Two goals in the first half helped Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg. Kai Havertz gave the Blues the lead in the 5th minute, which was compounded half-hour later by a calamitous Ben Davies own goal.
Romelu Lukaku returned to the Chelsea squad, and subsequently, the first eleven following a ban, a fine, and an apology for his controversial actions. Thomas Tuchel picked the striker to lead the line in a changed shape as Chelsea welcomed former boss Antonio Conte and Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.
Tuchel’s decision to change the system seemed to pay dividends straight from the kick-off as the Blues dominated their opponents. The home side took the lead in the fifth minute. A poor pass out of defence by Japhet Tanganga was intercepted by Marcos Alonso, and the Spaniard brought the ball forward before playing Kai Havertz in behind, whose shot took a deflection off Davinson Sanchez and crept past Hugo Lloris.
Havertz nearly doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 12th minute when the ball broke to him on the left side of the box, but the forward’s snap-shot was saved by Lloris down to his right. Chelsea, nonetheless, did go two up in the 34th minute when a free-kick by Hakim Ziyech was headed into Ben Davies by Tanganga, and the ball rebounded into the net for an own goal.
Minutes before the interval, Lukaku nearly put the Blues three-nil up, but his flick off a Ziyech cross fell to the wrong side of the post.
On the other side of the break, Kepa Arrizabalaga made a smart, low stop to deny Harry Kane from pulling a goal back from a free-kick. At the other end, Ziyech’s sensational pinged pass was collected by substitute Timo Werner, but he was denied a goal by Lloris – as he attempted to lift the ball over the goalkeeper.
Spurs substitute Bryan Gil created their last scoring opportunity of the game. The youngster toyed with Christian Pulisic down the left before squaring a ball towards Giovanni Lo Celso, but his hooked shot was saved by Kepa.
Chelsea take a two-goal advantage with them to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next week, where another positive result would set them up against Liverpool or Arsenal in the final.
