Carabao Cup
MOURINHO ON COURSE FOR 1ST TROPHY WITH SPURS
Son Heung-min fired Tottenham into the League Cup final as the South Korean’s decisive goal sealed a 2-0 win over Championship side Brentford on Tuesday (Jan 5).
Moussa Sissoko put Jose Mourinho’s team ahead in the semi-final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But Tottenham were still searching for the knockout blow against spirited Brentford until Son netted with 20 minutes remaining.
Tottenham will face Manchester United or holders Manchester City, who meet in the second semi-final on Wednesday, at Wembley on April 25.
It will be the club’s first domestic final since losing the 2015 League Cup showpiece against Chelsea, and their first final in any competition since the 2019 Champions League defeat against Liverpool in Madrid.
“The final is now in a pocket for three months, we have to wait for the final so we have to focus on what we have coming up,” Mourinho said. “We have the FA Cup, the Premier League, the Europa League, so let’s forget the final for now. But when April arrives we have to be ready and to fight for the trophy.”
The Portuguese, appointed in November 2019, is hoping to lead Tottenham to their first major trophy since the 2008 League Cup.
He has already won the competition four times, landing his first silverware in English football in 2005 with Chelsea, where he won it twice more before a further success at Manchester United in 2017.
Mourinho is the third manager to reach a League Cup final with three different clubs, following Ron Atkinson and Ron Saunders.
“This is a game that takes us to a final. Of course we are very, very happy with this,” Mourinho said. “We didn’t play brilliantly, sometimes (there were) wrong decisions, sometimes one more touch, not with that soft control that allows you to play fast but the game is always under control against a team that will probably be in the Premier League next year.”
The Tottenham boss had labelled Brentford’s visit to north London as the biggest game of his reign, so it was no surprise he picked Son and Harry Kane in a team featuring five changes from Saturday’s Premier League win over Leeds.
Crucial moment
Brentford, fourth in the Championship, had already beaten four Premier League clubs in Southampton, Newcastle, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion to reach their first domestic cup semi-final.
But Tottenham needed just 12 minutes to take the lead as Sergio Reguilon’s pin-point cross from the left evaded Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock and found Sissoko, who finished his burst into the six-yard box with a powerful header into the top corner.
It was the French midfielder’s first goal since December 2019, ending a barren run that had stretched to 36 matches.
Tottenham pressed hard for a second goal and Son’s long-range drive forced a good save from David Raya, who had to stretch to tip away Lucas Moura’s deflected header just before half-time.
Serge Aurier shot wastefully over from a good position early in the second half, a mistake made worse as the unmarked Kane was waiting for a pass with the goal at his mercy.
Son flashed a volley just wide from Sissoko’s cross, but Tottenham escaped in the 63rd minute when Ivan Toney’s equaliser was disallowed by VAR.
When Pinnock’s header was clawed away by Hugo Lloris, Toney stabbed in the rebound from close-range, only for the Brentford striker’s celebrations to be curtailed when his knee was seen to be in an offside position.
That tight decision proved the crucial moment as Son struck in the 70th minute.
Kane fed Tanguy Ndombele and the midfielder’s defence-splitting pass teed up Son, who fired high into the roof of the net for his 16th goal of the season.
Brentford’s Josh Dasilva was sent off in the 84th minute for a studs-up foul on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg that left the furious Tottenham midfielder with blood running down his shin.
-AFP
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
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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
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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
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