Chelsea moved into the next round of the Carabao Cup with a composed 2-0 win over Luton Town at Stamford Bridge. Even so, the result was partly eclipsed by the notable omission of Enzo Fernandez from the matchday squad.

Welbeck makes immediate mark at Stamford Bridge

Danny Welbeck made the ideal start to life at Chelsea, scoring on his debut as the Blues claimed a 2-0 victory over Luton Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup. The 35-year-old, who joined from Brighton in the summer, showed that he still possesses the sharp finishing instincts needed at the highest level.

Chelsea controlled large spells of the match and went ahead in the 50th minute, when the 35-year-old summer arrival from Brighton headed in from close range. The home side then had to wait until the 79th minute to make the result safe, as the second goal came when Hakeem Odoffin accidentally turned an attempted clearance into his own net after a dangerous effort from Estevao Willian.

Fernandez absence fuels transfer talk

The main talking point of the night came before kick-off, when Fernandez was conspicuously missing from the team sheet. The Argentina midfielder, who came on as a second-half substitute in Monday's 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham, was left out altogether amid strong speculation over his future.

It has been reported that representatives of the midfielder have held formal discussions with Manchester City officials, and his absence at Stamford Bridge has only intensified the talk of a possible move to the Etihad Stadium.

Keeley brilliance keeps Luton in the game

In spite of Chelsea's control, Luton Town remained competitive for long periods thanks to an outstanding display from goalkeeper Josh Keeley. The keeper was busy from the early stages, producing an excellent double save to keep out Cole Palmer in the 11th minute. He then followed that with a superb full-length dive to turn a Reece James free-kick that was heading for goal around the post.

Luton also carried some threat from set-pieces, with defenders Benny Benagr and Odoffin both finding room inside the box, but Chelsea debutant Mike Penders was seldom seriously examined in the Blues' goal. The woodwork also denied the hosts when club-record signing Morgan Rogers saw a fierce volley crash against the crossbar on his home debut. After scoring their second, Chelsea pushed for more and were twice denied by Keeley again, as he made two fine saves to stop both Palmer and Joao Pedro, before substitute Jamie Gittens hit the post in stoppage time to save Luton from an even heavier loss.

Alonso turns attention to Leeds United tie

The win gave Xabi Alonso a successful home debut in his first competitive match in charge at Stamford Bridge, in a competition that holds extra importance for the Spanish manager this season because Chelsea are not involved in European football. The result keeps the Blues in the hat for the third round, where they have been drawn against Premier League rivals Leeds United in the week beginning 7 September.