Leicester City vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2016 EFL Cup 3rd-Round Match

Cesc Fabregas scored twice in extra time as Chelsea came back from two goals down to knock 10-man Leicester City out of the EFL Cup third round following a 4-2 victory at the King Power Stadium.

Shinji Okazaki sent the Foxes into delirium with his first-half brace, but Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta scored either side of the interval to pull the Blues level before Marcin Wasilewski was sent off in the 88th minute.

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Blues manager Antonio Conte drafted in a selection of fringe players for the east Midlands trip, including outcast midfielder Fabregas, Victor Moses and Pedro, as well as summer signings Michy Batshuayi and Marcos Alonso.

While some might debate just how seriously the Premier League's elite treat the League Cup, Goal's Nizaar Kinsella highlighted this as a poignant result for some Blues players:

It was the away side who started in the ascendancy on Tuesday evening, and five minutes was all Pedro needed to put the ball in the back of the net before being called back for offside.

The Spain winger could afford to feel aggrieved by the decision, though, as replays suggested his run from the left flank before nudging the ball past Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler had actually kept him onside.

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Okazaki didn't have the same problem down the other end, however, and referee Robert Madley signalled for a goal despite Azpilicueta's best attempt to keep his looping header out of the net.

Ahmed Musa's cross from the right caused havoc in Chelsea's box, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois couldn't collect the bouncing ball Okazaki squeezed home, much to the applause of the Guardian's Stuart James:

Chelsea built up their advantage in possession and even saw a greater amount of chances on goal, but the difference between the two sides came in finishing, of which there was none to speak of for the Blues.

Leicester proved far more clinical, and deja vu struck when Andy King's chipped ball was chested down by Okazaki through on goal, and the Japan international made no mistake from the right of Courtois' goal.

Again, the west Londoners were scrambling to clear the ball from their lines until the very last, but Okazaki had collected his second, and ESPN FC's Liam Twomey helped explain where it was going wrong for Chelsea:

Conte received a substantial boost on the stroke of half-time, though, when Cahill fired an astute header back across the box from a corner, and this time it was the Foxes' turn to struggle keeping it off the line.

David Luiz was following through with a covering run in case his centre-back partner's effort was blocked, but the England international had given his side a lifeline. Chelsea writer Dan Levene highlighted change was needed for the second half:

Chelsea came out firing after the interval, and the west Londoners immediately reaped the rewards for their initiative when a counter-attack ended with Azpilicueta powering the Blues level with a sumptuous volley.

Wes Morgan's attempted headed clearance only got as far as the Spaniard on the edge of his box, and one touch was all Azpilicueta needed to spear his volley inside Zieler's right post.

Bookmakers Betway didn't pull any punches when praising the full-back's equalising strike:

Diego Costa was brought on to a chorus of jeers in place of the disappointing Ruben Loftus-Cheek with 25 minutes remaining, and the Spain international almost had an instant impact after bamboozling Leicester's defence.

Extra time was looming for both teams as they approached the final minutes of regulation time, but Wasilewski made Leicester's task a lot more difficult with his charge on Costa leading to a second yellow card. ESPN's James Tyler noted there was a tinge of bravery in the attempted tackle:

The former Poland international looked every bit his 36 years after bumping into Costa with the ball still in the air, and Madley had little choice but to send the player off.

Eden Hazard came on for Pedro in the dying minutes of normal time, and the Belgian's impact was key in setting Fabregas up for a decisive strike in the first minute of extra time, where the improvements were immediate:

Chelsea cut from left to right before Hazard cheekily paused the ball ready for Fabregas to run on to, and the Spain international had plenty of time to make sure of his shot against Zieler, handing Chelsea the lead for the first time on the night.

Leicester's worst fears were realised as Chelsea stormed out of the blocks in extra time, and Fabregas added his second to make it 4-2 just a minute later, when the hosts failed to deal with a set-piece move.

Sky Sports Statto showed the midfielder has an affinity for punishing manager Claudio Ranieri's side:

In the space of 20 minutes, Leicester had been reduced to 10 men and seen their hopes of a comeback reduced to rubble, or at least that's the impression one might have got from the remainder of extra time.

One could hardly blame the home side for a limp outing in the final 20 minutes of the matchup, with Chelsea passing themselves into the fourth round as Ranieri and Co. could only look on in regret.

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The Foxes will see this as a result they let slip from their grasp far too easily, with Cahill and Azpilicueta's goals either side of half-time coming back to bite the hosts.

Chelsea's first win in three, on the other hand, will fill them with confidence leading up to Saturday's trip to face Arsenal in the Premier League, Conte's first major London derby and another chance to prove his mettle.

Post-Match Reaction

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Tuesday's result was an emotional result for both managers—for different reasons—and it was no surprise to see Conte in better spirits than his Leicester counterpart following the win.

Chelsea TV's Lee Parker quoted the former Juventus boss, who identified the away fans in particular for the part they played in the third-round victory:

Ranieri, on the other hand, was left to rue a series of second-half mistakes that led to his side's downfall, and he relayed to BBC Leicester Sport that Wasilewski was upset over his biggest contribution:

Per Levene, Ranieri also professed to being happy with his side's performance when they were 2-0 ahead, adding that while his side were "smart and clever," "Chelsea had more possession."