WREXHAM, Wales, March 7 (Reuters) - Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro struck in extra time to secure a nervy 4–2 win over second‑tier Wrexham and a place in the FA Cup quarter‑finals on Saturday as the Premier League giants escaped from the Racecourse Ground after a tough battle.
Garnacho volleyed home from close range in the 97th minute with such force that the ball ricocheted off the back stanchion to give Chelsea the lead for the first time on the night.
Wrexham -- who lost George Dobson to a 93rd-minute red card -- thought they had equalised deep into added time in the extra period when Lewis Brunt headed home but he was offside.
"It's such a shame, really, that our first taste of VAR has gone this way," Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson told TNT Sports.
Joao Pedro sealed Chelsea's hard-fought win with a close-range shot in the 125th minute.
Sam Smith had put the Championship side ahead in the 18th when he sprinted onto Callum Doyle's long pass, took a touch and fired past Robert Sanchez. Chelsea equalised with a huge slice of luck when George Thomason's attempt to clear Garnacho's shot struck goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo and rolled in.
Wrexham went back in front after 78 minutes when Doyle diverted the ball past Sanchez after Ryan Longman fired it back into the area from a corner. But Josh Acheampong equalised soon after with a blistering shot into the roof of the net after Dobson slipped, sending the game into extra time.
Eight-times FA Cup winners Chelsea, who are fifth in the standings, were coming off a 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday, and Blues boss Liam Rosenior made nine changes to that team for Saturday's match.
"We're through," Rosenior told TNT. "Not the best performance; really, really difficult game, which we knew it would be. Wrexham were outstanding.
"This was a proper FA Cup tie, the reason why everybody loves the FA Cup. I'm just delighted we're through in the end."
WREXHAM'S REMARKABLE RISE
Wrexham were keen to add another glittering milestone to their remarkable rise since Hollywood A-listers Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds purchased the North Wales team in 2021.
Following three straight promotions, the Red Dragons are now among the playoff spots in sixth place in the Championship as they bid to reach the top flight. They also dispatched Premier League club Nottingham Forest on penalties in the third round.
But it was not to be on Saturday and smiling pair McElhenney and Reynolds gave their players well-deserved applause after a game that saw Wrexham narrowly miss numerous chances, including a shot that Lewis O'Brien bent just wide of the post late on.
"Immensely proud of the boys tonight," Parkinson said. "I thought we acquitted ourselves really well. I thought it was a tight game, which is a credit to us for that.
"We've got to be pleased with the pressing, the work, the discipline, but also some of the football we played.
"We carried a threat tonight, which we thought we would. We didn't just come here tonight to stop Chelsea. We knew we could play and we really did at times."
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
