TOTTENHAM were brave and brilliant in a pulsating FA Cup semi-final. Chelsea were ruthless - and they grabbed the glory at the end of a match for the ages at Wembley.
By JIM HOLDEN
Victory for Antonio Conte’s team was sealed with a goal worthy of settling any big match when midfielder Nemanja Matic scored with an astonishing long-range drive that flew unstoppably into the top corner of the net.
It means Chelsea, leading the Premier League by four points from Spurs, are still on course for The Double.
It means the curse of Wembley still clings to Tottenham, who fell to a seventh successive semi-final defeat in the world’s oldest football competition.
And, beyond any doubt, a classic and captivating showdown illustrated that the FA Cup still has a central place at the heart of our national game.
Conte embraced with rival manager Mauricio Pochettino at the final whistle and then blew kisses to the crowd. He learned about the magic of the Cup yesterday.
Maybe it is an evening that Spurs will reflect on with regret. They had more possession and more shots at goal, and there was no doubting their style and class.
But Chelsea had the edge where it mattered --- in scoring goals. They are a ruthless and decisive team under Conte’s guidance and the doubters have been crushed.
Conte had confounded all opinion before the start by leaving Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on the bench. It was widely pilloried as a mistake.
What do the experts know?
Hazard’s replacement was Willian, who scored twice, and then Hazard stepped in from the bench to inspire a second half surge to glory.
Chelsea, also, are not a team prone to panic. They went 2-1 up just before half-time when Willian stroked home from the penalty spot.
It was a fiercely debated decision, given by the linesman when Heung-min Son rashly dived in towards a rampaging Victor Moses.
There didn’t appear much contact, but it was still a moment of folly from Son, playing as a wing-back, but who is not a natural defender.
Yes or no: pundits were divided, spectators were divided. The great panacea of video replays would have made no difference.
Spurs didn’t lick their wounds for too long. They equalised again in the 52nd minute, courtesy of another magical cross from Eriksen. The ball was curled tantalisingly into the box and Dele Alli ghosted in to steer home the goal.
The pace and the panache of the game were relentless, all at a high quality and rare intensity.
This was only the second time the top two sides in the League had met in an FA Cup semi-final in 113 years. The other was the famous and fabulous clash of Manchester United and Arsenal in 1999 --- and yesterday’s showdown lived up to the greatest expectations.
At 2-2 the match was in the balance. Now came the vindication for Conte’s selection choices.
Hazard and Costa were introduced on the hour, and the match gradually slipped out of Tottenham’s control.
Another substitute, Cesc Fabregas, sent over a corner in the 74th minute and the ball fell to Hazard on the edge of the Tottenham area from where he drilled a low shot through the crowd into the net.
Six minutes later it was 4-2 with a devastating goal from Matic, whose piledriver arrowed into the top corner of the net off the underside of the bar.
Will it be a psychological blow in Chelsea’s favour the title battle? Perhaps it will. What mattered much more yesterday was a thrilling game in the grandest traditions of the FA Cup.
CHELSEA: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Ake; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Willian (Hazard 60th), Batshuayi (Costa 60th), Pedro (Fabregas 74th).
TOTTENHAM: Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Trippier, Wanyama (Nkoudou 80th), Dembele, Son (Walker 68th); Eriksen, Alli; Kane.
Man of the match: DAVID LUIZ - Another formidable defensive performance, keeping Harry Kane quiet enough to ensure victory for Chelsea.
Referee: M Atkinson.
Attendance: 86,355.
By JIM HOLDEN
It means Chelsea, leading the Premier League by four points from Spurs, are still on course for The Double.
It means the curse of Wembley still clings to Tottenham, who fell to a seventh successive semi-final defeat in the world’s oldest football competition.
And, beyond any doubt, a classic and captivating showdown illustrated that the FA Cup still has a central place at the heart of our national game.
Conte embraced with rival manager Mauricio Pochettino at the final whistle and then blew kisses to the crowd. He learned about the magic of the Cup yesterday.
Maybe it is an evening that Spurs will reflect on with regret. They had more possession and more shots at goal, and there was no doubting their style and class.
But Chelsea had the edge where it mattered --- in scoring goals. They are a ruthless and decisive team under Conte’s guidance and the doubters have been crushed.
Conte had confounded all opinion before the start by leaving Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on the bench. It was widely pilloried as a mistake.
What do the experts know?
Hazard’s replacement was Willian, who scored twice, and then Hazard stepped in from the bench to inspire a second half surge to glory.
It was a fiercely debated decision, given by the linesman when Heung-min Son rashly dived in towards a rampaging Victor Moses.
There didn’t appear much contact, but it was still a moment of folly from Son, playing as a wing-back, but who is not a natural defender.
Yes or no: pundits were divided, spectators were divided. The great panacea of video replays would have made no difference.
Spurs didn’t lick their wounds for too long. They equalised again in the 52nd minute, courtesy of another magical cross from Eriksen. The ball was curled tantalisingly into the box and Dele Alli ghosted in to steer home the goal.
The pace and the panache of the game were relentless, all at a high quality and rare intensity.
At 2-2 the match was in the balance. Now came the vindication for Conte’s selection choices.
Hazard and Costa were introduced on the hour, and the match gradually slipped out of Tottenham’s control.
Another substitute, Cesc Fabregas, sent over a corner in the 74th minute and the ball fell to Hazard on the edge of the Tottenham area from where he drilled a low shot through the crowd into the net.
Six minutes later it was 4-2 with a devastating goal from Matic, whose piledriver arrowed into the top corner of the net off the underside of the bar.
Will it be a psychological blow in Chelsea’s favour the title battle? Perhaps it will. What mattered much more yesterday was a thrilling game in the grandest traditions of the FA Cup.
CHELSEA: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Ake; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Willian (Hazard 60th), Batshuayi (Costa 60th), Pedro (Fabregas 74th).
TOTTENHAM: Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Trippier, Wanyama (Nkoudou 80th), Dembele, Son (Walker 68th); Eriksen, Alli; Kane.
Man of the match: DAVID LUIZ - Another formidable defensive performance, keeping Harry Kane quiet enough to ensure victory for Chelsea.
Referee: M Atkinson.
Attendance: 86,355.
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