Ex-Celtic title winner ends 402-day wait but suffers late heartache as valiant defeat ends cup dream
Former Celtic man stars against EPL giants Chelsea but is denied shock win by late double.
Ex-Celtic midfielder David Turnbull scored a memorable goal for Cardiff City in last night’s English League Cup quarter-final against Chelsea, but was left heartbroken when two late goals saw the visitors secure a 3-1 win and end their valiant run in the competition on Tuesday night.
Turnbull, who spent three-and-a-half seasons at Parkhead between 2020 and 2024 and won two Scottish Premiership titles, moved to the Welsh outfit almost two years ago after falling out of favour with former boss Brendan Rodgers, but failed to make the desired impact and was relegated to the third tier last season.
However, the 26-year-old has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts under the Bluebirds’ new head coach Brian Barry-Murphy. Starting regularly for a side that has won 13 of their first league 19 games and sits four points clear at the top of the EFL League One table, they’ve also surpassed expectations in the English League Cup, where they beat Wrexham, Burnley, and Cheltenham Town to reach the final eight of the competition.
Drawn against Enzo Maresco’s side in the final eight of the competition, Cardiff battled valiantly against their opponents in the opening hour of the clash, but were left chasing the game just before the hour mark when Dylan Lawlor’s slack pass allowed Alejandro Garnacho to tap home from close range.
However, thanks to the former Scotland international, the hosts would restore parity with just 15 minutes left to play when Turnbull ended his 402-day wait to score a goal by connecting to Perry Ng’s in-swinging cross to bullet a diving header beyond the outstretched arm of Filip Jorgensen in the Chelsea net.
His first goal since a 3-1 defeat to Blackburn on 9 November, 2024, the ex-Motherwell man looked set to send the game into extra-time with the strike, only for substitute Pedro Neto to restore the visitors lead with a fine strike from the edge of the area on 82 minutes, before Garnacho grabbed his second of the game in stoppage time to end Cardiff’s run in the competition.
“When you score, it’s probably the hope that kills you,” admitted Cardiff City Barry-Murphy. “I felt we were in the ascendancy at that point and had a great chance to maybe grab a winner, but it wasn’t to be. The quality and importance of the game was evident from the beginning. And it increased again when you saw players like Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho come on, and then Trevoh Chalobah to see the game out.
“It was a really high-level test for us, but the players gave an amazing account of themselves. Naturally there’s disappointment and a feeling of what might have been. You’re playing against individuals of the highest level, and if you don’t concentrate for every single second, they can score at any moment. Tonight, that’s what happened.”
Chelsea will discover their semi-final opponents later this week, with Manchester City playing Brentford, Newcastle United facing Fulham, and Arsenal taking on Crystal Palace in the competition’s other quarter-final games on Wednesday evening.
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