Blackburn Rovers were knocked out of the Carabao Cup despite a gusty performance against Chelsea as they lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Against a side comprised of around £400million worth of talent, Rovers were competitive in a tough assignment to try and reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. 

They held Chelsea for half an hour before succumbing to the pressure. Leopold Wahlstedt could only palm Conor Gallagher's cross into the path of Benoit Badiashile and he converted from close range.

Rovers had done well to limit their Premier League hosts to few clear-cut sights of their goal until then and felt they should've had a penalty before the half-time whistle.

Callum Brittain's cross was charged down by the arm of Gallagher, which was outstretched and away from his body, albeit from close range. With no VAR in operation, Tim Robinson's decision was final as he waved away the claims.

Rovers' best chance came just after the restart with Harry Leonard springing the Chelsea defence but he was unable to divert his left-foot strike on target.

Shortly after, Chelsea ended the contest as Raheem Sterling latched on to a loose pass and curled the ball in from the edge of the box. A ruthless finish from the England international.

That ended Rovers' chance of a major upset and reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2011. Their 20-year wait for a win at Stamford Bridge goes on, with Tomasson hoping this fixture will be a Premier League tie next year.

Tomasson made six changes to his Blackburn Rovers side, rotating the midfield and attack to offer opportunities and ensure his key players remained fresh for Sunday's trip to Norwich City.

Captain Lewis Travis returned to captain the side with Adam Wharton and Jake Garrett in midfield alongside him. Harry Leonard was tasked with leading the line in his first start for a month, flanked by Dilan Markanday and Andrew Moran.

Mauricio Pochettino had insisted Chelsea would be taking nothing for granted against their Championship opponents. He was true to his word, naming England internationals Conor Gallagher, Reece James and Raheem Sterling in a near full-strength side. 

If Rovers were to get something, they'd certainly have to earn it, against a side that cost roughly £400m in transfer fees.

Blackburn hadn't won at Stamford Bridge since 2003, over 20 years ago. Late goals from Dwight Yorke and David Dunn made them the heroes on that day with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink swapping the scoresheet for the gantry during this encounter.

It was the second consecutive year Rovers made the last 16, losing 4-1 to Nottingham Forest last season. It was 2011 when they last made the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 to Cardiff City.

Ensuring they got off to a good start would be imperative to any hopes of a decent outcome and Rovers asserted themselves early on. Chelsea had most of the ball, as you'd expect, but Tomasson's side showed their ambitions early on.

Instead of sitting deep in a low block, they pressed aggressively, man-for-man, and got after their Premier League opponents. Of course, the risk-and-reward nature did leave spaces for Chelsea to exploit if they could bypass the press.

Backed by a noisy away end of 3,000, who cheered every tackle like a goal, Rovers went for it. It wasn't until 15 minutes in that Chelsea got their first sight of goal, with Wahlstedt called into action to deny Reece James.

With Chelsea also pressing intensely, the quality of Adam Wharton in deep areas was imperative to get Rovers up the pitch. As Rovers' confidence grew, so did the teenager's influence on the midfield battle.

There were a couple of near-misses with Rovers working the ball well from back-to-front but the final pass was missing. At the other end, James was again in the thick of the goal-mouth action as he drove a shot just wide from the edge of the box.

The Blues' dominance began to grow. Wahlstedt kept out Enzo Fernandez's low shot but the Chelsea pressure persisted. Shortly after, they had the breakthrough.

A quick corner caught Rovers out and Wahlstedt didn't get enough on Gallagher's cross, palming it straight to Badiashile to turn in from close range. A soft goal for Blackburn to concede in the circumstances.

With the lead, Chelsea tightened their grip by controlling the rest of the first half. They could've conceded a penalty though when Callum Brittain's cross hit the arm of Gallagher. Had VAR been in play, you would think that referee Tim Robinson would've been sent to the monitor for a second look.

Rovers got their best sight of the Chelsea goal minutes into the second half. Leonard escaped the attention of their defence but couldn't find the target with two players rapidly closing him down. It was another tentative reminder for the hosts that Rovers remained in the game.

However, that hope soon evaporated as Chelsea doubled their lead. Wahlstedt threw the ball out to Brittain and the right-back's loose pass into midfield was cut out by Sterling.

The winger drove at the defence and curled a lovely finish into the net, with the Rovers 'keeper standing little chance. Having largely restricted any clear opportunities at goal, it was a reminder of how ruthless the top level really is.

It was one-way traffic from then on. Nicolas Jackson spurned a good chance to get his name on the scoresheet whilst Cole Palmer hit the post from the edge of the box. Sterling nearly then added a second as he skated through the Rovers defence, only to be denied by an excellent last-ditch block.

Back came Blackburn though, determined not to go out with a whimper. Again, they were looking at the referee as substitute Scott Wharton went down in the box but nothing was given. 

Being down at pitch level in the press box, seeing first-hand the speed at which the top-level athletes can move is quite humbling. Sterling and Palmer, in particular, looked a cut above, as they should having signed for Chelsea for a combined £100m.

Rovers were plucky and gave it a go. They almost reduced the deficit in stoppage time as substitute Arnor Sigurdsson sprung the defence but his shot was brilliantly saved by Robert Sanchez from close range.

After another fun year in the Carabao Cup, it's back to the bread and butter and an away trip to Norwich.