A pair of bad breaks at the back lifted Chelsea to a 2-0 first-leg advantage over Tottenham Hotspur in their League Cup semifinal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
A Kai Havertz goal was joined by a Ben Davies own goal in putting Chelsea ahead by two after 34 minutes and the reigning European Cup winners were rarely threatened by Spurs.
Havertz goal came off a mix-up between Japhet Tanganga and Emerson Royal that allowed the German to fire past Hugo Lloris and off a sliding Davinson Sanchez for 1-0.
[ LATEST: Africa Cup of Nations schedule, standings, odds ]
And while that was rightly called a Havertz goal but could’ve been called an own goal, Davies’ o.g. came when Sanchez’s attempted clearance of a Chelsea free kick rocketed off Davies and into the Spurs goal.
Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech also had big chances to score and Chelsea held 60-plus % of the ball and took 17 of the match’s 21 shots.
Romelu Lukaku started for Chelsea after a tumultuous week, while Christian Pulisic came off the bench for the Blues. The second leg is Jan. 12, while Liverpool and Arsenal had their first leg postponed.
Previously scheduled for Thursday, Liverpool and Arsenal will not square off at Anfield on Jan. 13 and the Emirates on Jan. 20.
Kai Havertz loves a big game goal.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 5, 2022
Chelsea lead Spurs in the semifinal! 💪 pic.twitter.com/BDdMN1CVdz
Chelsea vs Tottenham final score, stats
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Scorers: Havertz 5', Davies (o.g.) 34'
Shots: Chelsea 19-5 Tottenham
Shots on goal: Chelsea 6-2 Tottenham
Possession: Chelsea 64-36 Tottenham
A crazy own goal.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 5, 2022
Tottenham fans, look away now 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/Ix6I7wqfxj