5 hours ago
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It had been years since a Cardiff City goal had prompted a noise quite like it.
As David Turnbull headed the League One leaders level against Chelsea, Cardiff City Stadium - sold out for a Bluebirds game for the first time since they were last in the Premier League in 2019 - heaved with the deafening din of wild celebrations.
Chelsea ultimately won this compelling EFL Cup quarter-final but, for Cardiff, this was about more than the result.
This is a club which had lost its way in the Championship - dismal on the pitch and divided off it, with disillusioned supporters staging protests and turning on the board.
Having dropped down to the third tier of English football for the first time in 22 years, however, Cardiff have rediscovered their joy.
Head coach Brian Barry-Murphy arrived in the summer and overhauled the playing style, replacing the plodding, tedious approach of some of his predecessors with an exhilarating, occasionally risky, possession-based brand of forward-thinking football.
The fact he has instigated this change by building his team around a core of local young players has endeared him further to a fanbase who had started to view attending games as something of a chore.
Now there is pleasure in watching Cardiff. They are the top scorers in League One, four points clear at the summit, and Tuesday's cup tie was this fledgling group's first chance to test themselves against elite opposition.
Cardiff took on the challenge with gusto, shackling Chelsea with a disciplined and physically intense defensive display, while also sticking to their attacking principles whenever they had possession.
"I'm very proud of all the players and the effort they put in, the performance. It's probably just the hope that kills you when you score a goal," said Barry-Murphy.
"I felt we were in the ascendancy and had a great chance to maybe grab a winner, but it wasn't to be. It was a great occasion for everyone."
Cardiff will have earned plenty of new admirers. Premier League clubs had already been eyeing up some of their burgeoning talents, and players such as Dylan Lawlor looked like they were born to play against high-class opposition.
Barry-Murphy will also have enhanced his reputation, pitting his wits against his former Manchester City coaching colleague, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
Cardiff return to League One action on Saturday. Four days after battling with the Club World Cup champions, they travel to Lincoln City.
One day, Barry-Murphy hopes to be leading the Bluebirds against teams such as Chelsea on a regular basis.
"I think it gives us an insight into what it takes to play at the level the opposition are playing at. We believe some of our players can definitely get to that level," he said.
"You get a taste of this type of evening at the stadium. It was incredible and the atmosphere was incredible. The support was right behind us, even at 3-1, right to the last minute.
"It just leaves you wanting more and fuelling the fire of wanting to repeat it and do more and more."
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