The Argentine won a huge 84 per cent of the vote on the Chelsea Official App after a dynamic display which turned the contest in our favour.

Here we look more closely at Garnacho’s impact…

Shifting the balance of power

As Enzo Maresca acknowledged after the game, the number of changes we made (11), allied to the fact that several incoming players were short of minutes recently, meant ‘difficulties’ in the game were expected.

Credit must go to Cardiff, too, for ensuring that was the case, especially in the first half. The Bluebirds played with plenty of confidence, had more shots than us and attempted and completed more dribbles, too – testament to their attacking intent in the opening 45 minutes.

Maresca responded by making a double change at half-time. On came Garnacho and Joao Pedro, and very quickly we seized control.

Garnacho led the way. Within seven minutes of his introduction, he showed sharp movement to anticipate a dangerous low cross from his compatriot Facundo Bounanotte. Having ghosted in front of a defender, Garnacho’s low shot was well kept out by Nathan Trott in the Cardiff goal.

A finish of the highest quality

Garnacho would not be denied for long, though. Again, Buonanotte deserves credit for his work in the build-up, intercepting a pass and creating a three-on-two overload.

Buonanotte had options left and right and opted to play in Garnacho with a perfectly-weighted pass. Trott came out quickly, but the No.49’s left-footed finish was exemplary, guided across the keeper and inside the far post. There was very little margin for error.

Garnacho had a hand in our second goal, too. This time, he hugged the left flank, creating space infield by dragging defenders towards him, before working the ball back to Jorrel Hato.

From there, it was moved onto the edge of the box where Pedro Neto, another sub, found a yard to fire us in front.

By this point, an entertaining cup tie had opened up, and Garnacho continued to thrive in the space he was afforded.

He created two shooting chances, a joint-high figure alongside five other Blues, and completed 100 per cent of the passes he played.

It was fitting that Garnacho had the final say three minutes into stoppage time. Once more, he was rewarded for being in an advanced position and finding gaps on either side of Cardiff defenders, taking Joao Pedro’s lofted pass in his stride and digging out a super finish from under his feet.

Leading the way

It was the last of a game-high five shots Garnacho attempted in just 51 minutes on the pitch, amounting to an xG (Expected Goals tally) of 1.3.

He also stood clear of the rest for shots on target (three), shots inside the box (four), big chances (three) and touches in the opposition box (eight). You can see his shot map below.

Overall, 15 of our 20 attempts on the night came in the second half, when we registered an xG of 2.29, in stark contrast to the 0.28 before the break.

There is no question Garnacho’s introduction – along with that of Joao Pedro and later Neto – transformed our attacking threat, with the Argentinean undoubtedly the pick of the bunch for the moments of genuine quality he provided.