Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Tottenham man encapsulates calamity as Chelsea control Carabao Cup semi-final first leg – Player Ratings

Japhet Tanganga reacts to Tottenham conceding against Chelsea

Chelsea took advantage of Tottenham mistakes – particularly by Japhet Tanganga – to earn a 2-0 lead from the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea dominated a first half in which Tottenham did not record a single shot. The hosts took the lead after just five minutes, as they punished Tottenham for being careless at the back. Kai Havertz provided the finish from close range.

A second goal came for the Blues, once again of Spurs’ own doing, when a failed headed clearance by Japhet Tanganga ricocheted off Ben Davies and into their own net.

Chelsea remained in control during the second half, but weren’t able to build upon their lead.

Still, they have a useful advantage ahead of next week’s second leg as they aim to reach the final.

Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga: Had very little to do in the first half and wasn’t tested much after the break either. 6

Cesar Azpilicueta: Worked hard to cover a lot of ground going forwards despite starting as a right-sided centre-back. Showed good defensive awareness to thwart Tottenham’s first chance of the second half with a headed intervention. 8

Antonio Rudiger: Saw plenty of the ball in the buildup play, always looking in control. Comfortable in the middle of the back three. 8

Malang Sarr: Making a rare appearance, showed some composure in the first half before conceding a few fouls after the break. 7

Marcos Alonso: Sensed the opportunity to win possession back when sparking the opening goal. After that, though, he sometimes struggled to make use of the ball before the space closed. 6

Jorginho: Pivotal to the way Chelsea dominated possession, picked out plenty of passes to exploit different spaces in an energetic fashion. 8

Saul Niguez: Got on the ball a decent amount, even if he let his midfield partner dictate the play more. A useful outing for an underused player. 7

Hakim Ziyech: Either put in inviting crosses or frequently drifted infield, using a low centre of gravity. He also did his defensive duties as a right wing-back, but was overall a creative force. 8

Kai Havertz: Showed composure to get the first goal of the match and tried to influence things further, but a physical issue caught up with him by half-time. 6

Mason Mount: Couldn’t quite settle into the opening exchanges, getting his delivery wrong from a free kick and having a shot blocked. Became a bit more influential as the game progressed. 6

Romelu Lukaku: Restored to the starting lineup after apologising for a controversial recent interview, tried to make an instant impact but misplaced a pass in the first attack of the game. He was a peripheral figure thereafter, heading a decent chance wide late in the half. Had more chances in the second half. 5

Substitutes:

Timo Werner (on for Havertz, half-time): Introduced further energy to the Chelsea attack, often starting from the left. 6

Mateo Kovacic (on for Mount, 73 mins): N/A

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (on for Saul, 73): N/A

Christian Pulisic (on for Ziyech, 79): N/A


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Tottenham

Hugo Lloris: Couldn’t do anything about the second goal in particular, but didn’t make too many interventions overall. 6

Japhet Tanganga: Caught out for the opening goal by giving the ball away with a weak pass and then getting beat by Havertz. Then, he headed the ball against Davies for the second goal to cap off a difficult day. 4

Davinson Sanchez: Needlessly gave away the free kick that led to Chelsea’s second goal. Made some challenges but displayed a lack of consistency. 5

Ben Davies: There wasn’t much he could do about his own goal. Went winder after the break as Tottenham switched to a back four. 5

Emerson Royal: Weak when receiving the ball from Tanganga in the buildup to the first Chelsea goal. Didn’t offer much going forward either, apart from the occasional cross. 4

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: Didn’t always look after the ball well and sometimes let the Spurs midfield get overrun. 4

Oliver Skipp: Tried to find passing avenues, but was sometimes not up to the intensity of the action. 5

Matt Doherty: Playing as a left wing-back, the territory wasn’t always comfortable for him and he was taken off at half-time. 5

Lucas Moura: Tried to drive Tottenham forward on the transition but found some frustrations. Looked the most likely to create for them. 6

Harry Kane: Often ganged up on by opposition players, Kane was crowded out early on. Saw a bit more action in the second half, but it was a frustrating night on the whole. 5

Son Heung-min: Didn’t have much space to work with as he tried to dribble and create unsuccessfully. 5

Substitutes:

Tanguy Ndombele (on for Doherty, half-time): His introduction prompted a formation change. His first impact was minimal, with a wildly off-target effort. 5

Harry Winks (on for Skipp, 73): N/A

Giovani Lo Celso (on for Son, 79): N/A

Bryan Gil (on for Moura, 80): N/A