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The video assistant referee was never likely to be the hero of the piece, having already intervened to dismiss George Dobson late in normal time. When Lewis Brunt nudged in a 114th-minute header, the Cae Ras was delirious, considering a penalty shootout and the potential for another classic upset in north Wales. The red line of destiny was drawn and the glory evaporated. In many ways it was a fittingly dramatic moment on a night of pure entertainment as Chelsea played the FA Cup villain against the plucky underdog.
It was everything a cup tie should be. Goals from Sam Smith and Callum Doyle twice gave Wrexham the lead, and hope of replicating the giantkilling of Arsenal in 1992, only for an Arthur Okonkwo own goal and Josh Acheampong strike to take the game into extra time. Alejandro Garnacho, who had earlier been the victim of the red-card challenge from Dobson, volleyed home the third and, after Brunt’s goal was disallowed, João Pedro netted a jeopardy-ending fourth, after Wrexham’s heart had already been broken.
It was the first time VAR had been used at this ground and Wrexham may rue that. Dobson’s foul was, rightly, upgraded from a yellow and Brunt was barely an inch the wrong side of a Chelsea boot, although Kieffer Moore’s flick was potentially going in anyway, to add to the frustration. With ambitions to secure a fourth successive promotion to reach the Premier League next season, Wrexham will need to learn of the misery it can cause. Phil Parkinson, their manager, said of the referee and Dobson’s dismissal: “He’s in a great position to see the initial incident and I think it’s very harsh and should have been kept with the on pitch decision.”
Liam Rosenior disagreed. “They’re both correct decisions for me,” the Chelsea manager said of the VAR interventions. “I know it’s frustrating. Any challenge that’s dangerous is a dangerous challenge. If you’re offside, you’re offside. It doesn’t matter how small the margins are. We needed elements of luck today because Wexham were that good in terms of their performance.”
After 18 minutes without either side having a shot, there was little indication of what was to come. Wrexham brought the element of surprise to the fixture when Doyle pinged the ball 50 yards down the pitch, Smith was the only one who knew it was coming and impressively took the pass down, forcing Robert Sánchez into a decision. The goalkeeper panicked, giving the one-time Bishop’s Stortford striker the chance to slot home. Cue shots of the Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac in the crowd, while the other 9,000 helped make up for there only being three stands.
The isolated Liam Delap, one of nine Chelsea changes, had toiled for 40 minutes without the hope of a chance being created. The striker took creative matters into his own hands, holding off and spinning Max Cleworth on the halfway line, driving for the box and playing in Garnacho, whose shot – the second on target of the match – was cleared off the line by George Thomason, only for the ball to hit the unfortunate goalkeeper Okonkwo and bounce into the net. Chelsea’s performance had not deserved any luck but they got it.
Chelsea found some rhythm and started the second half better but Wrexham were not afraid, bringing on a trio of attacking subs. The match was going end-to-end and the Championship side were matching their counterparts. Doyle’s clever flicked finish came during what was arguably the host’s best period and reinvigorated a tense crowd.
It was one of Chelsea’s own in Acheampong who equalised four minutes later, taking advantage of a rare lapse in concentration in the backline to thrash home with eight minutes to go. Both teams were eager to avoid extra time, amid hectic schedules, and Pedro Neto came close to finishing the tie in normal time, assaulting the bar with a shot from 15 yards.
The excellent Garnacho made the most of the extra space after Dobson’s sending-off, to volley home a Dario Essugo cross. The Argentinian went to lap up the spite he had heard all night on the advertising hoardings before being moved on by stewards, but he was certainly enjoying himself against a backdrop of boos.
Despite the man advantage, Chelsea could not control the match, allowing Wrexham to dream once more, but those were crushed, first by the officials and then João Pedro.
“It’s quiet in the dressing room now but when we wake up tomorrow, the lads and the supporters will be immensely proud of the way we played,” Parkinson said. Welcome to the big time, Wrexham, it is not always perfect.
