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Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea overcame a lackluster Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
The Blues were expecting a hard-fought London derby and gave it their best shot right off the gate. Spurs, on the other hand, were not on the same page and allowed their crosstown rivals to run them ragged.
Just five minutes into the match, Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the Blues, thanks to Tottenham's sub-par defending down the left-flank. Despite conceding the early goal, Spurs failed to get a foothold into the game and continued giving possession away.
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In the 34th minute, the visitors conceded their second, this time through an own goal. Japhet Tanganga’s miscued clearance rifled off Ben Davies and went straight past Tottenham stopper Hugo Lloris to double Chelsea’s advantage.
The Lilywhites gathered themselves in the second half and started stringing meaningful passes together. Unfortunately for the away fans, their second-half efforts were not enough to overshadow the first-half blunders.
The match ended 2-0 in favor of the reigning European champions, leaving Antonio Conte’s side with a mountain to climb in the second leg.
Here are the five Chelsea players who impressed us in their straightforward 2-0 win over Tottenham on Wednesday:
#5 Malang Sarr
Filling in for the great Thiago Silva, Malanga Sarr put in a reassuring performance for Chelsea on Wednesday.
He was calm and collected on the ball, combined well with Antonio Rudiger, and read the game superbly to sniff out danger.
The former Nice defender, who was responsible for keeping a close eye on Tottenham skipper Harry Kane, passed the test with flying colors. He did get cautioned for an elbow on Kane in the second half.
However, considering he was playing in the biggest match of his career, we cannot blame the 22-year-old too much for getting a bit carried away.
#4 Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz was impressive in the first half, keeping the Tottenham defenders guessing with his impressive movement and footwork. In the fifth minute, he picked up the ball from Marcos Alonso and drilled it home to open the scoring for the Blues.
He had a golden opportunity to double his tally seven minutes later, but failed to beat Lloris on that occasion.
Having injured his hand in the aftermath of his goal, Havertz was taken off at half-time in favor of Timo Werner by Tuchel.
#3 Marcos Alonso
Chelsea stalwart Marcos Alonso has often been criticized for not having enough pace to keep up with the modern game. But last night he proved himself against a strong side, doing everything in his power to win the game for Chelsea.
Alonso’s biggest contribution of the night came in the fifth minute when he picked Emerson Royal's pocket down the left flank. Having recovered possession for Chelsea in a threatening position, he played an inch-perfect through ball for Havertz.
The German, fortunately, made no mistake converting from Alonso’s inviting ball.
Over the course of the match, he completed four key passes, won two aerial duels, and provided three accurate long balls. It was a thoroughly confident shift by the 31-year-old, who should be in Tuchel’s good books now.
#2 Saul Niguez
When Chelsea finalized Saul Niguez’s loan transfer from Atletico Madrid last summer, they hoped to sign a versatile, industrious midfielder who would compliment N’Golo Kante and Jorginho.
Last night, they finally got to witness their underperforming star in full flow, producing his best-ever performance in Chelsea colors.
The Spaniard turned back the clock and rediscovered his confident, versatile self in midfield. Yes, Tottenham Hotspur were all over the place on Wednesday, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the show the midfielder put on.
His passing was inch-perfect, he combined expertly with his teammates, and, most importantly, he never looked unsure in possession.
With Kante ruled out with COVID-19, Chelsea needed someone to deputize for the Frenchman. And if last night’s performance is any indication, they have a capable replacement in the shape of Saul Niguez.
#1 Hakim Ziyech
Given the competition for places and his subpar showings so far this season, Hakim Ziyech’s future at Chelsea is still up in the air. However, if he can keep his calm and continue to perform the way he did against Tottenham, Tuchel will have no issues extending his stay.
The Morocco international was a breath of fresh air for Chelsea and was arguably their standout performer at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
He struggled a little to get into the game in the first half an hour, but was responsible for putting Chelsea 2-0 up. Ziyech’s wicked free-kick from the right flank blindsided Tottenham’s defense and Tanganga was compelled to perform the crazy clearance which led to Davies’ own goal.
Ziyech produced another peach of a pass in the 65th minute to set Timo Werner up, but the German failed to outsmart Lloris.
Overall, Ziyed created two big chances, completed four key passes, had a shot on target, and even made an interception. A perfect outing by the 28-year-old.
