Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea: Hits and flops as the Blues cruise to Wembley | EFL Cup 2021-22 

Chelsea defeated Tottenham 1-0 to go through to the EFL Cup final
Chelsea defeated Tottenham 1-0 to go through to the EFL Cup final

Flop: Lucas Moura (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg

Lucas Moura had an off-day against Chelsea, although the same can be said about several of his Tottenham teammates.

The Brazilian has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the managerial change at Tottenham and has thrived under Antonio Conte's guidance.

Moura led the attack alongside Harry Kane. While the England international was probably the only Spurs player to emerge with credit, his strike partner failed to sparkle.

The 29-year-old showed indecision on several occasions in attack, while his finishing and final balls also left a lot to be desired.


Hit: Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)

Edouard Mendy's absence as he attempts to help Senegal win a maiden international tournament has seen Kepa reclaim the number one spot at Stamford Bridge.

The world's most expensive goalkeeper has had an eventful but underwhelming spell in London since joining the Blues from Athletic Bilbao in 2019.

Kepa was largely untested in the Chelsea goal as the lethargic Tottenham attack struggled to create chances across the 180 minutes of the tie.

However, on the few occasions that the home side managed to find space in behind, the Spain international was on hand to deny them with exquisite saves.

The pick of the bunch came when he dived to his left to keep Emerson Royal's header from creeping into the bottom corner. He also denied Ryan Sessegnon in injury time.

There was a minor scare when his underhit pass to Jorginho allowed Kane to find the back of the net but the goal was rightly disallowed for a marginal offside decision.


Flop: Andre Marriner

Andre Marriner was in the spotlight
Andre Marriner was in the spotlight

Andre Marriner is one of the most experienced referees in the English top-flight and it came as no surprise when he was handed officiating duties in this marquee clash.

The last thing any referee wants is to be in the spotlight in such high-profile games but that proved to be the case with Andre Marriner tonight.

He was initially overruled by the VAR after wrongly awarding a penalty to Tottenham in the first half even though contact was made outside the box.

His second wrong decision came after the break when he adjudged that Moura had been fouled by Kepa in the box even though it was pretty clear that contact was first made with the ball.

The VAR came into play once more to overrule a wrongly awarded goal, with Harry Kane having been offside when the ball was played to him.

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