Xabi Alonso fixes Chelsea mistake as Palmer and Rogers inspire six-goal Leeds comeback

Chelsea turned a potentially embarrassing Carabao Cup night into another demonstration of their attacking power, recovering from two goals down to beat Leeds United 6-3 at Stamford Bridge.

Xabi Alonso's heavily rotated starting XI struggled badly, but the Chelsea head coach acted decisively at half-time. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Pedro Neto and Reece James were introduced together, transforming a game that had threatened to expose Alonso's selection gamble.

Chelsea scored all six of their goals after the 52nd minute, with Palmer scoring twice, Danny Welbeck adding a brace and Neto and Valentin Barco also finding the net.

Alonso made major changes despite Chelsea having only three competitions to manage this season, with 16-year-old Reggie Watson handed his senior debut at the base of midfield.

Watson showed flashes of promise but struggled to impose himself, while Chelsea's 4-3-3 lacked control and attacking threat. Malo Gusto, Estêvão and Jamie Gittens were also unable to make sufficient impact.

Alonso recognised the problem quickly. All four were withdrawn at half-time as Palmer, Rogers, Neto and James entered.

It was an admission that the original plan had failed, but also an example of Chelsea's extraordinary squad depth.

Chelsea initially fell 2-0 behind despite the changes, before Palmer sparked the comeback from the penalty spot.

The England international then produced a composed second goal after Rogers' knock-down as Leeds suddenly found themselves overwhelmed.

Rogers was particularly destructive, producing three assists in ten minutes as Chelsea scored four times in a devastating 12-minute spell.

Neto also found the net before Barco rewarded an energetic midfield performance with Chelsea's fourth.

Danny Welbeck completing his brace provided another significant positive for Alonso.

The 35-year-old arrived to provide experienced competition and cover for João Pedro, and nights like this demonstrate the value of having another dependable goalscorer available.

Chelsea's first-half performance will still concern Alonso. His initial selection lacked balance and required emergency intervention.

Yet the response also highlighted why Chelsea's attack is becoming increasingly difficult to contain. Palmer and Rogers changed the contest almost immediately, while six second-half goals demonstrated the options Alonso can unleash when a match begins slipping away.

Alonso will take encouragement from the ruthless response but will also have questions about why Chelsea required such drastic changes to regain control.

For Watson and Chelsea's other youngsters, the difficult opening half should be viewed as part of their development. For Palmer, Rogers and the established first-team players, their impact provided another reminder of the attacking quality available to Alonso this season.