Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 (0-3 on agg) Chelsea
Chelsea are through to the EFL Cup final after a relatively calm night for the Blues at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and that means the Whites’ 13 year wait for silverware goes on.
We said Spurs had a mountain to climb, beginning with a two goal deficit, but when Antonio Rudiger headed Chelsea in front it proved to be a climb too far. And when VAR overturned two penalty decisions and a goal for Spurs, the visitors knew it was their day and they can plan a day out at Wembley on 27th February.
Antonio Conte must now lift his Spurs team to continue their assault on the top four, while Chelsea are fighting on four fronts and will hope to open their trophy cabinet in just six weeks time.
Highlights of the game
Conte rested his keeper and captain Hugo Lloris and gave a start to Italian stopper Pierluigi Gollini, and the stand-in showed just how good he can be with just ten minutes on the clock when he denied Romelu Lukaku. Rudiger sent a long ball over the top and the Belgian striker brushed off a challenge from Ben Davies before firing low and hard from ten yards, but Gollini made himself big and saved bravely. But the keeper didn’t do himself justice when the Blues went ahead just seven minutes later.
This time a corner swung in and Gollini didn’t come out quickly enough, allowing Rudiger to barge in and head home the opener. The mountain peak was now shrouded in cloud for the home fans and Chelsea threatened to make it worse as they dominated the game for the opening half hour.
Spurs needed some inspiration and they almost had a moment when Pierre Emile Hojbjerg had a shot deflected inches wide and, from the resulting corner, Harry Kane’s header flew narrowly off target. And, on 40 minutes there appeared to be some hope when Hojbjerg went down in the penalty area and referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot. But the contact from Rudiger was outside the box and VAR switched the decision to a free-kick. Giovanni Lo Celso’s effort then bounced off Rudiger’s head and over the bar.
45 minutes and three goals for Spurs to get and Marriner tried to help again on 55 minutes. Kane slid a through ball to Lucas Moura and he took a touch before Chelsea keeper Kepa came out to tackle cleanly, but the ref pointed to the spot again. This time VAR took a few seconds before the decision was overturned. Spurs were certainly having a go, and when Ben Davies crossed for Emerson, Kepa saved brilliantly to parry away the defender’s header.
Spurs had the ball in the net and Kane was celebrating after Moura had given him an opening, but this time VAR spoiled the moment with a marginal offside call; much to the delight of the Chelsea fans.
Key statistics
The pre match Tottenham vs Chelsea betting odds priced Chelsea at 2.53 to win and it turned out to be a comfortable 90 minutes, though Spurs pressed for a goal in the second half.
Chelsea had over 60 per cent possession and had three shots on target to Spurs two; and that was enough to end Spurs’ three match winning run at home, while extending Chelsea’s unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions.
And Blues manager Thomas Tuchel loves semi-finals, this is his ninth as a head coach and he has won them all.
What’s next?
There are still more EFL Cup 2022 highlights and action to come this week as Liverpool and Arsenal are yet to start their tie after the Merseysiders succumbed to injuries and Covid last week. The first leg is on Thursday night with the tie to be completed, a week later, on Thursday 20th January.
Elsewhere it’s a busy time for the SBOTOP football team with the European domestic leagues all back in action; and Chelsea now need to focus their attention on the Premier League. The Blues played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool to welcome in the New Year and next they face the ultimate test, away to runaway leaders Manchester City. They head to the Etihad for a lunchtime date on Saturday, before returning South for a trip to the coast where they will meet Brighton and Hove Albion next Tuesday.
Tottenham have three huge league games in a week to contend with. Firstly they entertain Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday, before travelling to Leicester to take on Brendan Rodgers’ dangerous Foxes; and on Sunday 23rd January they will come up against Chelsea yet again, and this time back at Stamford Bridge.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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