Chelsea dominate Tottenham in 1st leg of Carabao Cup semifinal

Sports Desk, Jan 5 (EFE).- Tottenham Hotspur were dismal Wednesday in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal tie against Chelsea, who cruised to a 2-0 victory.

The Blues, who would end the night with 64 percent possession and a 19-6 edge on shots, took the lead in the 5th minute on a goal by Kai Havertz, whose strike took a lucky deflection off Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez.

Japhet Tanganga’s ill-advised pass out from the back led to a takeaway by Marcos Alonso, who slipped the ball to Havertz behind the defense.

Tanganga was also the main culprit for the second goal, as his failed attempt to clear Hakim Ziyech’s free kick sent the ball bouncing off fellow defender Ben Davies’ head and into the net to make it 2-0 for the hosts at Stamford Bridge.

Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner should have done better on chances to extend the lead, though the German did force a stop from Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris late in the contest

At the other end, Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga dealt comfortably with efforts from Harry Kane and Giovani Lo Celso.

The second leg is set for next Wednesday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The other semifinal tie, pitting Arsenal against Liverpool, was postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the Reds. The two teams will face other Jan. 13 and Jan. 20. EFE

msg/dr