Chelsea Survives Wrexham Scare

Wrexham's goals came from Sam Smith, who gave the hosts a first-half lead, and centre-back Callum Doyle, who flicked the ball in to restore their advantage in the 78th minute. The match was played at Wrexham's historic Racecourse Ground in front of the club's celebrity co-owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Chelsea first drew level via an unfortunate own goal from Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo just before halftime. After Wrexham scored their second, Chelsea's Josh Acheampong fired an equalizer into the roof of the net just four minutes later to make it 2-2 and ultimately force extra time. The momentum of the match shifted decisively in stoppage time at the end of the second half when Wrexham's George Dobson received a red card for a dangerous challenge on Alejandro Garnacho, a decision confirmed by a VAR review. In extra time, Alejandro Garnacho scored the go-ahead goal for Chelsea in the 96th minute. Wrexham thought they had found a late equalizer through Lewis Brunt, but his goal was ruled out for offside by VAR. João Pedro then added a fourth for Chelsea with the last kick of the game. The near-upset continues a remarkable journey for the Welsh club, which has achieved three consecutive promotions to reach the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. This is Wrexham's first season back in the Championship since being relegated from the old Second Division in 1982. For Chelsea, currently 5th in the Premier League, the hard-fought victory keeps their hopes of a ninth FA Cup title alive. Their attention now turns to a midweek Champions League Round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain. The draw for the FA Cup quarter-finals will take place on Monday, March 9. The draw is unseeded, meaning any of the remaining eight teams can be drawn against each other, with the matches scheduled for the weekend of April 4th and 5th.