Carabao Cup
TOTTENHAM BEAT CHELSEA ON PENALTIES TO ADVANCE IN CARABAO CUP
Tottenham are in the last eight of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night after beating Chelsea on penalties.
At the end of an absurd tie, Mason Mount missed the 10th kick of the shootout and Spurs went through in a competition written off by Jose Mourinho.
The Tottenham manager had bemoaned a fixture schedule that left them unable to compete for the lesser pickings. But, having gone behind to Timo Werner’s first-half strike, they levelled through Erik Lamela before triumphing in the shootout.
Penalties was an appropriate end for a berserk match of drama, tantrums and, in the case of Eric Dier, an unscheduled toilet break.
It started with Werner’s first goal for Chelsea on 19 minutes, which for the better part of an hour appeared to be enough to put his side through.
Spurs had been dreadful for much of the first half but finally managed to apply pressure in the second. They had a flurry of chances, two of which were well saved by Chelsea’s new goalkeeping hope Edouard Mendy, but appeared to be heading out in a blitz of anger.
Mourinho seemed ready to blow, but they were saved by Lamela’s equaliser seven minutes from time.
Despite Tottenham’s win, there will be further questions over the future of Dele Alli. In the ongoing saga of his place at Spurs, he was dropped for a fourth matchday squad out of four. If it is the end for Alli, then what a shame. And what a waste, too.
Of course, it could be just one more twist in the Mourinho shuffle — another cold shoulder to make Alli run hot. Or maybe it is just what it looks like — a loss of trust and the start of a goodbye. With Mourinho, in his world of thick smoke and circus mirrors, it really is so hard to tell.
But the brighter prognosis, that this is all a prelude to a grand revival, does feel a little like wishful thinking. Just as it felt timely when the stadium staff decided partway through the warm-ups to show footage of Alli’s magnificent lob over Arsenal in this competition two years ago.
While that homage to the past played out on the big screens, the newer blood had their chances below. For Spurs, featuring nine changes to cater for their third game in five days, that meant a debut for Sergio Reguilon, at left wing back next to three centre halves in a tweaked system.
Only Dier and Hugo Lloris were retained from the Newcastle draw, but no towels were being thrown in. In the context of selection, they were weakened, but far from weak. So perish the thought that Mourinho may have attempted to mislead with a few of his pre-match comments, but the waiting presence of Harry Kane on the bench suggested his manager held more than a passing interest in going through.
Lampard made eight changes but also put out a strong side, with Mendy given his debut in goal and Ben Chilwell handed a first start.
The upshot of that tinkering? Chelsea dominated. And Spurs let them. Or perhaps that is the kind interpretation of a Mourinho strategy that seemed geared towards counter-attacks but which didn’t deliver on the second part of the brief.
So while Chelsea pushed, and indeed held 71 per cent of the possession for the first 45 minutes, Spurs sat deep, swallowed up what they could, and looked bloated any time they attempted to get off the couch.
The early warnings that might not work came from Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who each saw enough of goal to get off shots.
The breakthrough followed on 19 minutes after an unforced error, and cruelly it was also the opening contribution in a Spurs shirt for Reguilon. His first mistake was to get caught in possession by Cesar Azpilicueta, and he was then quickly dropped on his backside in buying a feint from the Spaniard when attempting his recovery. From there, Azpilicueta rolled low to Werner and the German finished well.
The only sign of life from Spurs came when Mourinho had an entertaining row with Lampard on the sidelines. At one point he told his former player to back off and Lampard held his ground. To think, they all used to listen.
In terms of Spurs chances, it was a limited bunch. One attack that saw Gedson Fernandes close on goal, only for Kurt Zouma to stop him with a tackle of quite brilliant precision. Erik Lamela also got a shot off that Mendy saved well with his feet. Maybe Lampard’s goalkeeping worries are drawing to a close.
He managed a second excellent save early in the second half in rerouting a Reguilon drive over the bar, and by that point Spurs were managing a period of consistent pressure. Both Steven Bergwijn and Serge Aurier had chances in a stretch of 15 or so minutes when Chelsea struggled to break from their half.
But for all the improvement, there was no cigar. Kane came on with 20 minutes remaining and with his only opening, hooked a shot off his left boot over the bar. That appeared to be it for Spurs, before Lamela stretched onto a Reguilon cross and nudged in the equaliser.
The first nine penalties were all converted in order by Eric Dier, Tammy Abraham, Erik Lamela, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jorginho, Lucas Moura and Emerson, before Mount’s kick was saved by Hugo Lloris.
Daily Mail
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants defender Marc Guehi to be allowed to play in their League Cup final against Arsenal, saying the club will ask organisers to reconsider eligibility rules.
City booked their place at Wembley with a 3-1 home win over Newcastle United in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Competition rules make Guehi ineligible for the final because he featured earlier in the tournament for Crystal Palace, and joined City after the first leg of the semi-final.
“Why should he (Guehi) not play? Why not? We pay his salary, he is our player,” Guardiola told reporters.
“You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play, for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it.
“I told the club we must ask – hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final.”
The League Cup final between City and Arsenal is scheduled for March 22.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said reaching Wembley for the first time since 2020 – thanks to a 4-2 aggregate League Cup semi-final win over Chelsea – would give his players a boost for a hectic season run-in.
“It’s the best vitamins we can put in our bodies because we are playing every three days,” Arteta told reporters after Arsenal beat their London rivals 1-0 on Tuesday to seal their place in the final of England’s second domestic cup competition.
The Spaniard said the prospect of a return to Wembley for the first time since he guided his team to victory in the FA Cup final – also against Chelsea – six years ago was magical, before adding: “Now we are going to have to go and win it.”
Arsenal had failed to make it through their previous four major cup semi-finals – two in the League Cup and another two in Europe – before overcoming Chelsea on Tuesday.
With the visitors desperately seeking the goal they needed to level the tie on aggregate, former Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz ran clear to score in the final moments of the semi-final second leg
The German has missed much of this season through injury and Arteta hailed his return to form.
“Today was a special moment for him and I hope that he fully enjoys it,” he said.
The Premier League leaders – who are also competing in the FA Cup and the Champions League – will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United who play their semi-final second leg on Wednesday with City 2-0 ahead from the first leg.
Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said his players’ disciplined performance showed how much the team had developed since the chaotic 3-2 home loss to Arsenal in last month’s first leg, which was only his second match in charge after replacing Enzo Maresca.
“Ultimately their goal comes when we’re throwing the kitchen sink at the game. That’s going to happen,” Rosenior said. “We can’t let this setback affect our future. There were aspects of our game that I am very happy with.”
He said winger Pedro Neto and club captain Reece James had not made the squad on Tuesday after picking up “small knocks” and he praised 18-year-old Brazil winger Estevao who made a 48-hour round trip to Brazil for compassionate reasons but was back in London to come off the bench for Chelsea in the second half.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Omar Marmoush scored twice as Manchester City set up a League Cup final date with Arsenal after a comprehensive 3-1 second-leg victory over visiting Newcastle United secured a 5-1 aggregate win in their semi-final on Wednesday.
The home side were ruthless in the first half as Tijjani Reijnders also got on the scoresheet and now face Arsenal at Wembley on March 22 in a battle between City manager Pep Guardiola and his protege Mikel Arteta.
“We showed a very good mentality,” Marmoush told Sky Sports. “We were together as a team, from the first minute, we were very focused on the job. We showed our mentality and passion, and are very happy to reach the final.
“We are here to win trophies. We give our best every day to reach these finals and win silverware. Hopefully, we can do it for all the new players and also the players that were here.”
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, the last thing Newcastle needed was to concede early at the Etihad Stadium, but Marmoush’s shot deflected off defender Dan Burn and into the net inside six minutes.
The Egypt international added a second on the night with a close-range header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross. Marmoush has now scored 12 goals for City and five have come against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.
A rampant City scored a third before halftime and Semenyo was involved again as he created the chance for Reijnders to finish.
Newcastle pulled a goal back just past the hour mark when substitute Anthony Elanga showed quick feet to work a shooting chance and curled his effort past James Trafford in the home goal.
Elanga missed two superb chances to reduce the deficit further, one scarcely believable from right in front of the goal, while Erling Haaland brushed the post at the other end.
City won four League Cup titles in a row between 2018 and 2021 and have eight in all; only Liverpool (10) have won it more.
Arsenal have not lifted the trophy in 33 years and have two previous wins.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- WAFCON4 days ago
BREAKING: CAF Postpones WAFCON 2026
- OBITUARY5 days ago
Nigerian Sports Journalism Mourns Oyeniyi Oyeleke and Tonex Chukwu
- MLS1 week ago
Trump to Host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at the White House
- World Cup5 days ago
‘I really don’t care’ if Iran plays in World Cup, Trump tells Politico
- World Cup4 days ago
Iraq’s World Cup Playoff in Doubt as War Disrupts Travel and Visa Processing
- FA Cup2 days ago
Eze thunderbolt guides Arsenal past Mansfield into FA Cup quarter-finals
- MLS3 days ago
Trump celebrates Messi
- World Cup3 days ago
World Cup 2026: U-20 World Cup Winner Ouahbi Takes Charge of Morocco’s Atlas Lions