Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea edged out a mediocre Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
The Blues expected a very close London derby and gave their best shot from the door. The Spurs, on the other hand, weren’t on the same page and allowed their rivals on the other side of town to run them off erratically.
Just five minutes into the game, Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the Blues, thanks to Tottenham’s under-par defense down the left flank. Despite conceding the goal early, the Spurs failed to establish themselves in the game and continued to give up possession.
In the 34th minute, the visitors conceded their second, this time through an own goal. Japhet Tanganga’s failed punt escaped Ben Davies and went straight to Tottenham cap Hugo Lloris to double Chelsea’s lead.
The Lilywhites reunited in the second half and began to chain significant passes together. Unfortunately for visiting fans, their efforts in the second half weren’t enough to overshadow the mistakes of the first half.
The match ended 2-0 in favor of the reigning European champions, leaving Antonio Conte’s team with a mountain to climb in the second leg.
Here are the five Chelsea players who impressed us in their simple 2-0 win over Tottenham on Wednesday:
#5 Poor Sarr
Replacing the great Thiago Silva, Malanga Sarr put on a reassuring performance for Chelsea on Wednesday.
He was calm and collected on the ball, combined well with Antonio Rudiger and read the game excellently to detect danger.
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