Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso accepted full responsibility for an uneven display that saw his team go two goals down against Leeds United before fighting back for a dramatic Carabao Cup win. The Blues boss admitted he made things "too difficult" for his much-rotated squad after making nine changes for the midweek tie at Stamford Bridge.

Nine changes bring an early scare

Chelsea struggled in the opening stages after Alonso made nine alterations from their weekend defeat to Arsenal. Leeds took advantage of a disjointed performance from the Blues, going into half-time 1-0 up through Tarik Muharemovic before Brenden Aaronson doubled the visitors' lead soon after the restart.

With a shock Carabao Cup exit looming, Alonso sent on four substitutes at half-time. The shift in momentum was immediate as Cole Palmer scored from the penalty spot and then struck again within two minutes to bring Chelsea level. Pedro Neto then found the net to complete a stunning six-minute turnaround, before Danny Welbeck made it 4-2 after being set up by Morgan Rogers.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin briefly gave Leeds fresh hope, but Valentin Barco's first goal for Chelsea and a late second from Welbeck wrapped up a breathless 6-3 victory. Rogers made a huge impact off the bench, producing three assists during the second-half onslaught.

Alonso accepts responsibility

Speaking after the match, Alonso refused to single out his fringe players for criticism and instead placed the blame firmly on himself. The Spaniard admitted that making so many changes to his starting XI left the side exposed.

"I take responsibility," the former Bayer Leverkusen boss said after the game. "No player to blame, it's a decision that we took. First half things were not going the way we wanted. When you do not have time to work [with the squad players], it's difficult to compete at this level. We need to analyse, but happy that we are going through, happy with the reaction."

He added: "I will have a deeper assessment about how I can help players that aren't playing that much to have a better impact, to have a better feeling.

"Today it was difficult for them. Maybe I made it too difficult. But you need to react and take decisions. The impact was good from the players that came on. I need to take my own blame and my own responsibility."

Questions over squad depth despite heavy summer spending

The wild nature of the win immediately raises doubts about Chelsea's squad depth. Even after bringing in 10 first-team signings during the transfer window, the Blues' second-string side looked vulnerable and shaky at the back against Leeds.

When asked whether the display exposed a shortage of dependable backup options, Alonso rejected that suggestion. "I prefer not to take that cynical way," he said. "I know I probably haven't taken the right decisions for them to show their best levels. It's something I will analyse and learn from."

Carabao Cup fourth-round draw next for the Blues

Chelsea move into the Carabao Cup fourth round along with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Bradford City, Sunderland and Newcastle. The remaining third-round ties will be completed next week as teams compete for the final places in the last 16.

The Blues will learn their next opponents when the draw is held next Wednesday night, after Manchester United's meeting with Brighton. Until then, Alonso must work out how to manage his squad more effectively as the domestic fixture list becomes more demanding.