Chelsea give Wrexham’s Premier League dream a reality check

WREXHAM, Wales – Welcome to the Premier League, Wrexham.

The Hollywood EFL Championship team dreams of reaching the biggest and most glamorous league in the world. Still, Chelsea and Alejandro Garnacho have given them an early warning about what to expect if they succeed this season.

Wrexham showed they are ready to mix with the best in their 4-2 FA Cup fifth round defeat, but the Premier League can be brutal and unforgiving and Chelsea – with a little help from VAR – highlighted the killer instinct of the best teams.

– VAR review: Why was Wrexham’s Dobson sent off for fouling Garnacho?
– After five years of Reynolds/Mac, Wrexham is on the cusp of the Premier League
– Championship promotion race: who is moving up to the Premier League?

Despite twice taking the lead against the FIFA Club World Cup champions in Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round at Stok Cae Ras, with owners Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds watching from their executive box, Wrexham were ultimately unable to cope with the Premier League class of Liam Rosenior’s side.

And Garnacho, Chelsea’s £40 million summer signing from Manchester United, has made the difference: an example of the ruthless attacking quality that the Premier League’s best teams possess.

“It was our toughest game of the season so far,” Garnacho told BBC Sport.

“These games, you have to fight and they [Wrexham] very well played. We saw the best of them, but we got through it in the end.”

Garnacho can be a frustrating watch and is often the type of player who forces his teammates to throw their arms in the air, infuriating them with his decision-making in the final third.

But when he plays, the 21-year-old can be lethal, and Wrexham have discovered just how dangerous Garnacho can be when given the time and space to hurt opponents.

Garnacho created Chelsea’s first goal and scored their third, and in between he drew a foul from George Dobson in the second half, leading to the Wrexham midfielder receiving a red card from referee Peter Bankes following a VAR review for serious foul play.

Dobson took out Garnacho with a reckless high tackle as the winger sprinted down Chelsea’s left flank. It was a brutal challenge, but it summed up Wrexham’s desperation against a player who has shown in the past his ability to decide the biggest games.

Had he been more consistent, Garnacho would probably still be at United, but his potential is why Chelsea overlooked the negative elements of his profile to sign him, and their decision was rewarded by his performance against Wrexham.

The home side’s third round win over Nottingham Forest was their first meeting with a Premier League opponent since Mac and Reynolds bought the club five years ago.

That game ended in a penalty shootout victory and gave Wrexham the belief that they could progress to the top flight, but while Forest showed what the Premier League is all about and Wrexham took care of it, Chelsea provided a lesson in what it’s like at the pointy end.

To survive in the Premier League, teams must cope with the pace and skills of players such as Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, Erling Haaland or Bukayo Saka.

Garnacho may be a mid-tier attacking star, and Wrexham will need a few if they make it through the Premier League. But for most of this match, Wrexham kept their illustrious opponents in check.

They took the lead through striker Sam Smith in the 18th minute and were comfortable enough to chase a second, but Chelsea were still threatening on the break, and that was confirmed in the 40th minute when Garnacho’s cross was deflected into the Wrexham net following a mix-up between goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo and George Thomason.

Wrexham’s spirit and tenacity saw them come together again in the second half and when they restored their lead through Callum Doyle in the 79th minute, a place in the quarter-finals looked like theirs, but within three minutes Chelsea had equalized again through Josh Acheampong.

The key moment came in the 90th minute when Garnacho burst down the left and only Dobson’s wild challenge could stop him.

Referee Bankes initially gave Dobson a yellow card, but a VAR review led to the card being upgraded to a red, a decision supported by Chelsea boss Rosenior. “It was a dangerous challenge,” he said.

The sending off left Wrexham with 10 players for the ensuing extra time, Chelsea took advantage. Their superior quality allowed them to control the ball and possession. Garnacho gave them the lead for the first time when he volleyed Dário Essugo’s cross past Okonkwo six minutes into extra time.

It was a clinical finish from Garnacho and another example of his abilities, but Wrexham fought back anyway and thought they had equalized when Lewis Brunt’s close-range goal was disallowed for offside by VAR.

João Pedro’s goal in the final minute that made it 4-2 for Chelsea ensured a scoreline that did not reflect the reality of the 120 minutes. But even though Wrexham crashed out of the FA Cup, they proved they can compete against the Premier League’s best.

Their priority now is to win promotion, and Tuesday’s Championship match against Hull City is undoubtedly more important than this.

As for Chelsea, they next face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, but they will be back at Wrexham sooner rather than later; they can be sure of it.