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Chelsea pipped Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup quarter-final to set up a mouth-watering clash against top rivals Tottenham Hotspur. A late strike from Eden Hazard that owned a slice of fortune took the hosts through after plenty of chances had gone begging.
The Cherries too, tested Kepa Arrizabalaga, but couldn't open up the Chelsea defence. Despite tons of possession, 12 attempts on target and almost 900 completed passes, Maurizio Sarri's men could only find the back of the net once.
Nevertheless, they got the job done on a cold, windy night at West London. Meanwhile, Manchester City, who beat Leicester City on penalties, will take on third-tier team Burton Albion in the semis.
Coming back to this game at the Bridge, let's take a look at the major talking points from Chelsea's narrow victory over Eddie Howe's Bournemouth.
#1 Chelsea start brightly, create numerous chances
At home, one would expect Chelsea to kick-start proceedings at a frenetic yet comfortable pace. They did just that, by pushing the opponent's backline deeper, running at them and winning two corners in as many minutes.
Willian, who looked lively all evening, didn't make the best out of the corners but registered his team's first shot on goal in the 6th minute. Having picked up the ball in the middle thirds of the pitch, the Brazilian drove forward and tested Boruc with a fine effort.
The very next minute, long-distance specialist Ross Barkley took it upon himself to open the scoring as he drilled a low strike towards goal. Bournemouth's custodian was yet again asked to dirty his gloves.
Moments later, skipper Cesar Azpilicueta, who wasn't expected to start, took a shot on goal. However, it was the worst of the three.
The Cherries, who went into the game with a unique 3-5-2 formation that saw Nathan Ake and Junior Stanislas play on the same line in a 5-man midfield, struggled to keep hold of the ball. Consequentially, Mousset and Callum Wilson failed to see much of the ball.
At the 20th minute mark or so, Chelsea almost had 80% of the ball.
#2 Both sides' forward players get into the act
In the 17th minute, Callum Wilson finally joined the party. On the back of some productive passage of play, he received the ball on the edge of the box. From 20 yards out, the sharpshooter launched an effort just wide. At that moment, things finally looked brighter for the visitors.
Olivier Giroud, who was a passenger until the 20th minute, showed that if found with a well-tuned pass, he can produce a traditional number 9's style of approach. His first touch was exquisite, followed by strong hold-up and then a shot that asked questions of Boruc.
Down the end, Rico played a pass down the path of young David Brooks, who then stung a fine strike, only to be denied by the world's most expensive goalkeeper.
The best chance of the first half though, came when Loftus-Cheek intelligently played Willian in on goal. The Brazilian only had Boruc to beat, but the veteran glove man portrayed his experience by blocking the shot.
When the game saw more traffic on both ends, you knew it wouldn't end goalless.
#3 Goalkeepers rise above the rest
The second period of the first half saw the game opened up, and for the rest of the outing, both sides created a host of chances - 36 in total. While Chelsea mustered 12 on target, the Cherries attempted three accurately.
Kepa had parried away a strike in the earlier stages, as aforementioned, but he seriously came to the rescue in the 36th minute, when Mousset was found brilliantly by a hard-working Jordan Ibe. The Spanish shot-stopper reacted fairly quickly and maintained the shut-out.
On the other hand, no words or adjectives can truly describe Artur Boruc's contribution this evening. He made a string of saves, blocks and stops. Rolling back the years, the Pole proved why he was and probably is, one of the finest goalkeepers in the country.
Till the very last minute, he kept his side in the game. A truly deserved man of the match performance.
#4 Super sub Eden Hazard scores, Stamford Bridge erupts
Maurizio Sarri played his best gamble in the 61st minute when he introduced Eden Hazard onto the pitch.
All of a sudden, there was a different feeling stirring around Stamford Bridge; the same feeling that knew full well Chelsea would bag a winner through their little magician. That did happen, but before that, let's analyse Hazard's performance.
Even without the ball, he is an absolute genius. The way he draws defenders out of the equation, plays his fellow forwards through and technically presents an attacking threat is one of the rarest commodities in modern day and that is what makes him stand out.
On the ball, he was a live wire, almost unstoppable. The Belgian wriggled past players, entered pockets of spaces and linked up well with Giroud and the rest.
In the 84th minute, he received the ball and after having attempted a few already, tried again. The ball took a huge deflection and fell into the back of the net, thereby guiding Chelsea to the semi-finals.
Not for the first time in the League Cup this season, Hazard has rescued Chelsea. Remember that goal of the season contender against Liverpool?
#5 Loftus-Cheek is an absolute gem of a player
Once again, Ruben Loftus-Cheek proved his worth to Maurizio Sarri. As the season wore on in the early days, the England international was shorn of opportunities. Sarri had openly claimed that he is fantastic in the technical and physical aspects, but not tactically.
Every time the 22-year-old drifted away from players and penetrated through the Bournemouth defence, it seemed like something was bound to happen. It's remarkable how he is so agile, technical and physical while dribbling.
He was the first one to beat Boruc but was denied by the frame of the goal. Even on that occasion, he illustrated skill of the highest order.
Be it on either side of the three-man midfield or down the wing, Loftus-Cheek has proven himself time and time again now. Also to add, he has enhanced options for Maurizio Sarri, owing to his versatility.
