Chelsea vs Tottenham LIVE: Carabao Cup result, final score and reaction after Ben Davies’ own goal
Follow live reaction from Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final between the London rivals
Chelsea seized control of their league cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, beating their London rivals 2-0 in the first leg on Wednesday thanks to an early strike by Kai Havertz and an own goal by Spurs defender Ben Davies.
The Blues swamped their visitors right from the kickoff and, after a mix-up in the Spurs defence in the fifth minute, Havertz fired an angled shot that was goal-bound before it went in off the foot of Davinson Sanchez.
Half an hour later, the dominant hosts got their second goal, albeit with a slice of luck, when Japhet Tanganga headed away a Hakim Ziyech free kick, only for the ball to rebound into the Spurs net off Davies’ shoulder.
The win dented the hopes of Spurs, under former Chelsea coach Antonio Conte, of winning a first trophy since lifting the league cup in 2008. In that time, Chelsea have won 12 major trophies including three Premier League and two Champions League titles.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel restored record signing Romelu Lukaku to the team having dropped him for Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool as punishment for the Belgian saying in an interview that he was unhappy with his role at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku went close with a first-half header, created a chance for Ziyech after the break which the Moroccan wasted and hit an injury-time shot straight at Hugo Lloris.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Tuchel on Kepa
With Edouard Mendy heading to the African Cup of Nations, Kepa Arrizabalaga is getting the chance to stake his claim to be Chelsea’s number one goalkeeper again. When asked whether this was the case Thomas Tuchel said that Kepa shows that desire everyday and will prove himself on the pitch. He said:
It is not even a chance, it is just what he deserves.
“He is here to play, here to be a good team-mate - he is an outstanding character and fantastic goalkeeper. I have no doubt he will prove it. I feel him very calm and that is why we are calm.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side are unbeaten in 11 matches at Stamford Bridge across all competitions since a 1-0 to Manchester City back in September.
Although, four of the last five games here have been draws.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
Lucas Moura is aiming to become the first Tottenham player in eight years to score in three consecutive rounds of the League Cup in the same campaign.
Moura has scored in each of Spurs’ last two outings in the Carabao Cup, hitting the winners against Burnley in the fourth round and then West Ham in the quarter-finals.
The last player to score in three matches on the trot in the competition was Harry Kane, as he struck against Nottingham Forest (third round), Brighton (fourth round) and Newcastle United (fifth round) in the 2014/15 season.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
Since winning three games in a row against Chelsea between 2018 and 2019, Tottenham are winless in their last eight matches against the Blues in all competitions heading into tonight’s game.
They’ve drawn twice and lost six times in that run.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Tuchel on Lukaku’s return
Thomas Tuchel spoke to Sky Sports before kick off about the return of Romelu Lukaku to the starting line-up as well as confirming that Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante miss the game due to Coivd-19. Tuchel said:
Against his old coach... he is our player, this was the plan (to play) but it was also the plan last match and didn’t work out, so happy he is on the pitch today.
“We can listen to this interview 100 times, it will not get better and that will not make it better. We can shift our focus, we accept it happened and we have enough reasons to stay positive and protect him now because he is our player and we want him to be a key player.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
This is the eighth time Chelsea and Tottenham have met in the League Cup and the fourth time they’ve met at this stage of the competition. Chelsea have progressed through two of the previous three semi-finals against Spurs only losing in 2001/02.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: The last Carabao Cup meeting
Chelsea and Tottenham enjoy a penalty shootout in the Carabao Cup. The teams also met in last season’s league cup (although in the fourth round) with that match also going to penalties.
Timo Werner put Chelsea ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium but Erik Lamela’s late equaliser sent the match to a shootout. Mason Mount missed his spot kick and a perfect round of penalties from Spurs saw they progress at the expense of the Blues.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Team changes
There are a few changes for Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side. Edouard Mendy is replaced in goal with Kepa Arrizabalaga whilst Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva drop out of defence. In comes Malang Sarr as it looks as though Chelsea have opted for a back four instead of their usual back three. N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic have all dropped out with Saul Niguez, Jorginho and Hakim Ziyech replacing them. There’s also a return for Romelu Lukaku who starts up top.
Antonio Conte has made just two like-for-like changes to his Tottenham side. Japhet Tanganga and Matt Doherty come in for Eric Dier and Sergio Reguilon.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Line-ups
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Sarr, Alonso, Saul, Jorginho, Mount, Havertz, Lukaku, Ziyech
Tottenham XI: Lloris; Sanchez, Tanganga, Davies, Royal,Skipp, Hojbjerg, Doherty, Moura, Kane, Son
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Conte on Spurs’ approach
Antonio Conte is preparing his Tottenham side to go out and beat Chelsea this evening despite this being the first of two legs in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Conte rejected the notion of ‘keeping it tight’ in the away leg and taking something away for the second leg at home saying:
In England, it’s very difficult to try to think, ‘okay, in the first leg, we want to play this way and reach this result’ because, in England, you have to play every game in the same way, and try to get a good result.
“We know very well that Chelsea are an amazing team, they won the Champions League last season, and they improved the squad compared to last season.
“It will be very difficult for us, but, at the same time, in this type of game, you can prove to yourselves the level you are at in this moment. It will be important for us to have a good game and to get a good result in the first leg.”
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