Chelsea advanced to the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium after defeating Tottenham 1-0 in the second leg to secure a 3-0 aggregate semifinal victory.
While Spurs gave it a go, two penalties were wiped off on VAR and a goal was chalked off in a truly startling refereeing display, and Antonio Rudiger’s headed goal early on was enough to put the Blues well and far through.
Spurs needed a two-goal victory to force a penalty shootout, and PSG and Madrid target Rudiger‘s goal placed Spurs firmly out of reach. In the second half, they tried harder but couldn’t find a way to score.
Chelsea will be looking for their sixth EFL Cup title, and their first since 2014/15. Thomas Tuchel has led Chelsea to the brink of winning a trophy for the second year in a row, having won the Champions League in his debut season in charge last summer.
He is currently the only Chelsea manager to reach the final of every major knockout competition, including the FA Cup, League Cup, and Champions League/European Cup.
Tottenham put up a valiant battle in the second half, but they aren’t talented enough to consistently put Chelsea under pressure. Three VAR rulings slowed the race, two of which resulted in penalties and one of which ruled out a Harry Kane goal for offside.
Antonio Conte’s pre-match assessment that Chelsea is far superior to Tottenham in terms of talent proved to be correct. Spurs had 15 shots compared to Chelsea’s 13. In his post-match interview, Antonio Rudiger admitted that “today they [Spurs] were a little more threatening,” but attributed this to their own “lack of attention” rather than Spurs’ willingness to fight. “We were in absolute control of the contest,” he remarked, which is a fair judgment.
Chelsea has won all three meetings against Tottenham this season by a combined score of 6-0. Arsenal in 2013-14 was the last team to beat Spurs three times in a season without surrendering a single goal.
Thomas Tuchel has been the first manager in Chelsea history to lead the Blues to the finals of the League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League/European Cup all within 350 days of taking over the club.
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Tottenham are set to become only the second team, after Aston Villa in the 1993-94 season, to reach the League Cup final after losing the semi-final first leg by more than one goal.
Since their arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (4/17), Chelsea has been responsible for 24 percent of Spurs’ defeats. Spurs have lost all five of their encounters with the Blues at Wembley Stadium (D1 L4).
Chelsea FC made history last night by becoming the first team in the history of English football to reach the final of one of the two major domestic cup competitions (FA Cup/League Cup) six times in a row.
