For Chelsea, the club that blew a billion, the Carabao Cup has appreciated to a value beyond its usual worth. A winner’s pot of just £100,000 and a Europa Conference League playoff spot are part of an underwhelming package but even Chelsea’s current ownership must recognise there is more to football than mere money.
Beating Newcastle in the quarter‑final had been celebrated in a fashion rarely viewed in Chelsea’s post-Abramovich times. Perhaps something could be rescued from a second successive wreck of a season, though for that to happen, another second-leg rescue mission at Stamford Bridge is now required.
