Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2
Chelsea: Willian (5’, 43’ PEN) Hazard (75’) Matic (80’)
Tottenham: Kane (18’) Alli (52’)
Man of the match: David Luiz (Chelsea)
Wembley Stadium has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Their four matches at the national stadium in continental competition brought just a single victory, a record which contributed to their early exits from both the Uefa Champions League and Europa League.
And on Saturday evening, they were eliminated from another tournament at the same ground, as Chelsea ran out 4-2 winners in the weekend’s first FA Cup semi-final.
For Antonio Conte, a domestic double in his debut campaign remains a distinct possibility.
Both managers sprung surprises with their team selections. Mauricio Pochettino preferred Kieran Trippier to Kyle Walker at right wing-back, while Son Heung-min was fielded in the corresponding role on the other flank.
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The biggest shock, however, was Conte’s decision to leave out his team’s two highest goalscorers, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. Pedro switched wings to replace the former, with Michy Batshuayi earning only his sixth start of the season ahead of the latter up front.
It was Chelsea who drew first blood, with Willian bending a free-kick into the far corner after Pedro was fouled on the edge of the box by Toby Alderweireld five minutes in.
Pedro and Willian’s pace caused numerous problems for Tottenham early on, with Chelsea content to absorb pressure and launch quick breaks forward whenever control of the ball changed hands.
Tottenham slowly felt their way into the game, though, and it was not long before they were back on level terms.
After Chelsea failed to adequately clear a Christian Eriksen corner from the right, the ball was worked back out to the Denmark international, whose low cross was met with a stooping header from Harry Kane.
That goal seemed to spark Tottenham into life. Eriksen began to find pockets of space across the final third and thread passes into dangerous areas, while Eric Dier flashed a header just wide after being picked out by Jan Vertonghen.
Yet despite their promising forays forward, Tottenham looked uncharacteristically shaky at the back.
Hugo Lloris was fortunate to avoid giving away a free-kick after handling the ball outside the area, before Son, demonstrating the pitfalls of deploying a natural attacker in a more defensive role, fouled Victor Moses for a Chelsea penalty, which Willian converted.
Tottenham did not let their heads drop, though, and assumed control after the interval.
Pressing high up the pitch, they pinned Chelsea back inside their own half and were rewarded when Alli equalised in the 52nd minute as he got on the end of a curling pass into the area from Eriksen.
Conte introduced Hazard and Costa soon after, but his team were initially unable to stem the flow as Tottenham continued to push forward.
Chelsea’s defence stood strong, however, and Hazard got them back ahead with 15 minutes remaining.
Unmarked on the edge of the box, the Belgian collected a loose ball and drove a left-footed strike into the back of the net.
Five minutes later, Nemanja Matic’s fierce effort from 30 yards made sure of Chelsea’s place in the final.
Tottenham have made considerable progress in recent seasons, but their wait for a first piece of silverware under Pochettino goes on, with all hopes for this season now resting on overhauling their four-point deficit to Chelsea in the Premier League title race.
Conte, conversely, now has two trophies in his sight. Chelsea were on the back foot for a large part of Saturday’s match, but it is hard not to admire their resilience.
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