to secure Chelsea's 6-3 victory.

Reggie Watson made his debut

Sixteen-year-old English midfielder Reggie Watson made his Chelsea debut. Watson was replaced by Reece James in the 46th minute.

Alonso: I am happy that we advanced

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso said his team had failed to produce the performance they wanted in the first half. Alonso said they had to make decisions at halftime and that he saw a team with a different level of quality and tempo in the second half.

Alonso said he would assess the performances of players who had not had many opportunities to play and described Leeds United as a strong team. The coach said he was pleased with the impact of the substitutes and also took responsibility for what had happened.

Speaking about Chelsea scoring 16 goals in their last five matches in all competitions, Alonso said it was still an early stage in the team's development. He said they needed to build a more balanced and solid style of play and noted that they were focused on their matches against Hull City and Brentford before the international break.