Carabao Cup: Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 in semi-final first leg
Chelsea overcame Tottenham 2-0 in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg clash at Stamford Bridge. It was a dominant performance by Thomas Tuchel's men as they could have had more goals. What stood out was the manner in which Chelsea controlled everything. It will take a lot of substance for Spurs to change the complexion in the second leg. Here are further details.
Why does it matter?
Chelsea looked at their best, playing a strong brand of football and not allowing Spurs to make any advancements. Notably, Spurs had to wait until the 50th minute to register a shot on target. Chelsea were by far the better side across both halves and the performance will please Tuchel. For Spurs, the wait for a trophy continues since 2008.
How did the match pan out?
Kai Havertz gave Chelsea a lead in the fifth minute from Marcos Alonso's through ball after firing home with Davinson Sanchez unable to keep the shot out on the line. The second came in the 34th minute when Japhet Tanganga headed the ball into team-mate Ben Davies' shoulder and it went into the net. Chelsea had several other chances but couldn't take them.
Chelsea continue to dominate against Spurs
As per Opta, since winning three games in a row against Chelsea between 2018 and 2019, Tottenham are winless in their last nine against the Blues in all competitions, including this encounter. They have amassed two draws and seven losses. Chelsea have beaten Tottenham in each of their last three games in all competitions, keeping successive clean sheets.
Chelsea have one leg in the final
As per Opta, 29 of the 30 teams to win the first leg of a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final tie by 2+ goals have gone on to progress to the final. Only exception being Tranmere (versus Aston Villa) in 1994.
