Chelsea star Malo Gusto delivered a brutal verdict on their Carabao Cup win against Lincoln and admitted that Enzo Maresca's side were "bullied" by the minnows. The Blues found themselves on the wrong end of a League One masterclass in the opening 45 minutes, trailing 1-0 and struggling to force a single shot on target at the LNER Stadium.

Maresca furious at the break

Maresca was visibly irate at half-time, and for good reason. The Imps had peppered Chelsea’s box with relentless crosses, set-pieces, and long throw-ins, with the Premier League side unable to assert themselves at any point. Gusto backed up his manager’s anger, praising the response from the squad after the break.

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The Blues turned the game on its head almost immediately after the restart. Two rapid-fire strikes, Tyrique George followed by Facundo Buonanotte, slammed the door on Lincoln’s hopes and highlighted the gulf in quality once Chelsea finally found their rhythm.

Gusto slammed first half display

"Of course, in the first-half we played like kids," said Gusto. "They bullied us in every part of the pitch. It was really bad for us. The second-half was important to come back with more desire, more confidence. It is important for the team to keep building these kinds of things to become better. We knew they were going to play like this. It was their qualities, so they played with that. We were aware before of that. It was the game. The game was about duels, fighting. That is why we tried to do more in the second-half to show our desire to win, and that is what we did."

Carabao Cup progress secured

Chelsea’s hard-fought win sends them into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with the draw set to follow Arsenal’s tie at Port Vale later this evening. Despite the shaky start, Gusto is determined to use the match as a lesson in resilience for the team moving forward. 

"We are on the way to win this trophy," Gusto continued. "We want to win it, for sure. We know that last season was good for us in terms of trophies, but we want more for this season. Of course, we are going to do our best. Today was important to win, to get back in a good way, and in this competition to try our best and to go as far as possible."