CHELSEA PROVIDED THE perfect response to manager Maurizio Sarri’s public criticism to progress to the League Cup final by beating Tottenham 4-2 on penalties in a thrilling semi-final, second leg on Thursday.
First-half goals from N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard handed Chelsea a 2-1 win on the night to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit.
Willian, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and David Luiz then scored from the spot to send the Blues through to face Manchester City on February 24th, while Eric Dier and Lucas Moura missed for Spurs.
Sarri had questioned the mental strength of his squad and demanded Hazard to deliver more on his abundant potential in the wake of a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, and the Italian got the response he desired against an injury-ravaged Spurs.
Kante levelled the tie with a shot from the edge of the box that went through three pairs of Spurs legs before Hazard rounded off an excellent team move to double Chelsea’s lead.
Fernando Llorente’s header hauled the visitors back into the tie five minutes into the second-half, but another chance for Spurs to win a first trophy under Mauricio Pochettino has now gone.
Spurs’ spirit could not be questioned as they battled to stay in the tie for 90 minutes despite the absence of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min, but it could prove a costly night for Pochettino’s men as Ben Davies and Moussa Sissoko added to their growing list of injuries.
Sarri has been criticised for persisting with Hazard in a centre-forward position of late and the decision to move the Belgian back to his prefered role on the left of a front three paid dividends.
Chelsea’s new number nine Gonzalo Higuain was presented to the home fans before kick-off, but the Argentine’s loan move from Juventus was not completed in time for him to feature so Olivier Giroud was handed a rare start as the focal point of the attack.
The hosts were dominant in the first 45 minutes with Tottenham struggling to mount a threat on the counter-attack due to the 33-year-old Llorente’s lack of pace.
However, Chelsea needed a slice of good fortune to open the scoring when Kante’s shot from the edge of the area when through Dier and Sissoko’s legs to leave Paulo Gazzaniga unsighted and the ball also nutmegged the Argentine goalkeeper.
Davies added to Spurs’ injury woes by limping off with a groin injury just after the half hour mark and five minutes later that latest blow was compounded by a Chelsea second.
Ross Barkley, Pedro Rodriguez and Azpilicueta were all involved before the latter picked out Hazard to side-foot home from inside the area.
Chelsea could even have made the tie safe before half-time as Toby Alderweireld was lucky to avoid punishment for chopping down his international team-mate Hazard as he bore down on goal.
Tottenham have defied the odds all season to remain fighting on four fronts despite a host of injuries, no new signings and persistent delays to the completion of the club’s new stadium.
And they did so again to get back into the tie five minutes into the second-half when Llorente stooped to met Danny Rose’s cross to level at 2-2 on aggregate.
The game then roared from end-to-end as both sides chased the winner.
Pochettino fell to his knees in exasperation as Llorente miscued Christan Eriksen’s inviting cross wide.
Giroud then had a huge opportunity to kickstart his faltering Chelsea career when picked out by Emerson’s cross deep into stoppage time, but the French striker headed wide to send the game to penalties.
Chelsea were more ruthless from the spot as Dier, who scored the winning penalty in England’s first ever World Cup shootout win in July, blazed over and Kepa Arrizabalaga saved from Moura.
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Just over a week out from the 2019 Six Nations openers, Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey are joined by Bernard Jackman to look at Ireland’s bid for another Grand Slam:
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Can’t wish anything but the best of luck in his retirement. Garrett took munster from an amateur club with an amateur ethos to one of the most recognisable and successful clubs and brands in the world. He can certainly look back on what he achieved with huge pride.
@Jim Demps: Agree with his achievement taking us out of the amateur era. However he stayed too long in the role. The investment and structures today are behind all the other provinces.
@Smiley: good to see him go! Been there way to long!! Imagine if someone was in that position in a normal business for that length of time… ridiculous
@Smiley: renovated thomond park and est. the UL training facility?
@Smiley: ah only one other province has a purpose build stadium. Have had more internationals in the last 20 years than 2 others combined. I’m not sure you know what you’re talking about
@Smiley:
I believe the “NAME” was there before he came along “one of the most recognisable and successful clubs and brands in the Rugby World”.
Thank you GF for all the great days at Munster rugby
Disaster!! Fitzgerald sacked…by himself. Crisis at Minster as CEO sacks himself…
sorry, im trying to write the indos headline…
Good luck Garrett
@PScald: I was thinking more along the lines of doubling down on the loss of identity followed by rumouring Barend Van Graan for the role in a further south Africanisation of the province while going on to say munster don’t develop any talent of their own and only poach lads from other places. Bloody turnip eaters.
@PScald: haha don’t give Ruaidhri O’Connor ideas!
Good riddance, in my opinion.
He leaves a club who are now eight years without a trophy and are also heavily in debt, who are far behind the other provinces in producing players.
@Treaty Bhoy: why do you do it ? still no answer ?
@k mcnamara:
And why dou you do it ??
Clearly the IRFU have had enough of his Mis management. I can’t wait for tomorrows indo to get the real story, and then Monday’s one where they print all their apologies.
@Bungee Aky: The real story is he had major surgery last year and has been out of work recovering for the last year and isn’t capable of filling the job requirements anymore
@Bungee Aky: you’re some troll
@Bungee Aky: how’s you kid bungee? Still in hospital? You been at many underage gaa games recently to send emails and call for prescriptions?
@Eoin Murphy: you have the sense of humour of a badly injured car crash victim.
@Roberts Mel: yes, no.
@Bungee Aky: that’s original I’ll give you that
@Bungee Aky: Nasty and totally uncalled for after the man’s health difficulties. I’d say ‘shame on you’ but you probably don’t understand the concept.
All Joking aside
The FAI need to get someone of his calibre on board, experience of the amateur and professional game, strong governance, financial capabilities, contract negotiating, and all the other skills they are devoid of.
@Bungee Aky: you just posted a big fat long comment on the chelsea arsenal live blog on how you’d watch the ‘odd European game’ but find “soccer” very boring. You clearly have no idea whatsoever with what your talking about and just copy what other posters (regardless of the fact they’re right) say. Don’t bother giving your opinion on football
@Eoin Murphy: who did I copy?
@Bungee Aky: every comment on the john delaney article. It could be your own independent opinion but its so clear you just looked at them and jumped on the bandwagon
@Eoin Murphy: so it’s my own opinion now?
@Bungee Aky: what im saying is you hark on about how “soccer” is so boring and then you give your opinion on something you clearly dont have a clue about, on a completely unrelated rugby article
Fair dues to him, although he’s shown a severe lack of ambition over the last 10 years.
Best wishes to him, hope he recovers from his illness and enjoys his well earned retirement.
New CEO will have to get the Thomond PK financial monkey off Munsters back. Foregoing 10 years ticket income to part own a stadium was a strategic error. It meant Munster were down circa a million a year in the rugby spend compared to other provinces. Shades of Pairc Ui Caoimh.
The best of luck to him. He did well ! However he did stay on to long. Maybe if he stepped out at the end of the Paul O Connell era his legacy might have been stronger?