Independent:
Leicester City 2 Chelsea 4 (AET)
Cesc Fabregas fires extra-time double to down champions in King Power thriller
The guests effectively drew any sting the home side might have had left when Cesc Fabregas scored in the 92nd and 94th minutes
Jon Culley
After going two goals behind inside 34 minutes, Chelsea responded with sufficient determination to rescue a third-round EFL Cup tie they might easily have allowed to slip away, forcing extra time after an exhilarating contest at the King Power Stadium and winning it with two goals in the first four of the additional 30 minutes.
Leicester had been reduced to 10 men in the last of the 90 minutes after defender Marcin Wasilewski was sent off.
Disadvantaged in that way against an opponent whose play had gained momentum through the second half, Leicester would have found it tough to survive the full period of extra time.
As it was, Chelsea effectively drew any sting the home side might have had left when Cesc Fabregas scored in the 92nd and 94th minutes.
The Spaniard swept the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the Leicester goal after a backheeled pass by substitute Eden Hazard had wrong-footed goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler, then stepped up to fire home again after a cross from the right ballooned up off a defender before Danny Drinkwater headed it straight to the Chelsea player.
Wasilewski's red card almost certainly tipped the balance after Chelsea had finished normal time looking stronger.
The Polish centre back, making his first appearance of the season, saw red after leading with his arm in an aerial challenge on Chelsea substitute Diego Costa. He had been booked earlier but the offence was worthy of a straight red in any event.
Leicester will feel they let an excellent chance to reach the last 16 get away from them after Chelsea had paid dearly for defensive errors by going two goals behind.
Like his opposite number, his fellow Italian Antonio Conte, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri had made seven changes. But where Chelsea, with two exceptions fielding the line-up that started against Bristol Rovers in the last round, only fleetingly clicked in the opening period, the Leicester group slipped easily into the roles assigned.
Even without Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, they had pace out wide and through the middle in Jeffrey Schlupp, Demarai Gray and Ahmed Musa, the £16.5 million Ghanaian striker who was starting for only the second time.
They allowed Chelsea no time on the ball and when the mistakes came, the punishment was ruthless as Marcos Alonso, the £23 million former Fiorentina left-back making his debut, and then Pedro were both guilty of giving the ball away deep inside their own half.
Both errors resulted in goals for Shinji Okazaki, who nipped in as Asmir Begovic and defender David Luiz dithered to head the ball over the line in the 17th minute and bounced a shot over the head of the Chelsea goalkeeper 17 minutes later. Both times it needed to be confirmed that the ball had crossed the line before being cleared from under the crossbar, although the first instinct on each occasion was that it had.
The night seemed to be building as another worrisome one for Conte. Chelsea had put the ball in the Leicester net twice but each was disallowed for an infringement. Otherwise, apart from a headed chance wasted by Michy Batshuayi, they had shown little threat.
Yet when Cahill scored from a Fabregas corner in the added minutes - this time requiring electronic evidence to confirm the identity of the scorer after Drinkwater's attempted clearance on the line bounced back into the net off Luiz - Chelsea unexpectedly had something to build on.
And build on it they did, Cesar Azpilicueta levelling the scores with a superb volley from the edge of the box just five minutes after the restart. This time technology was not needed.
It made for a pulsating second half, with both managers looking to their benches for a matchwinner in normal time. Costa, on for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, perhaps should have been Chelsea's, the Spaniard sliding the ball wide when Luiz's ball over the top left him with only Zieler to beat.
Leicester threw on Leonardo Ulloa and Vardy. Ulloa's first touch almost set up Andy King but it was Musa, just before he gave way to Vardy, who might have edged Leicester back in front, shooting into the side netting after Luiz let a long ball bounce over his head.
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Guardian:
Cesc Fàbregas completes Chelsea’s 4-2 comeback win against Leicester City
Leicester 2 - 4 Chelsea
Stuart James
Chelsea’s ambitions stretch well beyond winning the EFL Cup this season, yet there was no hiding what this victory meant to Antonio Conte and his players. The Chelsea manager was a picture of pumped-up raw emotion on the touchline as Cesc Fàbregas, whose extra-time goals settled a thrilling contest, ran half the length of the pitch to celebrate the moment that sealed their place in the last 16.
With only 32 minutes of Premier League football behind him this season and doubts about whether he fits into Conte’s plans, Fàbregas’s reaction was understandable. This was a personal triumph for the Spaniard on an evening that turned into an ordeal for Marcin Wasilewski, who was at fault for one of the Chelsea goals and was shown a second yellow card in the 89th minute for striking Diego Costa with his forearm.
Up until that stage a wild and chaotic game was still in the balance, though it felt as though the momentum was with Chelsea, who had recovered from being 2-0 down inside 34 minutes, amid some calamitous defending, to turn things around. Shinji Okazaki scored both Leicester goals, yet Gary Cahill’s header on the stroke of half-time changed the complexion of the tie. Four minutes after the restart César Azpilicueta thumped a sumptuous volley into the top corner and in the blink of an eye Chelsea were level.
The introduction of Costa midway through the second half added another layer of intrigue on a night of high drama, with the striker a constant threat with his aggressive running. Costa came close to adding a winner in normal time, as did Ahmed Musa and Andy King at the other end as Leicester continued to threaten.
Yet from the moment that Wasilewski was sent off, there was only going to be one winner and it was a splendid goal from Fàbregas that put Chelsea in front. Eden Hazard and Costa linked up beautifully, with the Belgian’s lovely backheel inviting Fàbregas to steer a measured shot beyond Ron-Robert Zieler in the Leicester goal. His second goal, two minutes and 29 seconds later, was thrashed into the roof of the net and killed the game.
“If you ask me if I’m happy with the goals we conceded, I’m not happy, it’s true,” Conte said. “But I saw a great reaction from all my players and this is very important because they showed the will to win, the will to go in the next round. It wasn’t easy at 2-0 and after a defeat in the last game in the Premier League, for this reason I’m pleased with the commitment of my players.”
Fàbregas was one of seven changes to the Chelsea side and the question now is whether he will retain his place in the starting lineup for Saturday’s game at Arsenal, his former club. Conte was evasive on that issue but said that he was impressed with the way Fàbregas performed. “I’m pleased for Cesc – he played a good game. I’m pleased for him because he showed me in this period great commitment during the training session and when I call him to come in during the games. I’m satisfied when I see this behaviour.”
It was an evening when Fàbregas seemed determined to make his point off as well as on the field. “I was happy to play from the start, first of all, but secondly if I can help the team then fantastic,” he said. “Hopefully this will shut up a few journalists who are talking rubbish all the time, and focus on what is important – Chelsea winning. I know what I can do and it’s a lot for this team.”
Leicester also made seven changes, with Okazaki among those who seized his chance. His first goal was expertly taken, headed in from a tight angle after Musa’s cross bounced off Azpilicueta’s chest. Chelsea’s defending was not much better in the lead up to Okazaki’s second, when Pedro’s awful clearance dropped to King. The Wales international lifted the ball into the path of Okazaki, who controlled it on his chest before beating Asmir Begovic with the aid of a slight deflection off David Luiz.
Chelsea badly needed a break to get back into the game and it arrived when Cahill headed a Fàbregas corner over the line. Their equaliser was a beauty, Azpilicueta’s 22-yard volley flashing beyond Zieler following Wasilewski’s poor header, and from that point on the chances came thick and fast. Costa had several opportunities and was guilty of a poor miss when David Luiz released him beyond Wasilewski. Fàbregas would not be so generous in extra-time, leaving Claudio Ranieri to reflect on what might have been.
“We were very smart and clever to score twice, Shinji anticipated for both goals,” Leicester’s manager said. “I think the first key in the game was when we conceded the goal on the last corner [in the first half]. We lost two dangerous men, David Luiz and Cahill, and at that point something changed. I think the second key was when ‘Was’ was sent off – Wasilewski is a very aggressive man, it’s his strength. But it’s important sometimes if he maintains calm and stays cold on some occasions.”
==============================
Telegraph:
Leicester 2 Chelsea 4: Cesc Fabregas at the double to seal League Cup comeback
Sam Wallace
Cesc Fabregas came in from the cold to give Antonio Conte the kind of comeback victory which should reassure the Chelsea manager that, while he may not yet have a highly-functioning defence, the resolve that was absent among his players last season is returning.
In only his second start of the season, Fabregas scored the two decisive goals in extra-time of this EFL Cup third-round tie that capped Chelsea’s comeback from 2-0 down in the first half against a 10-man Leicester City side. There were times when Conte’s team had looked as ragged as they had been in their rapid decline last season but they turned it around.
They were helped by the dismissal of Leicester’s Polish defender Marcin Wasilewski on 90 minutes for a second yellow card for shoving a forearm into the face of substitute Diego Costa and, with the Brazilian striker and Eden Hazard both on the pitch, the tie finally turned Chelsea’s way.
The first of Fabregas’s goals encompassed the best of the 2014-2015 title-winning Chelsea team, a combination between Hazard, Costa and then finally the Spanish midfielder to stroke the ball past Ron-Robert Zieler.
They had been dragged back into the game with goals either side of half-time by Gary Cahill and César Azpilicueta and, having been pushed hard by Leicester, finally got a grip on the match.
It was quite a turnaround from the defensive chaos of the early stages when Conte’s back four flapped and hesitated as Shinji Okazaki plundered two goals with Cahill and Azpilicueta both at fault at different times. Although this was a good response to that Friday night defeat by Liverpool there were still moments that will cause the Chelsea manager great concern.
Conte must now decide whether to give Fabregas his first Premier League start of the season against his former club Arsenal on Saturday, although that will not be the only issue on the Italian’s mind.
“It was a great reaction to score the goals to get us into the next round,” Conte said. “If you ask me if I’m happy about the two goals we conceded, I’m not happy.”
On the question of Fabregas playing on Saturday, Conte said that he did not select players according to “their surnames”. “I want to win and all my choices are done to win,” he said. “I’m pleased for Cesc because he showed me great attitude and commitment in the training sessions when I called him into the team.”
As for Leicester, it was a strange failure of nerve by Claudio Ranieri’s team who were in such a commanding position until time added on at the end of the first half. The Leicester manager had made seven changes to the team that beat Burnley but sent on Jamie Vardy, as well as Leonardo Ulloa, at the end of the 90 minutes. The red card for Wasilewski was a blow from which they never recovered.
With 10 men for extra-time, Ranieri said he told his players to keep the game tight. “We lost two dangerous men, David Luiz and Gary Cahill, for the first goal. The second key moment was when Wasilewski was sent off and they scored again.”
Conte named Willian, N’Golo Kanté and Thibaut Courtois on the bench, as well as Costa and Hazard, seven changes from Friday night. He gave Nathaniel Chalobah his Chelsea debut as a substitute, a long wait for the 21-year-old who has been through six loan spells to get there. Ruben Loftus-Cheek occupied the No 10 position, his second EFL Cup start of the season, until he was replaced by Costa.
Pedro was wrongly flagged offside running onto a Luiz long ball in the fifth minute but otherwise Leicester looked much sharper than their visitors and nowhere more so than the goalscorer Okazaki, starting his first game since the defeat by Liverpool earlier this month.
Cahill stumbled over the ball on 14 minutes and first appeared to put his arms around Okazaki and then shove Ahmed Musa. Okazaki’s first goal came when Azpilicueta fatally chested a cross back across his own goal and, with Cahill and Asmir Begovic hesitating, Okazaki headed it in.
The second came when Pedro’s clearance fell to Andy King who did well to bring it under control and loft a clever ball over the Chelsea defence. Okazaki took it on his chest and, with little pace on the ball, struck it down into the ground so that his shot bounced over Begovic.
Chelsea were generally being out-hustled all over the pitch and they finally came back with a goal in time added on at the end of the half when Cahill headed in at the back post. Four minutes after the break, a poor clearance by Wasilewski reached Azpilicueta who stuck the ball sweetly past Zieler for the equaliser.
Costa was on for the final stages and proved an effective presence. After an engrossing end to the 90 minutes, Fabregas scored two in quick succession in extra-time, his second a fiercely hit shot in the area after Leicester had failed to clear, and Chelsea were out of sight.
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Mail:
Leicester 2 Chelsea 4: Extra-time double from Cesc Fabregas sees Blues overcome two-goal deficit in League Cup
By MATT BARLOW FOR THE DAILY MAIL
As an answer to those who criticise Cesc Fabregas for not scoring enough there were two beauties in extra time to complete a thrilling Chelsea comeback.
For those who criticise his mileage there was an 80-yard sprint to celebrate the second with a knee-slide before more than 3,000 travelling fans. They had been singing his name for much of the second half as his influence grew and Leicester’s two-goal lead — courtesy of Shinji Okazaki and some generous defending — was wiped out.
Gary Cahill pulled one back just before the interval and Cesar Azpilicueta levelled with a volley from 25 yards.
Chelsea became stronger and seized control in extra time when Leicester were reduced to 10 men.
Marcin Wasilewski was sent off in the closing seconds of normal time after slamming his forearm into Diego Costa’s neck to collect his second yellow card of the game.
The two goals in as many minutes by Fabregas rekindled memories of a time when Chelsea were the best team in the country. It was only two years ago.
The first was a run by Eden Hazard, jinking inside and linking up with Costa before a cute back-heel led Fabregas to goal. He finished with confidence, his first goal since a penalty against Leicester in the final game of last season.
The second came from a cross by Hazard which caused confusion in Ron-Robert Zieler’s goalmouth.
Costa piled in to make a nuisance of himself and the ball squirted to Fabregas off the head of Danny Drinkwater. Again, there was no mistake with the finish and an incredible release of joy, not only at the prospect of a place in the EFL Cup fourth round or the scent of victory after Friday’s defeat at home to Liverpool.
‘We showed great character,’ said Fabregas. ‘I was happy to play from the start, first of all, but if I can help the team then fantastic.’
This was his second start of the season — the other was against Bristol Rovers in the previous round. Aware of his place on the periphery, he looked for options for a transfer before resolving to stay and prove Antonio Conte wrong.
‘I’m pleased for Cesc because he played a good game,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘I’m pleased because he showed me great attitude and commitment. I’m satisfied with his behaviour. This is the right way.’
Conte will be less thrilled by his team’s lingering defensive problems which helped Leicester take a grip on the tie. Azpilicueta was unable to deal with a deep cross which flew up off his chest and into the air where Okazaki pounced, heading past Asmir Begovic. It was a yard over the line by the time Azpilicueta recovered to swipe it out.
There were echoes of the first in Okazaki’s second. Pedro’s attempt to clear an over-hit cross from Demarai Gray only reached Andy King, who stabbed a pass into the path of Okazaki. His side-footer was partially blocked by David Luiz and spun past Begovic and crossed the line before Azpilicueta chased back and headed clear.
‘We had the game under control,’ said Claudio Ranieri, but his team conceded just before the interval.
A corner by Fabregas was met with a firm header by Cahill. Drinkwater hooked the ball into Luiz and it rebounded into the net, but replays showed Cahill’s header had crossed the line.
Conte’s side started the second half with far greater purpose and with Fabregas more involved.
Azpilicueta lashed his ferocious volley into the top corner and Chelsea had the momentum as the big guns came on off the bench.
There were chances at both ends in a thrilling finish before Wasilewski’s red card and the Fabregas extra-time double.
MATCH FACTS & RATINGS
Leicester 4-4-2: Zieler 6; Simpson 5, Wasilewski 4.5, Morgan 6, Chilwell 6.5; Schlupp 6, King 7, Drinkwater 7, Gray 6 (Amartey 90); Okazaki 7.5 (Ulloa 75, 6), Musa 6 (Vardy 76, 5)
Subs not used: Hamer, Benalouane, Kapustka, Mahrez
Booked: Wasilewski, Drinkwater, Chilwell
Sent off: Wasilewski
Manager: Claudio Ranieri 6
Chelsea 4-2-3-1: Begovic 6; Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 5, Luiz 6, Alonso 5; Fabregas 8, Matic 6; Moses 5, Loftus-Cheek 5 (Costa 67, 6.5), Pedro 6 (Hazard 89, 7); Batshuayi 5.5 (Chalobah 80).
Subs: Courtois, Aina, Kante, Willian
Booked: Matic, Luiz
Manager: Antonio Conte 7
Man of the match: Cesc Fabregas
Referee: Bobby Madley 5
Attendance: 29,899
============================================
Mirror:
Leicester 2-4 Chelsea (AET): Cesc Fabregas caps fightback from two goals down with extra-time brace
BY DAVE KIDD
Spaniard yet to start in the league for new boss Antonio Conte seals League Cup win after an early Okazaki double was cancelled out by Cahill and Azpilicueta
Cesc Fabregas battered his way back into Antonio Conte’s Premier League plans with an extra-time double to complete a storming Chelsea comeback.
Spanish midfielder Fabregas , yet to start a league game under his new boss, struck twice after Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta had cancelled Shinji Okazaki’s early double for champions Leicester .
Chelsea ’s players and supporters will spend many Champions League midweek nights at home watching Leicester on the telly this autumn – but they enjoyed their chance to put one over on the Foxes in a competition which means more to the Conte than Claudio Ranieri.
Their previous visit here last December had been a hugely significant one - Jose Mourinho’s tortured farewell and a night on which Leicester’s title credentials began to look genuine.
This was nowhere near as momentous, but it was a throbbing cup-tie of the old school.
Both managers made seven changes each for what we now have to call the EFL Cup , but there was no shortage of experience or quality in the starting line-ups, with Fabregas handed a chance to play his way into the first-choice league XI.
Pedro, another with his eye on a breakthrough, had the ball in the net early on – but after latching onto a long angled ball from David Luiz, he rounded the keeper only to be denied, incorrectly, by an offside flag.
Soon it was Chelsea’s chance to get lucky when Cahill blundered to gift possession to Okazaki, then dragged back the Japanese forward and barged over Ahmed Musa – with referee Bob ‘Truly Madly’ Madley not interested in either the possible red-card offence or the penalty shout.
It was not long before Okazaki scored his first, thanks to some slapstick defending
.
A Musa cross bounced back of Cesar Azpilicueta, allowing Okazaki to head over Asmir Begovic, with neither Cahill or Azpilicueta able to clear before the ball narrowly cross the line.
After Michy Batshuayi had squandered a decent headed chance, Okazaki was at it again.
This time, he chested down Andy King’s through-ball and shot into the turf and over Begovic, Azpilicueta again narrowly failing to clear in time.
Curiously by half-time, we’d had three goals – all of which failed to actually hit the net.
Fabregas swung over a corner from the right and Cahill headed over the line – just – before Luiz followed up.
That effort, so close to the interval, served as a handbrake turn on the direction of the tie.
Four minutes into the second half, Azpilicueta equalised with one which certainly located the onion bag - a stunning volley after a poor defensive header from Marcin Wasilewski.
Both keepers were forced into fine saves – Leicester’s Ron-Robert Zieler at full stretch to turn round Batshuayi’s long-ranger, then Begovic clawing away a lob from Musa, who had raced clear of Cahill and connected with a long up-field punt.
Both managers removed aces from their sleeves – sending on Diego Costa and Jamie Vardy - and Costa soon demanded a sharp double-save from Zieler.
When Wasilewski, already on a booking, clattered into Costa near the touchline, Conte brandished an imaginary second yellow – and Madley an actual one.
Within five minutes of extra-time, the contest was over – Eden Hazard exchanging passes with Costa and back-heeling to tee up Fabregas.
Then, when Zieler and Danny Drinkwater failed to clear a Hazard cross, Fabregas thumped home his second.
===========================
Sun:
JOYS OF CESC
Leicester 2 Chelsea 4: Cesc Fabregas scores extra-time EFL Cup double
Antonio Conte bagged the bragging rights over fellow Italian boss Claudio Ranieri at King Power Stadium
BY ANDREW DILLON AND ALEC SHILTON
CESC FABREGAS fired a double reminder to Antonio Conte as Chelsea came back from two down to sink ten-man Leicester.
Shinji Okazaki ended a six-month and 13-game goal drought with two strikes inside 37 minutes – both of which retreating Blues right-back Cesar Azpilicueta just failed to clear off the line.
Gary Cahill pulled one back in first-half stoppage time before Azpilicueta nailed a peach of a volley past Foxes stand-in keeper Ron-Robert Zieler four minutes after the break.
Diego Costa and Jamie Vardy were summoned midway through the second half as Italian bosses Antonio Conte and Claudio Ranieri sought added firepower to the gun each other down.
Costa and Ahmed Musa both missed golden opportunities before Fabregas tucked home a double early in extra time as Blues took advantage of Marcin Wasilewski’s dismissal for a pair of yellows.
The game was only the second start of the season for Spain’s World Cup winner Cesc Fabregas – his other was the second round win over Bristol Rovers – and he ended up the match-winner.
Gary Cahill’s first goal for Chelsea was against Leicester in the FA Cup in 2012.
Both teams made seven changes from their weekend games in the battle of the B-Listers in the EFL Cup.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has been in charge for only six competitive games but last night’s match was already the third time he had faced a fellow Italian manager in Claudio Ranieri.
Cahill claimed he was fouled nine days ago when a mix up allowed Leroy Fer to score for Swansea against Chelsea. He had no such get out tonight with an identical blunder from which City took the lead.
Who’d have thought Chelsea would ever go to Leicester with their hosts a Champions League team and The Blues not in Europe at all?
Shinji Okazaki will be extremely grateful to Chelsea’s dozing defence – he scored his first goal since March 14 tonight. Then helped himself to another.
Chelsea goalscorer Cesar Azpilicueta scored his stunning volley after finally being played in his natural position as a right back because of seven changes to the Chelsea line up.
Conte went for bust after pulling level in the 48th minute with a 4-2-4 formation bringing on striker Diego Costa to liven things up.
City fans taunted Chelsea’s 3,300 supporters with chants of ‘we are your champions’ in response to the visitors’ singing ‘Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that’
NEXT FIVE FIXTURES
LEICESTER
Sep 24 – Man Utd (A), Prem
Sep 27 – Porto (H), CL
Oct 2 – Southampton, (H), PL
Oct 15 – Chelsea (A), PL
Oct 18 – Copenhagen (H), CL
CHELSEA
Sep 24 – Arsenal (A), Prem
Oct 1 – Hull, (A), PL
Oct 15 – Leicester (H), PL
Oct 23 – Man Utd (H), PL
Oct 30 – Southampton (A), PL
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
LEICESTER: Zieler 6, Simpson 6, Morgan 6, Wasilewski 4, Chilwell 6, Schlupp 6, Drinkwater 6, King 7, Gray 6 (Amartey 90+1 6), Musa 6 (Vardy 76 5), Okazaki 7 (Ulloa 75 6)
Subs not used: Hamer, Kapustka, Mahrez, Benalouane
Booked: Wasilewski, Drinkwater, Chilwell
Sent off: Wasilewski
Goals: Okazaki: 17, 34
CHELSEA: Begovic 5, Azpilicueta 9, Cahill 9, Luiz 9, Alonso 8, Matic 7, Fabregas 9, Moses 7, Loftus-Cheek 7 (Diego Costa 67 7), Pedro 7 (Hazard 89 7), Batshuayi 7 (Chalobah 80 6)
Subs not used: Courtois, Kante, Willian, Aina
Booked: Matic, David Luiz
Goals: Cahill 45+2, Azpilicueta 49, Fabregas 92, 94
STAR MAN: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
WHAT THEY SAID
Chelsea scorer Cesc Fabregas: “I was happy to play first of all, from the start. Secondly, if I can help the team then fantastic.
“Hopefully this will stop a few journalists who talk about me all the time and focus on what is important – Chelsea winning. I know what I can do – and it is a lot for this team.”
==============================
Star:
Leicester 2 Chelsea 4 (AET): Fabregas brace helps the Blues bounce back
TWO-GOAL Cesc Fabregas handed Antonio Conte the kind of headache he’ll be happy to put up with.
Dave Armitage
The Spanish star came in from the cold and blasted Chelsea into the Fourth Round with two goals in just over a minute.
Fabregas, enjoying only his second start of the season, has been told by under pressure Conte that he has to fight to win his place back.
And the midfielder did just that with two goals at the start of extra-time to cap off a remarkable comeback by Chelsea
The heat was really on Conte when sloppy defending saw his side trail 2-0 with 34 minutes on the clock.
Shinji Okazaki cashed in to help himself to a double and things looked ominous on the back of the miserable 2-1 home defeat to Liverpool on Friday.
The shockwaves of that have gone wider than just Stamford Bridge and the last thing Conte needed was another embarrassing defeat here to the side who dethroned them as champions.
Chelsea’s defending was woeful in the first half and the tie could have been out of their reach long before Cahill made amends with his headed goal right on the stroke of half time.
Okazaki needed confirmation from the ref’s goal alarm for both of his efforts – though there wasn’t that much doubt that they had crossed the line.
Cahill and Azpilicueta both tried to hook the first one away after he’d dinked a clever header over Asmir Begovic but to no avail.
Then the Japanese striker cashed in after Pedro failed to clear the ranks and former Chelsea man Andy King dinked a perfectly-weighted ball into Okazaki’s path.
He made no mistake, chesting it down before ramming the ball into the ground on its way into the net.
Suddenly the signs looked very ominous for Conte and his men.
But they did show admirable resistance when Leicester turned the heat up and got themselves back in it thanks to Cahill and a stunner from Cesar Azpilicueta.
Chelsea might well have won it before the need for extra time, especially when Conte called on dog of war Diego Costa who staged a relentless one-man mission to finish it before the need for an extra half hour.
Leicester were reduced to ten men right on 90 minutes when Marcin Wasilewski was shown red for catching Costa in the face with his arm.
And Chelsea wasted no time at all in putting the champions to the sword with Fabregas unable to hide his delight with his quickfire double.
It was a resounding bang as he pounced to completely take the game away from the home side.
First he seized on a clever backheel from Eden Hazard and picked his spot from eight yards to give Chelsea the lead for the first time.
Then he drilled the ball home from 12 yards after Danny Drinkwater’s headed clearance had fallen to him and ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the band of travelling fans.
It was job done and worth bearing mind that he’d set Chelsea on the comeback trail with the corner that Gary Cahill headed home right on the stroke of half time.
But it was the introduction of Costa in the 66th minute which really seemed to make the difference.
Chelsea were level by then after Azpilicueta had thumped his unstoppable 25-yard volley past stand-in keeper Ron-Robert Zieler.
When the snarling, growling Costa came on, you sensed Chelsea were really going for it and he didn’t disappoint.
He gave Zieler a really testing time, though in fairness, the keeper was up to the job.
He made a fantastic double save from Costa with five minutes of normal time left just after keeping out the striker’s angled drive.
Both sides made seven changes from the weekend and key man Okazaki was one of them for the Foxes.
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Express:
Leicester 2 - Chelsea 4 (AET): Fabregas double fails to paint over defensive cracks
ANTONIO CONTE now knows the harsh truth. If Chelsea are going to win anything this season, it is going to be despite their defence.
By TONY BANKS
They do not rely on shut- outs round Chelsea way these days but the old resilience is still there, as Conte’s team showed, fighting back from two goals down at the King Power Stadium after a horror show of first-half defending, to claim a remarkable EFL Cup win against the Premier League champions.
It was Cesc Fabregas who ended up the hero, as he struck twice in extra time – the first after a lovely Eden Hazard flick and the second with a glorious volley. The midfielder who had been sidelined by Conte this season until last night, finally had his moment.
Chaotic though was not nearly an adequate enough description for the first 45 minutes, as awful defending saw Shinji Okazaki with two strikes put Leicester ahead.
But Chelsea dug in and Gary Cahill and then Cesar Azpilicueta levelled and Conte, to his credit, went for it with all-out attack.
Leicester had defender Marcin Wasilewski sent off for an elbow on Diego Costa a minute before the end of normal time and Chelsea made the extra man pay.
Conte had warned Fabregas that he would have to play his way back into his team – and the Spaniard has surely laid down a marker now.
The King Power Stadium had unhappy recent memories for Chelsea. It was the scene of Jose Mourinho’s last game in charge last season, when his side lost 2-1 in December.
Mourinho talked of being “betrayed” afterwards and Hazard walked off claiming he was injured. The Special One was sacked three days later.
Also on the bench last night was first-choice keeper Thibaut Courtois, who had dropped a heavy hint before the match he would not mind a move back to Spain at some point. “I still love Spain,” he said. “When I left I knew I would return.” He also revealed Real Madrid had sent him a get well message when he was injured last term.
Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri saw his side have a lucky escape early on when Pedro had the ball in the net but was ruled offside.
But then Cahill was almost punished, not for the first time this term, as he miscontrolled and lost the ball to Ahmed Musa and appeared to pull the Nigerian back. Demarai Gray raced through – but David Luiz averted danger.
Not for long though, as Chelsea’s defence capitulated again. Musa crossed, Luiz failed to get any proper contact with his header and the ball bounced off Azpilicueta straight to Okazaki, who squeezed his header in as keeper Asmir Begovic came out.
It was the ninth goal Chelsea had conceded in seven games. Michy Batshuayi then headed wastefully wide for Chelsea but Leicester could not be halted.
Pedro’s dreadful clearance fell straight to Andy King, who played Okazaki through Chelsea’s woeful back line and the Japan star poked the ball past Begovic. But in first-half injury-time Chelsea were back in it – somehow. Fabregas’s corner evaded the Leicester defence and Cahill thumped home his header.
Within four minutes of the restart Chelsea were level. Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot was blocked, but Wasilewski’s header fell to Azpilicueta on the edge of the area, who volleyed a glorious drive into Ron-Robert Zieler’s top corner.
Now it was Leicester mostly on the back foot and Conte threw on Diego Costa, for a 4-2-4 formation. And the lead was almost theirs, as Batshuayi’s drive was tipped away by Zieler.
Costa raced through but put his shot past the post. Musa was clean away but hit the side netting. And King nodded over when he should have scored.
Once again Costa got clear, but twice Zieler foiled him, as the game shifted from end to end. Leicester threw on Jamie Vardy and two of the deadliest strikers in the Premier league were in a shoot-out – only for Fabregas to end the late hero.
LEICESTER (4-4-2): Zieler; Simpson, Morgan, Wasilewski, Chilwell; Gray (Amartey 90), Drinkwater, King, Schlupp; Musa (Vardy 76), Okazaki (Ulloa 75). Booked: Wasilewski, Drinkwater Chilwell. Sent off: Wasilewski 90. Goals: Okazaki 17, 34.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Alonso; Matic, Fabregas; Pedro (Hazard 89), Loftus-Cheek (Costa 67), Moses; Batshuayi (Chalobah). Booked: Matic, Luiz. Goals: Cahill, 45, Azpilicueta 49, Fabregas 92, 94.
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