Wrexham was terribly near to another dramatic plot twist against the world champion. In an exciting FA Cup fifth-round match against Premier League powerhouse Chelsea on Saturday, substitute Lewis Brunt headed in what appeared to be an equalising goal but was just inches offside.
In front of Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds, the owners of Hollywood, Wrexham took the lead twice at the Racecourse Ground and, even with just ten men in extra time, fought Chelsea to the very end before losing 4-2.
Mac wrote on Instagram, “I’m proud of the team today and every day.” The contrast between Club World Cup champion Chelsea and a Wrexham squad that was playing non-league football only three years ago was ultimately demonstrated by goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro in extra time.
However, despite the loss, Wrexham made a statement about its potential as it hopes to earn a fourth consecutive promotion this season and often play Premier League teams like Chelsea. Garnacho told the BBC, “It was one of the hardest games of the season so far.”
Chelsea break Wrexham’s hearts after VAR drama
Pedro Neto smashed the bar from a cutback before George Dobson was sent off, following a VAR review, for taking out Garnacho with a poor challenge to stop a break. Chelsea’s quality and man advantage told in extra time as Garnacho volleyed Dario Essugo’s cross in at the back post to go 3-2 up.
There was still time for more drama as Lewis Brunt thought he’d made it 3-3 from a corner. But VAR replays showed he was offside when Kieffer Moore flicked the ball on at the near post, breaking Wrexham hearts.
Joao Pedro, a replacement, found the bottom corner in the final seconds after Lewis O’Brien sliced another fantastic opportunity wide. The FA Cup cracker’s talking points are as follows. In the end, AR helped Chelsea complete the task by adding even another level of interest to the scenario.
