Carabao Cup semi-final second leg: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Chelsea (0-3 agg)
Chelsea eased into the Carabao Cup final as they closed out a comfortable semi-final win over Tottenham.
Spurs never seriously threatened to overturn Chelsea’s two-goal first-leg advantage and Antonio Rudiger’s bundled finish from Mason Mount’s corner after 18 minutes effectively confirmed a Wembley date with either Arsenal or Liverpool.
It was a night of frustration for Spurs and their former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as they saw two penalties, awarded by referee Andre Marriner for fouls on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Lucas Moura, correctly overturned by VAR.
Harry Kane also saw a goal ruled out for offside in an improved second-half performance from Spurs but Chelsea always looked in control – and once they had extended their aggregate lead early on, they were able to control affairs without hitting their best form.
The game was paused late on following a medical emergency in the crowd and on resumption Chelsea completed the formalities of their victory.
Conte’s huge task exposed
Spurs manager Conte has made no secret of the size of his job in rejuvenating this club after their recent decline – and any doubts over that diagnosis were removed by Chelsea’s obvious superiority here.
It was still a mystery, however, as to why Conte felt the need to rest experienced keeper and captain Hugo Lloris with the tie still on the line and play deputy Pierluigi Gollini instead.
Gollini distinguished himself when he saved with his legs from Romelu Lukaku early on but was at fault when he made an unconvincing dash to claim Mount’s corner, a move that ended badly when the ball was diverted into net via Rudiger’s back.
This was surely a job that required the presence of Lloris when Spurs’ margin of error was virtually non-existent.
Spurs did mount a challenge of sorts after the break but it was too little, too late – and this was a mediocre display that only illustrated how much work Conte needs to do.
Kane battled but remains short of his best form while there was a lack of creativity in midfield that allowed Chelsea to contain Spurs with relative comfort.
Conte will be expecting serious backing from Spurs chairman Daniel Levy if his drive and fierce ambition is to be satisfied. At present, he has a squad that requires serious investment before there can be thoughts of getting anywhere near the Premier League elite.
Tuchel shows magic touch again
Chelsea are now in their third successive final under Thomas Tuchel since he arrived to succeed the sacked Frank Lampard almost a year ago.
He guided them to the FA Cup final last season, which Chelsea lost to Leicester City, before claiming the biggest European club prize of all by winning the Champions League against Manchester City in Porto.
The job of reaching the EFL Cup final was largely done in the first game at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea came out here with the sort of determination and attacking intent that made it clear they were determined to snuff out Spurs’ hopes as quickly as possible.
Lukaku wasted one chance to do that but the early goal they desired came from Rudiger, which gave Spurs a task they never looked like accomplishing.
Tuchel, standards as high as ever, cut a dissatisfied figure at times in the second half when Chelsea’s intensity dropped and a little complacency appeared to creep into their game, giving Spurs opportunities they never had in the first 45 minutes.
Chelsea’s players responded to their manager’s demands and this tie was played out in a testimonial atmosphere in the closing minutes as Spurs fans deserted the stadium in droves, leaving one corner packed with joyous, celebrating visiting supporters.
The strength of Chelsea’s squad was shown once more as Tuchel was able to bring on Thiago Silva, Marcos Alonso, Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and N’Golo Kante in the second half to ensure the door was never left ajar for Spurs. Indeed, it was slammed firmly in their faces.
It shows the scale of the job Tuchel has done that in the 350 days since his first game at Chelsea, he has become the first manager in their history to guide them to a Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup final.
And, on this evidence, Chelsea will take some stopping, whoever they face at Wembley at the end of February.
Player of the match
RüdigerAntonio Rüdiger
Tottenham Hotspur
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Squad number25Player nameTangangaAverage rating
5.54
-
Squad number27Player nameLucas MouraAverage rating
4.44
-
Squad number10Player nameKaneAverage rating
4.39
-
Squad number29Player nameSkippAverage rating
4.23
-
Squad number6Player nameD SánchezAverage rating
4.07
-
Squad number19Player nameRyan SessegnonAverage rating
3.78
-
Squad number33Player nameDaviesAverage rating
3.59
-
Squad number22Player nameGolliniAverage rating
3.55
-
Squad number11Player nameGilAverage rating
3.35
-
Squad number2Player nameDohertyAverage rating
3.13
-
Squad number8Player nameWinksAverage rating
2.94
-
Squad number18Player nameLo CelsoAverage rating
2.77
-
Squad number12Player nameEmerson RoyalAverage rating
2.46
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Squad number5Player nameHøjbjergAverage rating
2.17
Chelsea
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Squad number2Player nameRüdiger
Average rating7.69
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Squad number1Player nameArrizabalaga
Average rating7.50
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Squad number8Player nameKovacic
Average rating7.28
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Squad number20Player nameHudson-Odoi
Average rating7.13
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Squad number31Player nameSarr
Average rating7.11
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Squad number19Player nameMount
Average rating7.06
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Squad number28Player nameAzpilicueta
Average rating7.03
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Squad number11Player nameWerner
Average rating6.93
-
Squad number4Player nameChristensen
Average rating6.90
-
Squad number6Player nameThiago Silva
Average rating6.83
-
Squad number9Player nameLukaku
Average rating6.78
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Squad number7Player nameKanté
Average rating6.74
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Squad number3Player nameAlonso
Average rating6.43
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Squad number22Player nameZiyech
Average rating6.32
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Squad number12Player nameLoftus-Cheek
Average rating6.31
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Squad number5Player nameJorginho
Average rating5.57
Line-ups
Tottenham
Formation 5-3-2
- 22Gollini
- 12Emerson Royal
- 25Tanganga
- 6D Sánchez
- 33Davies
- 2DohertySubstituted forR Sessegnonat 65′minutes
- 18Lo CelsoSubstituted forGilat 71′minutes
- 8WinksSubstituted forSkippat 81′minutes
- 5Højbjerg
- 10Kane
- 27Lucas Moura
Substitutes
- 1Lloris
- 11Gil
- 14Rodon
- 19R Sessegnon
- 20Alli
- 29Skipp
- 42White
- 44Scarlett
- 48Paskotsi
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-2-2
- 1Arrizabalaga
- 28Azpilicueta
- 4ChristensenSubstituted forThiago Silvaat 66′minutes
- 2Rüdiger
- 31Sarr
- 5JorginhoSubstituted forLoftus-Cheekat 82′minutes
- 8KovacicSubstituted forKantéat 77′minutes
- 19MountSubstituted forZiyechat 66′minutes
- 20Hudson-Odoi
- 9Lukaku
- 11WernerSubstituted forAlonsoat 66′minutes
Substitutes
- 3Alonso
- 6Thiago Silva
- 7Kanté
- 10Pulisic
- 12Loftus-Cheek
- 13Bettinelli
- 17Saúl
- 22Ziyech
- 29Havertz
- Referee:
- Andre Marriner
- Attendance:
- 45,603
Match Stats
Live Text
Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 0, Chelsea 1.