Chelsea entertained Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge as they focused on securing a win in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash earlier tonight. The Blues made a strong start to the game and got their noses ahead in the fifth minute courtesy of Kai Havetz’s finish from close range. Ben Davies scored an unfortunate own goal for Spurs in the 34th minute which gave Thomas Tuchel’s side a 2-0 lead at half-time.
The West London giants sat on their lead well and managed to earn an impressive 2-0 win in front of their home fans.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the clash against Spurs.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7/10
The Spanish keeper made a couple of decent saves during the game and secured an important clean sheet at home.
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 7.5/10
He got stuck in with a few solid tackles and managed to clear the danger when needed. The Spanish full-back also made one promising run going forward.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 7/10
Rudiger made a few crucial interceptions inside his half and did enough to earn the clean sheet in the end.
CB: Malang Sarr – 7/10
He kept a solid defensive shape at the back and made some good tackles to make life difficult for the Tottenham attackers.
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LB: Marcos Alonso – 8/10
The Spaniard put his foot through the ball when needed and engineered a handful of excellent chances for his teammates to score. He has got an assist to show for his efforts.
CM: Saul Niguez – 7.5/10
He probably had his best game in a Chelsea shirt tonight. Saul anchored the midfield with a lot of conviction and even created a couple of decent chances in the final third.
CM: Jorginho – 7/10
The Italy international earned the ball back a few times at the centre of the park and made one good run from midfield.
RW: Hakim Ziyech – 7.5/10
He caused a lot of problems for the Tottenham defenders and orchestrated several meaningful openings for others around him.
CAM: Mason Mount – 6.5/10
Mount was always willing to have a strike at goal. However, he lacked the cutting edge in the attacking end of the pitch.
LW: Kai Havertz – 7.5/10
The German sensation was quite lively in the first half and was responsible for giving Chelsea the lead with a tidy finish in the fifth minute.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 6.5/10
He was a real handful for the Tottenham centre-backs but there was no goal for him tonight.
Substitutes:
ST: Timo Werner – 6/10
He failed to take any of his chances after coming off the bench.
CAM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6/10
Loftus-Cheek struggled to get into the rhythm of the game.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 6/10
He added some energy to the Chelsea midfield.
RW: Christian Pulisic – 6/10
Pulisic made one good run in the Tottenham half.
CM: Harvey Vale – N/A
He didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
