A Tuesday night in Lincoln isn’t usually where Chelsea’s season gets decided. Yet for 48 minutes at LNER Stadium, a League One side two divisions below the Premier League led through Robert Street’s 42nd-minute goal, before Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte turned the tie around for a 2-1 win (Chelsea FC (official match report)). The third-round tie produced 30 shots and a 71.6% Chelsea share of possession.

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Match Result: Lincoln City 1-2 Chelsea ·
Competition: Carabao Cup (Round 3) ·
Date: 23 September 2025 ·
Venue: LNER Stadium, Lincoln ·
Possession: Lincoln 28.4% – Chelsea 71.6% ·
Passes: Lincoln 232 – Chelsea 626

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Full starting lineups for both teams were not covered in the sources reviewed
  • Substitution and tactical details behind Chelsea’s comeback are not specified
  • Post-match reaction from both managers was not included
3Timeline signal
  • 42′ — Robert Street puts Lincoln City ahead, 48′ — Tyrique George equalizes, 50′ — Facundo Buonanotte scores winner (Sky Sports (match report))
4What’s next
  • Chelsea reach the Carabao Cup fourth round (Sky Sports (match report))
  • Lincoln City return to their League One campaign (Sky Sports (match report))

One glance at the two clubs’ basic numbers — pulled together from official club records and Sky Sports (matchday coverage) — shows the size of the gap Lincoln City spent 48 minutes closing.

Category Value
Lincoln City founded 1884
Lincoln City stadium capacity 10,120
Lincoln City current league EFL League One
Chelsea founded 1905
Chelsea stadium capacity 40,343
Chelsea current league Premier League
Match competition Carabao Cup (EFL Cup)
Match date 23 September 2025

Is Chelsea in the Carabao Cup?

Yes. Chelsea entered the 2025-26 Carabao Cup — the competition officially known as the EFL Cup — and this tie was their third-round fixture. The match took place on Tuesday 23 September 2025 at LNER Stadium in Lincoln, with kick-off at 7:45pm UK time (Chelsea FC (matchday guide)).

The EFL Cup is English football’s secondary knockout competition, open to all 92 Premier League and EFL clubs — and it rewards clubs like Lincoln City with exactly this kind of night. Chelsea arrived as a much-changed side (ESPN (sports broadcaster)) and spent the first half on the back foot; Lincoln City led 1-0 at the break (ESPN (sports broadcaster)), and it took two goals in three minutes to turn the tie.

What this means: Chelsea are still in the competition, but the half-time scoreline was the kind of warning cup runs are built on.

Bottom line: Chelsea advanced, yet a much-changed side needed three second-half minutes to erase a lower-league lead. For Lincoln City, the first 48 minutes proved they belonged in the tie. For Chelsea, the comeback was the only part worth keeping.

Did Lincoln City win league 2?

Yes — Lincoln City have won League Two, and the club now plays one division above it in League One. Sky Sports framed the tie as a League One club hosting Premier League opposition (Sky Sports (match report)), while ESPN described Lincoln as “third-tier” (ESPN (sports broadcaster)).

  • Current division: EFL League One
  • Path to this tie: League Two title and promotion
  • Opponent’s division: Premier League

That two-division gap made the first half feel like a genuine shock. League tables don’t usually lie, but cup ties don’t read league tables.

Why this matters

A League One club leading a Premier League side at half-time is the financial dream of every lower-league boardroom: one cup run can fund a season. Lincoln got the dream for 48 minutes.

The takeaway: Lincoln’s league status made them underdogs, but their first-half performance suggested the league table wasn’t the only number that mattered.

Who is Lincoln City’s biggest rival?

Lincoln City’s most heated fixture is the Lincolnshire Derby against Grimsby Town. Scunthorpe United are the other local rival in the same conversation.

  • Biggest rival: Grimsby Town — matches known as the Lincolnshire Derby
  • Other local rival: Scunthorpe United
  • Derby context: local pride, not promotion stakes

The pattern: for a club Lincoln’s size, glamour ties against Chelsea are occasional theatre; derbies are the fixtures that define a season. The Chelsea crowd gave LNER Stadium a cup-night buzz, but the rivalry calendar is what keeps the season alive.

What is Chelsea’s biggest loss?

Chelsea’s heaviest defeat in their history is 1-8 at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1953, with a 0-7 reverse at Leeds United in 1967 close behind. In the modern era, their worst competitive result is a 0-5 defeat at Manchester City in 2019.

  • Heaviest loss: 1-8 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (1953)
  • Second-heaviest: 0-7 vs Leeds United (1967)
  • Modern-era worst: 0-5 vs Manchester City (2019)
The perspective check

Chelsea have lost by seven goals before; they nearly lost by one on a Tuesday night in Lincoln. Cup football punishes complacency with the same certainty as any league season.

The context: those historic defeats are why a one-goal deficit against a League One side was taken seriously — and why the comeback mattered.

What was Lincoln City famous for?

Lincoln City’s modern fame is built on cup giant-killing. The club reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2017, a run that put the club in the national spotlight, and the Chelsea tie added another chapter to that story.

Which England player played for Lincoln City?

  • The England link: Mick Harford, who began his career at Lincoln City in the late 1970s and later won senior England caps.
  • The trivia angle: Harford is the name Lincoln fans cite when the question comes up.

Lincoln’s identity, though, has rarely been about international honours. The players supporters remember most are characters: John Burridge, the veteran goalkeeper, and Matt Rhead, the non-league striker who became a cult hero during the FA Cup run.

Who are some famous Lincoln City FC players?

  • John Burridge — goalkeeper known for a marathon career
  • Matt Rhead — striker and fan favourite during the cup years
  • Mick Harford — the England-capped striker who started at Lincoln

The running thread: Lincoln’s fame has never come from the Premier League scrapbook. It comes from cup nights exactly like this one.

Who owns Lincoln City Football Club?

Lincoln City are majority fan-owned. The club is backed by a consortium led by Harvey Jabara alongside the Lincoln City Community, with the Imps Trust playing a central role in the ownership structure.

How much do Lincoln City footballers get paid?

  • Wage level: modest by Premier League standards, typical for League One
  • Published figures: none included in the sources reviewed for this article

That wage gap is the financial backdrop of the whole tie. Chelsea’s squad costs multiply Lincoln’s budget several times over — yet the scoreboard still needed two second-half goals to be corrected.

The trade-off: fan ownership gives Lincoln stability and identity, but it also means every cup run carries extra weight. The club can’t buy its way out of trouble the way Premier League sides can.

What is the average attendance at Lincoln City FC?

Lincoln City’s average home attendance in 2024-25 was approximately 9,500. For the Chelsea tie, Sky Sports reported an attendance of 10,214 at LNER Stadium (Sky Sports (match report)).

  • Average attendance (2024-25): approximately 9,500
  • LNER Stadium capacity: 10,120
  • Chelsea tie attendance: 10,214 (Sky Sports (match report))

What this means: Lincoln’s support is close to full even for ordinary league games. On cup nights, the atmosphere becomes a weapon — and for 48 minutes, it nearly was.

Lincoln City vs Chelsea: head-to-head

Thirteen rows, one pattern: the gap in resources is enormous, yet the on-pitch numbers from this tie tell a closer story.

Category Lincoln City Chelsea
Founded 1884 1905
League at time of tie EFL League One (Sky Sports (match report)) Premier League
Stadium capacity 10,120 40,343
Possession 28.4% (Sky Sports stats) 71.6% (same source)
Shots 16 (same source) 14 (same source)
Shots on target 2 (same source) 4 (same source)
Big chances missed 3 (same source) 3 (same source)
Corners 3 (same source) 2 (same source)
Accurate passes 162 (same source) 558 (same source)
Passing accuracy 69.8% (same source) 89.1% (same source)
Yellow cards 3 (same source) 4 (same source)
Goals in this tie 1 — Robert Street 42′ (Sky Sports (match report)) 2 — George 48′, Buonanotte 50′ (same source)
Cup pedigree FA Cup quarter-final, 2017 Multiple major trophies
The gap

Lincoln City’s entire stadium could sit inside Stamford Bridge with room to spare — yet the half-time scoreboard showed the smaller club ahead.

The catch: Chelsea controlled the ball but never fully controlled the game. Lincoln took more shots than their Premier League visitors — a number the final scoreline hides.

Match timeline: how Lincoln City pushed Chelsea to the brink

  • — Kick-off at LNER Stadium (Chelsea FC (matchday guide))
  • 42′ — Robert Street goal: Lincoln City 1-0 Chelsea (Sky Sports (match report))
  • Half-time — Lincoln City 1-0 Chelsea (ESPN (sports broadcaster))
  • 48′ — Tyrique George equalizer: 1-1 (Chelsea FC (official match report))
  • 50′ — Facundo Buonanotte winner: 2-1 (ESPN (sports broadcaster))
  • Full-time — Lincoln City 1-2 Chelsea; Chelsea reach the fourth round (Sky Sports (match report))
The turning point

Two goals in three minutes flipped the tie. Cup games are often decided in moments like that — Lincoln were three minutes away from the fourth round.

The pattern: comebacks that quick are rarely about pressure; they are usually about individual quality surfacing at the right moment.

What’s confirmed, what’s still unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Final score: Lincoln City 1-2 Chelsea (Chelsea FC (official match report))
  • Date, venue, kick-off: 23 September, LNER Stadium, 7:45pm (Chelsea FC (matchday guide))
  • Lincoln City led 1-0 at half-time (ESPN (sports broadcaster))
  • Scorers: Street 42′, George 48′, Buonanotte 50′ (Sky Sports (match report))
  • Possession: 28.4% Lincoln, 71.6% Chelsea (Sky Sports stats)
  • Shots: 16 Lincoln, 14 Chelsea (Sky Sports stats)
  • Attendance: 10,214 (Sky Sports (match report))

What’s unclear

  • Full starting lineups for both sides were not detailed in the sources reviewed
  • Tactical and substitution details behind Chelsea’s comeback were not covered
  • Post-match reaction from both managers was not included
  • Whether Lincoln’s goal came from open play or a set piece is not specified
  • The exact build-up play for Lincoln’s opening goal is not described in the sources reviewed
  • Official player ratings were not published in the sources reviewed
  • No VAR or officiating talking points from the tie appeared in the sources reviewed

The balance of evidence: the scoreline and the headline stats are solid across multiple outlets. The deeper tactical story of Chelsea’s comeback, however, is still thin in the reports used for this breakdown.

What the match reports said

Chelsea avoided becoming the latest giant to crash out of the League Cup by beating third-tier Lincoln City 2-1 after a second-half fightback.

ESPN (sports broadcaster)

Chelsea laboured to a 2-1 victory over Lincoln City to progress to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

Fotmob match report

The shared read: both outlets described the same game — a narrow escape, not a routine win. That consistency is the strongest signal of how the night felt.

What this result means for both clubs

Chelsea avoided a lower-league shock with a much-changed lineup (ESPN (sports broadcaster)), but the margin between progress and embarrassment was measured in minutes. Lincoln City leave the cup with their reputation enhanced and a clear template for the rest of their League One season. For Lincoln City, the choice is clear: reproduce this intensity week to week, or wait another year for a cup night this loud.

Additional sources

espn.com, skysports.com, espn.com, skysports.com, liputan6.com, espn.in, chelsea.news, espn.in

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Frequently asked questions

How many Carabao Cup titles has Chelsea won?

Chelsea have won the EFL Cup five times, most recently in 2015.

What league does Lincoln City currently play in?

Lincoln City play in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after winning promotion from League Two.

Who is Lincoln City’s current manager?

Michael Skubala has been Lincoln City’s manager since 2023 and led the team in the Carabao Cup tie against Chelsea.

What was the attendance for the Lincoln City vs Chelsea match?

Sky Sports reported an attendance of 10,214 at LNER Stadium.

How many times have Lincoln City and Chelsea met in competitive matches?

The clubs have met only occasionally, mostly in cup competitions, because they have spent most of their histories in different divisions.

What is the distance between Lincoln and London?

Lincoln is roughly 140 miles (225 kilometres) from London by road.

Who scored for Chelsea in the match against Lincoln City?

Tyrique George scored the equalizer in the 48th minute, and Facundo Buonanotte scored the winner in the 50th minute.

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