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Chelsea eased into the Carabao Cup final as they closed out a comfortable semi-final win over Tottenham.
Spurs never seriously threatened to overturn Chelsea's two-goal first-leg advantage and Antonio Rudiger's bundled finish from Mason Mount's corner after 18 minutes effectively confirmed a Wembley date with either Arsenal or Liverpool.
It was a night of frustration for Spurs and their former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as they saw two penalties, awarded by referee Andre Marriner for fouls on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Lucas Moura, correctly overturned by VAR.
Harry Kane also saw a goal ruled out for offside in an improved second-half performance from Spurs but Chelsea always looked in control - and once they had extended their aggregate lead early on, they were able to control affairs without hitting their best form.
The game was paused late on following a medical emergency in the crowd and on resumption Chelsea completed the formalities of their victory.
Conte's huge task exposed
Spurs manager Conte has made no secret of the size of his job in rejuvenating this club after their recent decline - and any doubts over that diagnosis were removed by Chelsea's obvious superiority here.
It was still a mystery, however, as to why Conte felt the need to rest experienced keeper and captain Hugo Lloris with the tie still on the line and play deputy Pierluigi Gollini instead.
Gollini distinguished himself when he saved with his legs from Romelu Lukaku early on but was at fault when he made an unconvincing dash to claim Mount's corner, a move that ended badly when the ball was diverted into net via Rudiger's back.
This was surely a job that required the presence of Lloris when Spurs' margin of error was virtually non-existent.
Spurs did mount a challenge of sorts after the break but it was too little, too late - and this was a mediocre display that only illustrated how much work Conte needs to do.
Kane battled but remains short of his best form while there was a lack of creativity in midfield that allowed Chelsea to contain Spurs with relative comfort.
Conte will be expecting serious backing from Spurs chairman Daniel Levy if his drive and fierce ambition is to be satisfied. At present, he has a squad that requires serious investment before there can be thoughts of getting anywhere near the Premier League elite.
More to follow.
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Tottenham Hotspur
Squad number22Player nameGollini
Squad number12Player nameEmerson Royal
Squad number25Player nameTanganga
Squad number6Player nameD Sánchez
Squad number33Player nameDavies
Squad number2Player nameDoherty
Squad number18Player nameLo Celso
Squad number8Player nameWinks
Squad number5Player nameHøjbjerg
Squad number10Player nameKane
Squad number27Player nameLucas Moura
Squad number11Player nameGil
Squad number19Player nameRyan Sessegnon
Squad number29Player nameSkipp
Chelsea
Squad number1Player nameArrizabalaga
Squad number28Player nameAzpilicueta
Squad number4Player nameChristensen
Squad number2Player nameRüdiger
Squad number31Player nameSarr
Squad number5Player nameJorginho
Squad number8Player nameKovacic
Squad number19Player nameMount
Squad number20Player nameHudson-Odoi
Squad number9Player nameLukaku
Squad number11Player nameWerner
Squad number3Player nameAlonso
Squad number6Player nameThiago Silva
Squad number7Player nameKanté
Squad number12Player nameLoftus-Cheek
Squad number22Player nameZiyech
Line-ups
Tottenham
Formation 5-3-2
- 22Gollini
- 12Emerson Royal
- 25Tanganga
- 6D Sánchez
- 33Davies
- 2DohertySubstituted forR Sessegnonat 65'minutes
- 18Lo CelsoSubstituted forGilat 71'minutes
- 8WinksSubstituted forSkippat 81'minutes
- 5Højbjerg
- 10Kane
- 27Lucas Moura
Substitutes
- 1Lloris
- 11Gil
- 14Rodon
- 19R Sessegnon
- 20Alli
- 29Skipp
- 42White
- 44Scarlett
- 48Paskotsi
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-2-2
- 1Arrizabalaga
- 28Azpilicueta
- 4ChristensenSubstituted forThiago Silvaat 66'minutes
- 2Rüdiger
- 31Sarr
- 5JorginhoSubstituted forLoftus-Cheekat 82'minutes
- 8KovacicSubstituted forKantéat 77'minutes
- 19MountSubstituted forZiyechat 66'minutes
- 20Hudson-Odoi
- 9Lukaku
- 11WernerSubstituted forAlonsoat 66'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Alonso
- 6Thiago Silva
- 7Kanté
- 10Pulisic
- 12Loftus-Cheek
- 13Bettinelli
- 17Saúl
- 22Ziyech
- 29Havertz
Referee:Andre Marriner
Attendance:45,603
Live Text
Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 0, Chelsea 1.
Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 0, Chelsea 1.
Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Attempt saved. Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Thiago Silva.
Attempt blocked. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Hand ball by Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea).
Foul by Malang Sarr (Chelsea).
Bryan Gil (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Japhet Tanganga.
Foul by Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea).
Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea).
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Hand ball by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur).
Foul by Thiago Silva (Chelsea).
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Chelsea. Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces Jorginho.
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