Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel sealed a double triumph as his team placed one foot into the Carabao Cup Final.
Tuchel first drew a line under the Romelu Lukaku controversy by starting him in this first leg after the Belgium international’s apology.
The Blues then took control of this tie after just only minutes when Kai Havertz had an effort deflected in from close range in the game.
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Chelsea then doubled their advantage 11 minutes before the break when Japhet Tanganga’s attempted clearance rebounded off the shoulder of Ben Davies for an own goal.
However, one low point for Tuchel was a late injury to captain Cesar Azpilicueta who had to be replaced in the dying minutes.
“It seems like a deserved win, it’s an excellent result,” said Tuchel. “We could have scored even more, but this is football, it’s hard to score, especially against a team like Tottenham. But we did create much, and could have scored more.
“But the second leg will be a tough match and we’ll have to go at it with the same level of commitment again. “We had a strong start, but never lost focus or commitment.”
Tuchel remarked: “We played 4-4-2 when we had the ball as we had no-one left after Thiago tested positive to make it a back five. “The team was very focused on it, very open minded, and produced a real quality game.”
The German coach was happy with Lukaku’s performance as he returned to the starting lineup, stating: “I’m absolutely happy. “I was pretty sure he was not affected, the last few days he seemed relaxed and fine with the situation. Also, mentally, he’d moved on.
“Romelu can handle pressure and adversity. And it was a good performance.”
Hakim Ziyech added when speaking to Sky Sports: “I think it was a good performance from the team. “A really strong first half. Second half went up and down.
“In the second half we had bigger chances than them. Just put full pressure on them and don’t give them the space and time.“
