Chelsea

The final two Carabao Cup second-round ties take place on Thursday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment. The winner of Chelsea v Luton will host Leeds in the next round, while the victors at Craven Cottage will travel to West Ham.

• Chelsea v Luton Town (19:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v AFC Wimbledon (20:00) - - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Kick-off times BST.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

There is also Conference League action going on, with Brighton hosting Tromso in the second leg of their play-off - follow that game here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Luton" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Fulham match".

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Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

After a deal was agreed with Brighton last summer, Joao Pedro left a training camp in Rio de Janeiro - under the guidance of his long-time personal trainer Rodrigo Goncalves - to join Chelsea in Miami and immediately take part in the Club World Cup.

Remarkably, he scored twice in the semi-final against former club Fluminense, just days after arriving at the club. He was also on target in a sensational 3-0 win over Paris St-Germain in the final.

The Blues endured a dismal campaign following that triumph, finishing 10th in the Premier League, ending the season without a trophy and failing to qualify for Europe.

Despite that, Joao Pedro won Chelsea's player of the season award and he is among a group of senior players convinced the project can succeed under Xabi Alonso.

He signed a new contract, like midfielder Moises Caicedo and captain Reece James, while Cole Palmer has also outlined his commitment to stay amid links to Manchester United. All four are viewed as key culture-setters at the club.

Joao Pedro, in particular, impressed staff by giving more interviews than any other player during a season in which there were few positives to discuss.

Multiple sources have previously told BBC Sport that Chelsea have a dressing-room culture problem, specifically with cliques forming along language lines.

Joao Pedro and Palmer, who count each other among their closest friends, are viewed as two of the players capable of naturally bridging those divides.

One of Alonso's main objectives is to rebuild a wayward culture, which some sources have described to BBC Sport as overly "transactional" and "cold".

After his front three, including debutant Morgan Rogers, scored against Fulham, Alonso said: "They need to take responsibility. They need to lead the rest. They need to inspire the rest because if they do great, the others will follow."

Since returning to Chelsea this summer, Joao Pedro has scored eight goals in seven pre-season matches before finding the net 31 seconds into the new campaign at Fulham.

It now appears Joao Pedro may be the one capable of finally ending talk and concern of the club's number nine curse.

Read the full article

Chelsea have lined up Bournemouth's England midfielder Alex Scott, 23, as a replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who might be on the move to Manchester City. (Sun, external)

Chelsea are also closing in on a £36m deal to sign Italy defender Honest Ahanor, 18, from Atalanta. (Sky Sport Italy - in Italian, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the Carabao Cup third round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

The matches will be played in the weeks commencing September 7 and September 14.

• Crystal Palace v Middlesbrough

• Manchester United v Brighton

• Manchester City v Norwich City

• Sunderland v Hull City

• Ipswich Town v Arsenal

• Coventry City v Aston Villa

• Bournemouth v Lincoln City

• Liverpool v Tottenham

• Chelsea or Luton Town v Leeds

• Millwall v Newcastle United

• Everton v Wolves

• Reading v Brentford

• West Ham v Fulham or AFC Wimbledon

Read more and see the full draw

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Chelsea being in contact with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's representatives over a potential transfer.

Here are some of your comments:

Abdul: He is exactly the signing Chelsea need. There isn't even a chance of us challenging for titles with Robert Sanchez in goal. Mike Penders is a goalkeeper for the future, but Xabi Alonso knows very well that he needs to deliver early. He needs to push the board to sign Martinez one million percent. He would bring some stability at the back.

Joe: To be fair, any goalkeeper in the league would be an upgrade on Sanchez. Martinez is prone to mistakes as well, and I wonder how long it will be until fans jump on him too...

Damian: Surely it has got to be better business than allowing Sanchez to continue. At this point, I would like to see Penders given a chance, however I know he is earmarked for the future. So if we could get Martinez in for a season or two while Penders progresses, eventually becoming number one, I think it is solid business.

Peter: No, we need to stop messing about! We should spend half of the money we'll get for Enzo Fernandez on triggering Diogo Costa's release clause.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are considering a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after making contact with the Argentina international's representatives.

Would a move for Martinez be good business for Chelsea?

Get in touch with your views

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Carabao Cup second-round game against League One side Luton Town at Stamford Bridge (19:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Alonso confirmed Moises Caicedo and new signing Marco Palestra will not return on Thursday, having missed Monday's Premier League opener at Fulham: "Hopefully Moi can make it for the weekend. We need to chek a little bit more with Marco."

• There are no new injury concerns after the win at Craven Cottage, with Cole Palmer fine after limping off in the second half.

• Alonso also confirmed Enzo Fernandez will be involved against Luton, amid continued interest from Manchester City: "He is in the squad, let's see if he has an opportunity. We will decide. He is training well. He is a great professional and he will be involved."

• Asked if Fernandez will still be at the club after the transfer deadline, Alonso said: "We want the best team possible, we know his qualities. We have to wait, but we think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop."

• Alonso was asked about any conversations he has had with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after his mistake led to a goal conceded against Fulham: "Normal conversations. We have talked about how the team did well, what we need to do better. Every game is going to be important and we need to develop and make adjustments."

• On whether young goalkeeper Mike Penders could feature: "He is in the squad. We will decide and give the team tomorrow to the players. I prefer they know first."

• On Pedro Neto's best position and future, with the Portugal international linked with a move away: "Wing-back, winger, you can call it whatever you want. The main thing is the quality of the players and we have balance. I won't go into too much detail about conversations. We want to have the best possible squad and let's see what happens."

• On what team he will select on Thursday: "Knowing we have time for all competitions, every cup and every game is important. We want to have the best competitive team to face Luton with all the respect that everything deserves and Luton is going to be the first one."

Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Luton on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Follow all of Wednesday's Carabao Cup news conferences and the latest transfer news

Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Image source, Getty Images

Dave: Why is Liam Delap worth £20m more now than one year ago after a dreadful season, is this just down to inflation of fees?

It's a fair point that there may be some inflationary impact on this. However, it will be a small one.

The main reason is that Chelsea's £30m deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich last summer was widely regarded as being below market value.

That was due to the relegation release clause in his contract being active last summer, and Delap was arguably a £45m to £50m player at the time.

Some might argue Chelsea received a good fee, given Delap scored only one Premier League goal last season. Again, that is subjective and depends on whether you believe he can rediscover his best form at Nottingham Forest this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Premier League history was made before a ball was even kicked this season as a record nine clubs started the campaign with new managers.

Xabi Alonso, who is the latest with his foot in the revolving door of managers at Stamford Bridge, got his first taste of competitive action as Chelsea manager.

So how did he fare on an eventful first weekend of the 2026-27 campaign?

It wasn't a bad start to take the lead after 31 seconds and it was a satisfactory start to Alonso's reign, but there was obvious good and obvious bad in what he watched at Craven Cottage.

First, the good. The attacking triumvirate of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and newcomer Morgan Rogers hit the ground running, all scoring and combining to devastating effect.

Equally devastating to Chelsea's Premier League chances, and to the Alonso revival, could be the failure to find a better goalkeeper than the unreliable Robert Sanchez, who was at fault for both Fulham goals.

Alonso must find an answer quickly, otherwise what Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers give with one hand, Sanchez could take away with both hands.

Tactically, Alonso used a back three with Reece James operating in midfield but also dropping back into defence.

Read Phil's thoughts on how the rest of the new faces fared here

Aston Villa are on the verge of agreeing a 70m euros (£59.8m) deal to sign Chelsea and Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 25. (Foot Mercato - in French), external

Manchester City will submit a formal offer to Chelsea for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, before the end of the transfer window. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The third-round draw for the 2026-27 Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday, 26 August following the conclusion of Preston North End vs Everton.

Nine Premier League clubs taking part in European football join the 23 first-round winners from across the English Football League.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace will enter the competition at this stage, as the top eight Premier League clubs from the 2025-26 season plus Crystal Palace as Conference League winners.

It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of the third round tie between Preston North End and Everton, kicking off at 20:00 BST.

Unlike the opening two rounds of the competition, the third round draw is not regionalised.

However, before the match at Deepdale there will be a pre-draw determining which of the Champions League and Europa League clubs will play at home or away in round three.

In order to avoid potential scheduling issues, the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs cannot be drawn against each other in round three.

When the draw takes place, the first eight fixtures decided are the ones involving clubs in the Champions League and Europa League. The remainder of the draw will be an open draw as usual.

Due to clashes with opening weeks of the Champions League and Europa League seasons, the third round will be played across two different weeks. They are the weeks commencing Monday, 7 and Monday, 14 September, 2026.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Chelsea supporters may want another star forward or a new goalkeeper to replace the unconvincing Robert Sanchez, but Xabi Alonso feels his squad is largely complete for this summer.

However, there is a huge amount of work to do to reduce the squad from 39 players to about 25 in the next week. That is the priority, as the Blues will not want frustrated players in their squad this season.

Savage Dan, Chelsea fan

Chelsea need to focus more on the outgoings than incoming players.

With no Europe, it's important we do not carry a squad that's too heavy, as we won't have too much room for rotation.

If we were to bring anybody in, I think the priority is a top-drawer goalkeeper.

What business do you think still needs to get done before 23:00 BST on 1 September?

Get in touch with your views here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

While Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro have generally carried Chelsea's biggest attacking threat in recent times, they have now been joined by the impressive Morgan Rogers too.

His arrival reunites him with Palmer, an ex-Manchester City team-mate and someone he described after the win at Craven Cottage as his "best friend in football".

"He had a difficult season with injuries and stuff last year - and you could see it in his eyes in pre-season and training that he's ready this year and ready to prove people wrong," added Rogers when asked about Palmer's display.

"You saw that with that performance. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile and that's what he does. It's good to have him on our side."

Indeed, it was also encouraging how Rogers, whose pre-season was shortened by his involvement in England's run to third place at the World Cup, looked so fit and powerful.

Rogers is the first Chelsea player to score on his Premier League debut since Christopher Nkunku in 2023 - and the first to create five chances in his first league appearance since records began in 2003-04.

It was also the first time Chelsea supporters sang the new Rogers chant in the away end.

Like Palmer, Joao Pedro missed out on the World Cup - as a high-profile omission from Brazil's squad - but returned in pre-season with eight goals in seven games.

It was no surprise to see him on the scoresheet so early in the Premier League campaign, having inherited the number nine shirt from Liam Delap, who was left out of the squad on Monday, following the contract extension the Brazilian signed this weekend.

"Great combination, great quality," Alonso told BBC Match of the Day when asked about his front three.

"We know if we reach them [Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer] in good positions, they have this talent to create special things and I am very happy the three forwards have scored.

"We need to put them in the best situations. I am happy for the three of them. They played for the team."

Read more from Nizaar on the Blues

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It took Joao Pedro just 31 seconds to open the scoring against Fulham, latching on to a pass from Cole Palmer and lifting his shot over goalkeeper Bernd Leno for Chelsea's fastest goal since October 2016.

After Josh King had equalised, Morgan Rogers then marked his debut with a goal before half-time by tapping in from close range.

But it was Cole Palmer - scorer of Chelsea's third - who stood out most.

He has endured a frustrating 18 months since a niggling groin problem disrupted his sensational start to life at Stamford Bridge, highlighted by the fact he matched last season's Premier League assist tally by setting up Joao Pedro.

His trickery and creativity was on display throughout against Fulham, along with an impressive work-rate. This was more like the Palmer we saw during his first season at Stamford Bridge - and like the one who tore Paris St-Germain apart during last year's Club World Cup final.

"Over the summer I rested, I recharged and, yeah, I'm ready and I'm hungry," Palmer, who is now just two goals away from 50 in the Premier League, told Sky Sports.

He certainly looks refreshed.

During Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia, he spoke of having a point to prove and admitted a lengthy summer break felt unusual after featuring in major tournaments in each of the previous three years.

"Cole Palmer was sensational," said former Manchester United defender Gary Neville on Sky Sports. "He and Morgan Rogers were electric with Joao Pedro - the front three were brilliant.

"That was the old Cole Palmer. It was unbelievable to watch. One of the best things I've seen this weekend."

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Fulham and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

John: It was always going to be tough against Chelsea's attacking riches but we were not helped by conceding such soft goals at the start of each half. We struggled to cope with Cole Palmer throughout, and he looked like a player with a point to prove. On the upside, we responded well and posed a threat ourselves. Josh King was particularly impressive and appears to be maturing nicely. Alvaro Arbeloa has to be afforded patience, but we need to adapt and learn fast.

Sam: Despite the loss to a very strong Chelsea team, it was a good showing from the young talent and new recruits, which makes me positive Fulham will not go down this season and could potentially push for a European spot.

Gordon: Well done, the Whites! A good start in a game we thought we would be second best in. For times, we rocked Chelsea and showed why we are in the Premier League. King has his goal this season, and Gonzalo Garcia too, Now we can kick on. Get a centre-back, another midfielder and a goalie to challenge Bernd Leno and we will be great!

Aaron: Never nice to lose to that lot, but a lot of promise from the display. If only Antonee Robinson hit the target...

Chelsea fans

James: In an attacking sense, brilliant. The defence was once again an issue and Levi Colwill was lucky not to be sent off. It seems glaringly obvious that Robert Sanchez is just not good enough to be number one. I would like to see Mike Penders given a chance - or Emi Martinez signed from Aston Villa.

Jonty: The front three are world class, the back four less so and Sanchez is a calamity! Time for the club to purchase a world-class keeper or they can kiss goodbye to silverware.

Dell: Decent performance for the first game. The frontline looked good, but defensively we were suspect at times, especially after Fulham got their first goal. Sanchez was Sanchez, unfortunately,. We need a top-class keeper.

NJ: So many changes, same old Chelsea. Great up front, but our defence has never reached the Terry-Carvalho years! Give Penders a shot in goal because Sanchez is not consistent enough.