Good evening! Well, we know the identities of one of our
EFL Cup finalists - and we have done for a while - but tonight's semi-final is a much tougher one to call as Chelsea host
Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge for the right to face Manchester City at Wembley.
There is just one goal in it from the first leg, but injuries and poor form make the stories far more complicated and intriguing than that for both sides.
It promises to be a fascinating contest, so let's waste no time in starting with a look at the team news...
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
SUBS: Caballero, Ampadu, Alonso, Kovacic, Hudson-Odoi, Willian, Piazon
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Gazzaniga; Aurier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Lamela; Llorente
SUBS: Lloris, Rose, Sanchez, Walker-Peters, Skipp, N'Koudou, Lucas
What can we make with those two sides, then?
Well, we'll start with the hosts and the first thing to note is that Olivier Giroud leads the line tonight, having had to play second fiddle to Eden Hazard in recent weeks. Alvaro Morata is once again absent from the squad entirely as he nears his move to Atletico Madrid, and so this is a good chance for Giroud to impress.
It is important that the Frenchman does so too, with Gonzalo Higuain joining the club yesterday, shortly after the deadline for being able to play in this game.
Eden Hazard will be almost as happy as Giroud himself to see the Frenchman's name on the teamsheet as it means he will not have to play as a false nine tonight - a position he has previously admitted to not liking.
Instead, Hazard will be in his favoured wide position and plenty of eyes will be on him following some headline-making comments this week. The Belgian has suggested that he could join Real Madrid in the future, while Sarri responded by challenging Hazard to improve his form.
© Reuters
There is nothing wrong with Hazard's form in this competition, with the Belgian having directly contributed to six goals in his seven League Cup games since the beginning of last season, scoring three and creating three more.
Hazard is without a goal in his last six outings, but the arrival of Higuain could bring out the best in him once he is back to playing regularly in the position from which he can inflict the most damage.
Pedro once again starts on the opposite flank with Willian the man to make way for Giroud - one of three changes from the defeat to Arsenal at the weekend.
The other two changes see Ross Barkley come in for Kovacic and a somewhat surprising start for Emerson Palmieri ahead of Alonso at left-back.
It is also interesting to see Hudson-Odoi only among the subs once again, with Liverpool understood to have joined Bayern Munich in the race for the talented youngster, who started the first leg.
Chelsea are at least spoilt for choice in those wide position, whereas Spurs are suffering a mini-crisis of sorts in the final third with
Harry Kane and Dele Alli both injured until March.
Those blows have been compounded by the fact that Son Heung-min has left to go on international duty at the Asian Cup, leaving Spurs with only Fernando Llorente - scorer of an own goal at the weekend - to lead the line this evening.
There is better news on the injury front as Moussa Sissoko returns to the starting lineup, having recovered from the groin injury which forced him to miss Sunday's win over Fulham.
Lucas Moura was also a doubt for this game but is deemed fit enough for a place on the bench following a knee injury, and the Brazilian could well be another option through the middle should Llorente struggle to break down this Chelsea defence.
In the absence of Kane, Alli and Son, Spurs will turn to Christian Eriksen as their main provider, and the Dane is certainly capable of carving open the opposition defence should he be given the space in midfield.
It looks like a 4-2-3-1 formation for Spurs tonight, rather than the diamond they have often player in recent weeks, with Winks and the fit-again Dier sitting while Sissoko and Erik Lamela play either side of Eriksen in the hole.
© Reuters
In all, Pochettino has made four outfield changes to the side which started against Fulham at the weekend, with Aurier, Davies, Dier and Sissoko coming in for Sanchez, Trippier, Rose and Alli.
The is also a switch between the sticks as Gazzaniga resumes his role as cup goalkeeper, as he did in the first leg. There are five changes to the team which won that at Wembley.
Some of those changes are key ones too, and Chelsea will feel increasingly confident that they can overturn the 1-0 deficit from that first leg earlier this month, which was given to Spurs by a
Harry Kane penalty.
However, the Blues have only managed to progress from one of the five League Cup semi-finals in which they have lost the first leg, beating Arsenal 4-3 on aggregate in 1997-98 before going on to win the trophy.
Chelsea also made it to the semi-final last season, when they again came up against North London opposition, but on that occasion they were beaten 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium following a goalless draw in the first leg here at Stamford Bridge.
A repeat of that result tonight would see Chelsea eliminated, of course, with the Blues needing to win by two goals or more in order to progress in normal time.
Chelsea have won this trophy five times in the past, most recently in 2014-15 when they beat none other than Tottenham in the final.
They have not had the easiest route to the final this year either, particularly first up when they had to take on a then-unbeaten Liverpool side at Anfield. Chelsea came from behind on that occasion to win courtesy of some magic from Hazard, and wins over Derby and Bournemouth followed to see them this far.
Chelsea have not won a single game in this season's competition by more than one goal, though, which is what they may need tonight.
© Reuters
Chelsea do not only trail Spurs in this tie, but also in the Premier League standings with the Blues four points adrift of tonight's opponents - not to mention 13 off leaders Liverpool.
Right now the Chelsea fans will be far more concerned with the teams behind them rather than in front of them, though, with both Arsenal and Manchester United having now closed to within three points in the top-four race.
That lead was halved at the weekend as Chelsea slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal, and
Maurizio Sarri will certainly be demanding a response from his side tonight following his strong words in the post-match press conference.
The Italian accused his players of lacking the mentality required and claimed that it was "extremely difficult to motivate" them, which is a real challenge to those in Blue. How they respond tonight may say a lot to how strong a hold Sarri has over his team right now.
Chelsea's recent downturn in form has led to the first serious questions being asked of Sarri, and another defeat tonight would heap the pressure on his shoulders even more.
The Blues have not lost back-to-back games so far under the Italian - and as a club have not fallen to that fate since March - so there will not doubt be a serious inquest if that occurs this evening.
Chelsea do have a strong home record to fall back on, though, having lost just one of their 18 outings here at Stamford Bridge all season and one of 21 if you include the tail end of last term - since defeat to Spurs, incidentally.
In the EFL Cup alone Chelsea are unbeaten in their last nine games in a run which stretches back to January 2013, although the one match they have not won in that time came during last season's semi-final against Arsenal.
Even so, it is a formidable record to come up against for Spurs - particularly while missing so many key players - and
Mauricio Pochettino will be cursing his luck that both Kane and Alli have been ruled out until March.
Not only does that hurt Tottenham's chances of completing the job here tonight, but the England internationals would also miss the final, one leg of their Champions League tie, at least one FA Cup outing and a string of Premier League games, so it could have a huge impact on their trophy hopes.
A major trophy is the one thing lacking from
Mauricio Pochettino's CV at this stage of his career, and for a while now there has been talk that Spurs need to win one in order to truly mark their undoubted progress in recent years.
They have come close on a few occasions, but their most recent piece of silverware remains this very competition 11 years ago, when they incidentally beat Chelsea in the final to lift the trophy for a fourth time.
Spurs have progressed from three of the five previous League Cup semi-finals in which they have won the first leg, although in both of the exceptions they only won it by 1-0 before going on to lose - against Newcastle in 1975-76 and Arsenal in 1986-87.
Harry Kane's penalty has given them that slender advantage going into this second leg and, while they still have plenty of work to do, they would rather be in their position than Chelsea's at this stage of the tie.
© Reuters
Tottenham have not got here the easier way either, beating Premier League teams all the way and facing a few notable derbies en route to the semi-finals too.
Watford were first up and took Spurs all the way to penalties following a 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes, but Tottenham went on to win the shootout. A 3-1 triumph over West Ham followed before the most memorable of the lot - a 2-0 victory over North London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates.
This competition usually provides the best chance for Premier League teams to win silverware, but for Spurs the importance of it has grown even since the first leg.
Nine points now separate Pochettino's side from Premier League leaders Liverpool, meaning that they are all but out of the title race barring an unlikely collapse from both Liverpool and Man City. The Champions League is, of course, a hugely difficult competition to win, while Spurs also face a testing FA Cup London derby away to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Tottenham have won 10 of their last 13 games across all competitions, including four of their last five, but such is the standard in the Premier League now that even one slip-up will be punished by the pace-setters, and that is what happened when Tottenham were beaten by Manchester United recently.
It was a rare slip-up, but that 1-0 defeat at Wembley allowed a nine-point gap to open up and it could have been even worse but for Winks's late winner against Fulham on Sunday.
© Reuters
Spurs have won their last five away games in a row, though, scoring a whopping 20 goals in the process at an average of four per games.
The last away game Spurs failed to win was a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou which sealed their place in the Champions League knockout stages too, and Pochettino's side have now lost only one of their last 15 away outings across all competitions.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is time for a prediction!
It is a very difficult one to call with so little separating the two sides and Spurs missing some of their key players, and it could go all the way to penalties, with no extra time in the semi-finals either. We are going for Spurs to just about scrape through, though.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham (Tottenham win on penalties)
Spurs have had the beating of Chelsea recently, winning each of their last three meetings against the Blues across all competitions.
Tottenham have by no means had it all their own way throughout the history of this fixture, though, and should they win tonight then it would be the first time since September 1963 that they have beaten Chelsea three times on the bounce.
Two of those victories have come this season - including the 1-0 win in the first leg a couple of weeks ago, of course - and a win for Tottenham tonight would see them record three triumphs over a team in the same season for the first time since 2013-14, when they managed it over Aston Villa.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have not lost three games against the same opponent in a season since 2012-13 against Manchester City.
Chelsea could also fall to successive home defeats at the hands of Spurs for the first time since March 1982, having previously had such a good record against them here at Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham's most recent visit came in April 2018, when Morata gave Chelsea the lead only for Eriksen and Alli (2) to turn the game around for a 3-1 win.
Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go here! A reminder of the team news before we do get underway...
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Gazzaniga; Aurier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Lamela; Llorente
KICKOFF: Here we go! Spurs get us underway at a very noisy Stamford Bridge!
Spurs have indeed started out with a diamond in midfield once again tonight, with Lamela joining Llorente up front as the second striker.
SHOT! Chelsea get forward down the right flank as Pedro latches on to a through-ball before cutting inside into the box. The Spaniard gets his shot away, but his effort is blocked by Alderweireld before it can test the keeper.
This has been a good, positive start from Chelsea, and they are being roared on by a raucous crowd inside Stamford Bridge. It is shaping up to be a very good night of football already.
There is some concern here as Luiz goes down in pain and needs treatment. It looked like a dramatic fall from Luiz after being caught by Dier and it looks as though he may have done more damage to his knee during that fall than the challenge itself inflicted.
Luiz is back on after some lengthy treatment, but he is not moving freely at all. He will nonetheless attempt to battle on.
There is no quarter being given or asked by any of the players tonight. They are both hounding the other side all over the park and there is very little time on the ball for anyone at the moment.
Luiz plays a no-look pass to Hazard, who finds himself one-on-one with Alderweireld. He tries to take his compatriot on, but Alderweireld trips him and concedes a free kick.
The resulting free kick sees two defenders go down to leave Giroud free at the back post, but his acrobatic scissor kick only bounces back into the area. There is a mini-scramble in there, but Spurs escape as Rudiger is unable to hook it goalwards.
Luiz appears to have fully recovered from that earlier problem, which did not look likely at first. He has just tried a trademark ping across field for Azpilicueta, but puts it just too far in front of him.
Chelsea fans are already piling the pressure on the ref to take Dier's name. He has made three fouls already and each one will edge him closer to that yellow card.
Here is Chelsea's new signing Gonzalo Higuain being introduced to the crowd before kickoff - can he be the missing piece of the jigsaw for the Blues?
© Reuters
Plenty of fire and thunder in this match so far, but not many chances to speak of in the opening 20 minutes. Neither keeper has made a save so far.
It is Chelsea who have had the better of the opening quarter of the game, but only just and they need to show plenty more in the final third. The onus is on them to get the goal here!
A bit better from the hosts as they move the ball around nicely before Azpilicueta puts a dangerous cross into the box, but Vertonghen gets a crucial touch to take it away from Luiz.
Hazard smuggles an early low cross into the box and Alderweireld almost inadvertently touches it towards his own goal, but Gazzaniga is alert to ensure it goes behind for a corner.
GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 TOTTENHAM (N'GOLO KANTE)
GOAL! Chelsea have the breakthrough and it is the unlikely figure of
N'Golo Kante to levels things up on aggregate! A corner is only cleared as far as the edge of the box, and there are no Spurs players waiting there. Kante has all the time in the world to line up his shot, and he powers a low half-volley through three pairs of legs - including Gazzaniga's on the line. The keeper was unsighted, but he still has to do better there.
It was an interesting reaction to that goal from the Chelsea players, who immediately raced to get the ball and restart the match. They are not willing to settle for penalties tonight, and that opener may also alter Tottenham's approach.
Here is that opening goal, including the rarely-seen triple-nutmeg from N'Golo Kante...
Spurs may be forced into an early change here. Davies has just gone down off the ball and is holding his groin. He may not be able to continue.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Danny Rose replaces the injured Davies.
CHANCE! Far too easy for Hazard as he skips past Sissoko like he is not there, making his way down the left channel before putting a low cross into the box. Giroud is there at the front post, but his attempted flick hits his own leg and Gazzaniga is able to gather the loose ball.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-0 TOTTENHAM (EDEN HAZARD)
GOAL! Chelsea have their second and - most importantly - take the lead on aggregate! It is too easy as Pedro slides a pass through to Azpilicueta on the overlap, allowing the full-back to play a low ball into the box. Hazard is there to apply the finish, sending Stamford Bridge wild with a simple, but beautifully-worked goal.
Frustration from Spurs here as Lamela barges into Kepa late after the Chelsea keeper collected the ball. Kepa does not make anything of it, but Lamela tried to land a cheap shot on him then.
Tottenham's aggression is rising since that second goal! Winks goes clattering into Azpilicueta this time, although to be fair to him it looked like a genuine attempt for the ball and he tried to pull out of if when he realised he wasn't going to get there.
Spurs need to improve markedly in the second half if they are to get anything out of this game, and that starts with Fernando Llorente, who has offered very little in the final third so far.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
Hazard looks to be clean through on goal until he gets to the edge of the box, when Alderweireld makes a very risky challenge from behind. The referee allows play to continue, but VAR will have a look at that one...
VAR says no too but Chelsea break forward again before Pedro tries to tee up Kante, who drags his effort well wide.
HALF TIME: CHELSEA 2-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (CHELSEA LEAD 2-1 ON AGGREGATE)
A dream first half for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they take the lead on aggregate courtesy of a 2-0 advantage on the night.
Spurs are yet to register a single shot in this match and Chelsea have been by far the better team so far. Clear chances have been relatively few and far between, but the Blues have been clinical.
The opening goal arrived shortly before the half-hour mark when N'Golo Kante blasted his finish through the legs of three players, one of whom was Spurs goalkeeper Gazzaniga.
Gazzaniga was unsighted and the ball did take a slight touch off a defender just in front of him, but he will still feel as though he should have done better, with the ball going straight through him before nestling into the back of the net.
© Reuters
Eden Hazard doubled Chelsea's advantage and gave them the lead on aggregate less than 10 minutes later with a smart finish into the bottom corner after a quick move which had caught Spurs out.
Pedro slid the ball through to Azpilicueta, who in turn picked out Hazard with a low cross into the box. From there Hazard just steered his finish into the far corner, leaving Gazzaniga no chance.
Giroud has also had a half-chance at the near post, but the goals have come from the only real openings of the game so far and Chelsea have been clinical with them.
Spurs, in contrast, have barely offered any threat in the final third so far and they need to do something different in the second half if they are to get back into this tie.
KICKOFF: We are back underway at Stamford Bridge!
SAVE! Once again a Chelsea player is left completely unmarked on the edge of the box from a corner and this time it is Jorginho who comes on to a headed clearance. His shot lacks the power of Kante's, though, and the keeper is able to save.
SHOT! At the other end Dier tees up Alderweireld for a volley and the Belgian catches it well, but he cannot keep it down.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-1 TOTTENHAM (FERNANDO LLORENTE)
GOAL! Llorente barley had a sniff in the first half, but five minutes into the second he has a crucial goal! Rose swings a cross into the box and Llorente shows great desire to meet it with a diving header which he sends past Kepa!
CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea to come up with an immediate response as Kante slips the ball through for Giroud, but he fires a low effort towards the near post and Gazzaniga makes the save. He may have been better going across goal there.
YELLOW CARD! Jorginho picks up the first yellow card of the night for a sliding challenge on Rose.
YELLOW CARD! ...and he has quickly been joined in the book by
Maurizio Sarri!
YELLOW CARD! A third yellow card follows in quick succession as Kante brings Rose down.
He has become a bit of a joke figure, but this is not a bad record for Llorente at all...
CHANCE! Sissoko cannot cut out a pass and only serves to push it in the direction of Kante, who immediately releases Hazard. The Chelsea forward only has the keeper to beat, but he fires his early effort wide of the near post.
Chelsea want a penalty once again, but the referee waves the claims away as Emerson goes to ground. It was comfortably outside the box, though.
This has been much better from Tottenham in this second half, but Chelsea also look capable of scoring more too. We are very finely poised heading into the final half-hour.
CHANCE! What a chance this is for Spurs to level things up on the night! Gazzaniga finds Eriksen with a good pass out, but the second pass from Eriksen is absolutely magnificent. It sets it up perfectly for Llorente, but he goes for goal first time and completely misses the ball when he had the time to take a touch!
ANOTHER penalty shout for Chelsea goes to VAR - this time for handball - but once again it is rejected.
CHANCE! Hazard shows his dancing feet with a brilliant dribble into the box, but he is dispossessed by the last man just when it looked like he would finally pull the trigger. The danger is not over yet for Spurs, though, and Pedro manages to get a shot away which Gazzaniga saves.
YELLOW CARD! Azpilicueta goes into the book for a mistimed challenge on Rose.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Llorente's evening comes to an end as he is replaced by Lucas Moura.
CHANCE! Lucas Moura almost makes an immediate impact as Gazzaniga finds him with a sensational goal kick which ends up in the Chelsea area. Lucas goes for the near post, but can only find the side-netting.
Here is that Fernando Llorente header which, as things stand, will take us to penalties...
YELLOW CARD! Sissoko becomes the latest player in the book.
CLOSE! Hazard almost comes up with something to put Chelsea back in the lead as he turns sharply before darting towards goal and firing a low strike narrowly wide of the post.
CHELSEA SUB: Change for the hosts here as Willian replaces Pedro.
Spurs have Sissoko down after a clash with his own player but Chelsea refuse to kick the ball out and the Spurs players are not happy. You cannot blame the hosts, though.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs are forced into another change here as Davinson Sanchez replaces the injured Sissoko.
CHELSEA SUB: Chelsea also make a change as Mateo Kovacic comes on for Barkley.
This second half has flown by - just seven minutes remaining now and if we do not have another goal either way then it will be penalties!
Both sides are still piling men forward in search of a winner in these closing stages so we should be in for a really exciting final five minutes here.
Chelsea still have one sub remaining in this match, so Sarri may be considering his penalty takers now. Spurs are missing a few of their first choices, of course.
Emerson bursts forward down the left and delivers the cross into the box, but it is cut out before it can reach Giroud.
All eyes on the fourth official, who indicates FOUR minutes of added time!
CHANCE! Late, late chance for Chelsea as the ball arrives into the box from the left, but Giroud produces a complete airshot when it would have been a golden opportunity!
SHOT! Willian tries a shot out of the blue but fires it off target.
CHANCE! Another late chance for the hosts as Emerson swings a beauty of a cross from deep on the left after a bursting run forward, but Giroud's flying header bounces wide of the target!
END OF 90 MINUTES: CHELSEA 2-1 TOTTENHAM (2-2 ON AGGREGATE)
END OF 90 MINUTES: We will have penalties at Stamford Bridge! Nothing can separate the two sides over 180 minutes and so a shootout it is!
CHELSEA *0-1 TOTTENHAM - ERIKSEN SCORES! No mistake from Eriksen to kick us off as he tucks the ball into the bottom corner!
CHELSEA 1-1* TOTTENHAM - WILLIAN SCORES! Willian takes Chelsea's first spot kick and fires it past Gazzaniga, sending the keeper the wrong way.
CHELSEA *1-2 TOTTENHAM - LAMELA SCORES! Great penalty from Lamela as he puts it right into the corner, beyond the reach of the keeper.
CHELSEA 2-2* TOTTENHAM - AZPILICUETA SCORES! And it is swiftly topped by Azpilicueta, who picks out the top corner wonderfully!
CHELSEA *2-2 TOTTENHAM - DIER MISSES! Dier has scored a World Cup penalty, but he blazes this one over the bar!
CHELSEA 3-2* TOTTENHAM - JORGINHO SCORES! Advantage Chelsea! Jorginho stutters on the run-up and puts it beyond Gazzaniga.
CHELSEA *3-2 TOTTENHAM - LUCAS MISSES! Huge advantage to Chelsea now as Kepa denies Lucas! Chelsea need to score this to win!
CHELSEA 4-2 TOTTENHAM - DAVID LUIZ SCORES! Luiz wins it for Chelsea with a fine penalty into the bottom corner!
FULL TIME: CHELSEA 2-1 TOTTENHAM (2-2 ON AGGREGATE, CHELSEA WIN 4-2 ON PENALTIES)
CHELSEA REACH THE 2019 EFL CUP FINAL!
Chelsea are the team celebrating at the final whistle, then, as they book an EFL Cup final showdown with Manchester City at Wembley on February 24, but they were made to work for it by Spurs in a thrilling contest this evening.
Chelsea were by far the better team in the first half and deserved their lead given to them by Kante and Hazard, but Llorente levelled things up on aggregate five minutes into the second half.
Both sides had chances to avoid a penalty shootout, but ultimately it was misses from Dier and Lucas which proved costly for the visitors tonight.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's EFL Cup clash as Chelsea book their place in the final at Tottenham's expense. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
