Chelsea vs Tottenham LIVE: Carabao Cup result, final score and reaction after Ben Davies’ own goal
Chelsea host Tottenham as Antonio Conte returns to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Carabao Cup.
The Blues welcome back Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian striker’s apology for an unauthorised interview, which saw Thomas Tuchel drop the £97.5m signing in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. “To the fans, I’m sorry for the upset that I caused, I should have been much clearer in my message,” Lukaku told the Chelsea website.
The second semi-final in the competition between Liverpool and Arsenal has been postponed after the Merseysiders’ request to the EFL after a Covid outbreak. Conte will hope to prove a point at the home of the European champions after his acrimonious exit almost four years ago, with the Italian adamant Harry Kane is now buying in after pushing for a move to Man City last summer.
TV info: The fixture will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage beginning at 7pm. Subscribers can also stream the game via the Sky Go app. And if you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. And you can follow all the goals and latest updates below:
Chelsea vs Tottenham
Second leg next week; Liverpool and Arsenal in other semi
Chelsea: Kepa, Rudiger, Jorginho, Sarr, Azpilicueta, Saul, Mount, Alonso, Havertz, Lukaku, Ziyech
Tottenham: Lloris, Royal, Doherty, Sanchez, Tanganga, Davies, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Moura, Kane, Son
5 min: Kai Havertz fires Chelsea into early lead
34 min: Ben Davies scores comical own goal for 2-0
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:27 , Michael Jones
84 mins: Lofuts-Cheek nicks the ball off Hojbjerg and pokes it to Kovacic. He underhits a pass to Lukaku who is forced wide on the left side fo the box. Chelsea switch the play over the the opposite wing where Pulisic attempts to carry the ball into the penalty area. He’s clipped by Ben Davies and wins a free kick about 20-yards out from goal. Prime shooting territory.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:22 , Michael Jones
81 mins: There’s a few more changes from both managers. Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso come on for Spurs with Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min off and Christian Pulisic replaces Hakim Ziyech for Chelsea.
Winks sends a free kick into the box for Spurs and picks out Tanganga at the near post. He’s put under pressure from Rudiger but gets to the ball first and heads it over the goal!
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:18 , Michael Jones
78 mins: Chance! Big chance for Chelsea to score a third. Alonso curls and cross in from the left wing and picks out Ziyech in space on the opposite side of the box. Ben Davies attempts to get back to cover the shot but Ziyech hits it on the volley and boots his effort over the crossbar!
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:17 , Michael Jones
75 mins: Loftus-Cheek is on for his 100th appearance for Chelsea. Chelsea give the ball back to Arrizabalaga before playing out from the back. Loftus-Cheek passes the ball to Azpilicueta but his forward pass down the right wing goes straight out of play.
Tottenham have been better in this half but they’re still not creating a great deal. Chelsea’s rapid tempo from the first 45 minutes has understandably slowed down but they still look like scoring more goals.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:14 , Michael Jones
72 mins: Mason Mount’s night is over as Mateo Kovacic comes on to replace the Chelsea midfielder, Saul Niguez is off too and Ruben Loftus-Cheek comes on for the last 20 minutes or so.
Harry Winks replaces Oliver Skipp for Tottenham.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:10 , Michael Jones
69 mins: Chance! Moura and Royal are in the action again for Spurs. Royal sends a good cross into the box and Moura meets it with a volleyed shot on the turn. He catches it well but can’t keep the shot down and the ball goes sailing over the crossbar.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:08 , Michael Jones
66 mins: Save! Hakim Ziyech delivers a beaut of a pass over the top to Werner from his position on the inside right. Werner brings the ball down as Lloris comes flying off his line to close him down. Werner spots the goalkeeper coming and attempts to lift his shot over him but Lloris sticks out his left hand and manages to keep the ball out!
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:06 , Michael Jones
63 mins: Alonso gives the ball away cheaply and Spurs sweep up the pitch with Lucas Moura in possession. He works the ball over to Emerson Royal who drills a low cross into the box but Alonso makes it back in time to block it and clear the Chelsea lines.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:04 , Michael Jones
60 mins: Malang Sarr goes in the book for catching Harry Kane in the face as both players challenge for a bouncing ball. Kane takes the ‘blow’ on the chin and goes down earning Spurs a free kick.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
21:00 , Michael Jones
58 mins: Good work from Hojbjerg to deny Werner! Werner links up beautifully with Mount on Chelsea’s left side to bring the ball into the box. The striker drops back into space and is given the ball inside the box. He pokes a shot at goal but Hojbjerg is well positioned to block the effort and boot it clear.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:58 , Michael Jones
55 mins: Cesar Azpilicueta attempts to play Timo Werner in behind with a long ball from inside his own half. Werner makes a decent run into the Tottenham box and brings the ball under control before turning towards goal. He looks set to shoot but the offside flag goes up against him and the attack dies down.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:57 , Michael Jones
52 mins: Marcos Alonso whips a cross into the box from the left wing and picks out Lukaku in the middle of the box. He turns the ball towards goal but can’t find a way past Hugo Lloris.
Alonso has been the target for quite a few boos from the travelling Tottenham fans tonight. He’s a frequent target for the Spurs supporters whenever these teams meet.
Alonso has gone on record saying that it is because he plays well against Spurs but it is believed that they target him due to a car crash he was involved in in Madrid in 2011.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:52 , Michael Jones
50 mins: Save! Harry Kane takes the free kick and whips a sharp shot past the wall drawing Kepa Arrizabalaga into a decent stop low to his right. Good save from the Chelsea goalkeeper!
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:50 , Michael Jones
48 mins: Spurs have already showed more attacking gusto in the second half than they did in the first. Twice now they’ve found space on the right side with Royal and Sin whipping crosses into the box that Azpilicueta has dealt with for Chelsea.
Substitute Ndombele takes on Sarr on the edge of the Chelsea box and draws the defender into a foul earning Tottenham a free kick in a dangerous area.
Second half: Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:47 , Michael Jones
Kick off: Chelsea get the game back underway. Timo Werner has come on in place of Kai Havertz who took a knock at the end of the first 45 minutes.
Tottenham hve also made a change with Tanguy Ndombele replacing Matt Doherty. Spurs have changed formation as well and are now set up in a back four.
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20:43 , Michael Jones
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Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:38 , Michael Jones
Kai Havertz has scored five goals in three League Cup appearances for Chelsea, just one goal fewer than he’s scored in 42 Premier League games for the Blues.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:35 , Michael Jones
Kai Havertz and a Ben Davies own goal have given Chelsea a two-goal lead at half-time in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. Can Tottenham find a way back into this match in the second half?
Half-time: Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:32 , Michael Jones
45+1 mins: The whistle goes to signify half-time at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were close to perfect in that half, they’re two goals up but it could easily have been three or four.
Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech have been electric on the ball and Romelu Lukaku has shown intent and desire on his return to the team.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:27 , Michael Jones
42 mins: Chance! Hakim Ziyech brings the ball down the right side but cutting into the middle. He floats a cross into the box and puts it on a plate for Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku runs in front of Davinson Sanchez and meets the ball in the air. He mistimes his leap though and only gets a glancing head to the ball which sees it go wide of the far post.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:26 , Michael Jones
40 mins: Better from Spurs! Emerson Royal gets forward on the right side and flicks a cross over to the far side of the box. Matt Doherty keeps the attack going with a header into the middle and Kepa Arrizabalaga comes out to claim it. He drops the ball though and Lucas Moura almost capitalises on the mistake but the ball bounces away from him and the Chelsea goalkeeper manages to bring it back under control.
Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham
20:23 , Michael Jones
37 mins: That was an unfortunate error for Spurs. It’s difficult to see them coming back from two goals down in this game now. They may have to just limit the damage and take the tie back to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Chelsea have been brilliant, they’ve haven’t let Tottenham have any of the ball. I don’t think Spurs have created a chance from open play yet.
GOAL! Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham (Davies OG, 34’)⚽️
20:20 , Michael Jones
34mins: Lukaku takes on Sanchez on the right wing and dinks the ball around the defender. He recovers it but is brought down for a free kick. The set piece is swung into the box and Tanganga is free to deal with it. He tries to head it back out of the box but whacks it straight at Ben Davies. The ball hits Davies inside the six-yard box and ricochets off him into the back of the net!
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:18 , Michael Jones
32 mins: Chance! Chelsea win a corner and it gets whipped in towards the back post. Rudiger leaves his marker and takes the ball away from Tanganga. He runs a little close to the byline which narrows his angle at goal and his shot hits the Tottenham defender and finishes on the outside of the side-netting.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:14 , Michael Jones
29 mins: Jorginho floats a pass into the box from the inside right and aims for Lukaku in the box. Lloris comes off his line to deal with the cross but seems worried about Lukaku. He jumps over the striker and punches the ball away but doesn’t look at all convincing with the clearance.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:13 , Michael Jones
26 mins: Tottenham need to get some time on the ball, they’ve been defending for the majority of these opening 25 minutes with Chelsea passing it between them with relative ease.
Lucas Moura gets back to help out Emerson Royal and together they take the ball off Marcos Alonso but it comes loose and rolls out for a Chelsea throw in.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:11 , Michael Jones
23 mins: Chelsea try a different method of attack as Mount makes a run in behind as Malang Sarr flicks a long ball over the top. The pass it too far away from Mount though and bounces safely out of play before he can get to it.
Spurs then win a free kick in Chelsea’s final third. It’s played short to Royal who slots a pass to the byline that Son chases down. He sends the ball into the box but Chelsea deal with it easily enough. Better signs for the visitors though.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:06 , Michael Jones
20 mins: A diagonal ball from Saul out to Alonso on the left almost sees Havertz played into the box. Alonso wins the ball in the air and heads it into the penalty area. Havertz makes a run in behind Sanchez but the defender just manages to bring the ball under control before it skips through to the Chelsea forward.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:03 , Michael Jones
17 mins: Chelsea have had six shots with two on target already. In contrast Tottenham have had just one touch in the opposition’s penalty area. The Blues have taken the initiative from the start.
Havertz is given the ball on the inside left and plays a nice one-two with Mount before laying the ball across to Ziyech. He drifts inside from the right wing and has a go, curling a left-footed effort wide of the far top corner.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
20:00 , Michael Jones
14 mins: Jorginho and Alonso combine on Chelsea’s left wing work the ball up the pitch with some fluid one-touch passes. Alonso knocks it inside to Havertz who whips a cross into the box but sends it over everyone’s heads and out of play.
The Blues recover the ball quickly and attack through Ziyech on the opposite wing. He passes it inside to Mount who shoots again from outside the box and wins a corner as his effort is deflected behind.
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
19:58 , Michael Jones
11 mins: Royal passes the ball up to Lucas Moura who spins away from Alonso and makes a decent run down the right side. He brings the ball into the middle and looks to feed it to Son Heung-min but underhits his pass and Antonio Rudiger gets to the ball first.
Save! Cesar Azpilicueta swings a cross into the box from the right side and it goes over Lukaku before being won by Royal at the back post. He heads the ball down and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s attempted clearance hits one of his teammates and bounces over to Havertz in space on the left side of the box. He snatches at a shot and drills it low to Lloris’ right but the Tottenham goalkeeper dives across and smothers the effort!
Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
19:54 , Michael Jones
8 mins: Antonip Conte will be fuming over that goal. It was a simple mistake at the back that has allowed Chelsea to get in behind and a risk Tanganga didn’t need to take.
Hakim Ziyech carries the ball down the right wing but he’s tackled by Matt Doherty who comes away with the ball for Spurs.
GOAL! Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham (Havertz, 5’)⚽️
19:50 , Michael Jones
5 mins: Chelsea take the lead! They’ve started positively and have been rewarded. Japhet Tanganga passes the ball out to Emerson Royal who loses it immediately to Marcos Alonso on the press. He takes the ball into the box and slots in Kai Havertz. Havertz takes the ball into the six-yard box and shoots sending his effort towards the far corner. Davinson Sanchez sticks out a leg to block the shot but the ball deflects off him and finishes in the back of the net!
Chelsea 0 - 0 Tottenham
19:49 , Michael Jones
3 mins: Chance! Chelsea have started quickly here. They’re looking to be positive and feed the ball into the box. Lukaku receives the ball with his back to goal and holds it up well before passing it back to Saul Niguez. He sends it across to Mason Mount who’s encouraged to shoot from just outside the box. He laces a low left-footed effort at goal but it gets blocked in the middle of the penalty area.
Chelsea 0 - 0 Tottenham
19:47 , Michael Jones
Kick off: Both teams take the knee before Lucas Moura kicks off the match. Spurs send the ball over to the left wing but it’s won by the home side and worked up the pitch. Kai Havertz wins the ball and heads it across to Romelu Lukaku. He chests it down and drives into the box. Spurs are left back-tracking as Lukaku passes the ball inside but Havertz overruns it and the ball is cleared by the visitors.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:43 , Michael Jones
Here come the teams. Hugo Lloris leads out the Tottenham side before Cesar Azpilicueta and Chelsea make their way out of the tunnel. There’s a round of applause for the home team as they line up on the pitch.
The first leg of this Carabao Cup semi-final kicks off next.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:41 , Michael Jones
This is not the first time one of Antonio Conte’s teams has lined up as the opposition at his former club: Chelsea.
Back in the 2012/13 season, Conte’s Juventus travelled to London for Matchday One of their Champions League group stage campaign. That night, the Italian side fell 2-0 behind but went on to salvage a draw late on.
Two months later, Juve hosted the Blues in Turin and comfortably eased to a 3-0 win before ultimately topping Group E.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Thiago Silva on tonight’s game
19:38 , Michael Jones
Chelsea defender Thiago Silva spoke earlier this week about tonight’s semi-final and how his team will approach a difficult game against an in form Tottenham side. He said:
It’s not a story of these local derbies being better than others, but there is something more to these games especially for the supporters.
“It’s an added motivation for us and for the supporters especially as we’re playing at home, so we need to play extremely well. They haven’t lost since Antonio Conte arrived so we’re going to try to put them into difficulty.
“We’ll play at the highest level possible because to beat teams like this you need to play at that level, as we did when we played there in the Premier League.
“We need a good result at home to go into the second leg to make sure we reach the final.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:30 , Michael Jones
15 minutes to go until kick off in this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. Who’s going to come out on top this evening?
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Conte on Tottenham’s progress
19:25 , Michael Jones
Antonio Conte has made a brilliant impact since taking over at Tottenham propelling them up to sixth in the Premier League with two games in hand on those immediately above them in the table.
Spurs are hoping to end a 14-year wait for a trophy since they last won the League Cup in 2007-08 but despite Conte’s impressive start he says that there is still a gap between Spurs and the top teams in England. He said:
I think that when Tottenham brought me here they wanted to send a signal outside - and maybe also to our players,
“I think this is important and we have to try to build a situation where we are all involved and to try to create a situation that we can be competitive to try to win.
“At the moment I think there is an important gap with other teams. I see many, many teams more ready now to win the title at this moment.
“But we have to work and we have to try to improve in every aspect.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Tuchel on Kepa
19:21 , Michael Jones
With Edouard Mendy heading to the African Cup of Nations, Kepa Arrizabalaga is getting the chance to stake his claim to be Chelsea’s number one goalkeeper again. When asked whether this was the case Thomas Tuchel said that Kepa shows that desire everyday and will prove himself on the pitch. He said:
It is not even a chance, it is just what he deserves.
“He is here to play, here to be a good team-mate - he is an outstanding character and fantastic goalkeeper. I have no doubt he will prove it. I feel him very calm and that is why we are calm.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:18 , Michael Jones
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side are unbeaten in 11 matches at Stamford Bridge across all competitions since a 1-0 to Manchester City back in September.
Although, four of the last five games here have been draws.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:15 , Michael Jones
Lucas Moura is aiming to become the first Tottenham player in eight years to score in three consecutive rounds of the League Cup in the same campaign.
Moura has scored in each of Spurs’ last two outings in the Carabao Cup, hitting the winners against Burnley in the fourth round and then West Ham in the quarter-finals.
The last player to score in three matches on the trot in the competition was Harry Kane, as he struck against Nottingham Forest (third round), Brighton (fourth round) and Newcastle United (fifth round) in the 2014/15 season.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:12 , Michael Jones
Since winning three games in a row against Chelsea between 2018 and 2019, Tottenham are winless in their last eight matches against the Blues in all competitions heading into tonight’s game.
They’ve drawn twice and lost six times in that run.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Tuchel on Lukaku’s return
19:09 , Michael Jones
Thomas Tuchel spoke to Sky Sports before kick off about the return of Romelu Lukaku to the starting line-up as well as confirming that Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante miss the game due to Coivd-19. Tuchel said:
Against his old coach... he is our player, this was the plan (to play) but it was also the plan last match and didn’t work out, so happy he is on the pitch today.
“We can listen to this interview 100 times, it will not get better and that will not make it better. We can shift our focus, we accept it happened and we have enough reasons to stay positive and protect him now because he is our player and we want him to be a key player.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
19:06 , Michael Jones
This is the eighth time Chelsea and Tottenham have met in the League Cup and the fourth time they’ve met at this stage of the competition. Chelsea have progressed through two of the previous three semi-finals against Spurs only losing in 2001/02.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: The last Carabao Cup meeting
19:01 , Michael Jones
Chelsea and Tottenham enjoy a penalty shootout in the Carabao Cup. The teams also met in last season’s league cup (although in the fourth round) with that match also going to penalties.
Timo Werner put Chelsea ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium but Erik Lamela’s late equaliser sent the match to a shootout. Mason Mount missed his spot kick and a perfect round of penalties from Spurs saw they progress at the expense of the Blues.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Team changes
18:55 , Michael Jones
There are a few changes for Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side. Edouard Mendy is replaced in goal with Kepa Arrizabalaga whilst Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva drop out of defence. In comes Malang Sarr as it looks as though Chelsea have opted for a back four instead of their usual back three. N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic have all dropped out with Saul Niguez, Jorginho and Hakim Ziyech replacing them. There’s also a return for Romelu Lukaku who starts up top.
Antonio Conte has made just two like-for-like changes to his Tottenham side. Japhet Tanganga and Matt Doherty come in for Eric Dier and Sergio Reguilon.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Line-ups
18:42 , Michael Jones
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Sarr, Alonso, Saul, Jorginho, Mount, Havertz, Lukaku, Ziyech
Your Chelsea team tonight. 🤝@ParimatchGlobal #CheTot pic.twitter.com/KRk3APL1px
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 5, 2022
Tottenham XI: Lloris; Sanchez, Tanganga, Davies, Royal,Skipp, Hojbjerg, Doherty, Moura, Kane, Son
Our team for tonight's Carabao Cup first leg against @ChelseaFC! 👇 pic.twitter.com/KraIUU2IfE
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 5, 2022
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Conte on Spurs’ approach
18:40 , Michael Jones
Antonio Conte is preparing his Tottenham side to go out and beat Chelsea this evening despite this being the first of two legs in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Conte rejected the notion of ‘keeping it tight’ in the away leg and taking something away for the second leg at home saying:
In England, it’s very difficult to try to think, ‘okay, in the first leg, we want to play this way and reach this result’ because, in England, you have to play every game in the same way, and try to get a good result.
“We know very well that Chelsea are an amazing team, they won the Champions League last season, and they improved the squad compared to last season.
“It will be very difficult for us, but, at the same time, in this type of game, you can prove to yourselves the level you are at in this moment. It will be important for us to have a good game and to get a good result in the first leg.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Injuries and absentees
18:36 , Michael Jones
Cristian Romero and Ryan Sessegnon miss out for Tottenham due to hamstring injuries and Steven Bergwijn is sidelined with a calf strain. Manager Antonio Conte says that Spurs have some new Covid-19 concerns but was waiting on test results before saying which other players are out of the match.
Chelsea manewhile are without Trevoh Chalobah who is injured. Andreas Christensen is also a doubt for the game but Timo Werner could feature after a few weeks on the sidelines and Romelu Lukaku may be welcomed back into the squad.
Team news should be out shortly.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
18:32 , Michael Jones
Chelsea last hosted Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals three years ago. The first leg was played at Spurs with a Harry Kane penalty giving the home side the advantage going into the match at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min where all absent for various reasons and Chelsea quickly moved into a 2-0 lead through goals from N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard.
Fernando Llorente scored for Tottenham to make the tie 2-2 on aggregate and force the result to be decided by a penalty shootout. Eric Dier and Lucas Moura missed for Tottenham and Chelsea went through to the final.
Can Tottenham make it one step further this time around?
Chelsea vs Tottenham
18:27 , Michael Jones
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel still believes Romelu Lukaku is a good fit for the club and confirmed that Lukaku was Chelsea’s number one choice when they went into the transfer market last summer.
“First choice is also about what is possible and what’s not possible and what is a good fit,”Tuchel said ahead of the visit of Tottenham. “It was the perfect fit, and it still is. Let’s say the spotlight got a bit bright now and we should not talk around it. We all have things to prove.
“He feels clearly in a position from day one that he has to deliver. I don’t think that you can assume that we spent this amount of money and bring all this effort after having major doubts or second thoughts, or having him on the list in, say, place number four.
“What happened, happened. It is not a small thing, but it is not the biggest thing out there. It does not make a comeback impossible - absolutely not. This is what we prove now but something happened, and he will be fined and of course he needs to accept it.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
18:20 , Michael Jones
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte returns to Stamford Bridge and is preparing for an emotional’return to the club he spent two seasons with between 2016-2018.
Conte won the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea and returns to his old club for the first time since he left.
“I spent two amazing seasons, I created a lot of friendships at the club,” Conte said. “I thank Chelsea because they gave me the possibility to work in England.
“Now, I’m the manager of Tottenham and I want to give this club 100% and more to try to improve the team.
“It’ll be good and for sure I’ll have emotion to come back to Stamford Bridge.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
18:15 , Lawrence Ostlere
Possible line-ups tonight are really just best guesses – there are thought to be some Covid cases in the Chelsea camp while either coach could take the opportunity to rotate their team after a hectic festive period. Here’s some potential teams:
Chelsea: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Sarr; Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Pulisic; Havertz.
Tottenham: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Son, Kane, Moura.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
18:13 , Lawrence Ostlere
Thomas Tuchel has hailed the strength of his “close relationship” with Chelsea’s board and confirmed Romelu Lukaku will be fined for his recent controversial interview.
Club-record signing Lukaku apologised for revealing his unhappiness at Chelsea in an interview released last Thursday but conducted three weeks prior. The £98m summer recruit was omitted from Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool, but is now back in training and in contention for tonight’s game.
Tuchel believes Lukaku did not intend to cause such widespread damage and is determined to “clean the mess up”, but also lifted the lid on his tight-knit working relationship with Chelsea’s board.
Chelsea managers always come off worse amid disharmony with the board, but Tuchel has forged robust links to directors Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia. And now that hard work and cooperative spirit appears to have borne fruit, with Tuchel receiving vindication for his strong stance.
“There will be some discipline actions of course and he will accept it; what happened happened,” said Tuchel. “It’s not a small thing but it’s not the biggest thing. And it does not make a comeback impossible, absolutely not. This is what we’ve proved now.
“Something happened, he will be fined and of course he needs to accept it. It’s not about I push my opinions through or the club pushes their opinions through, we are adults and we reflect the situation. The more the story went on I had a clear opinion and I was happy that was OK with the club to go with it. And I had a feeling it was really OK, as I also spoke to the other players.
“We have a very open, close relationship and we can find very quick solutions, without any political interference, putting every disturbing factor aside and just looking at the issue isolated on the moment and from there we went. And it was very nice to be a part of it. Between Petr, Marina and me it was very calm, very quick and very open.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham
18:08 , Lawrence Ostlere
Chelsea host Tottenham as Antonio Conte returns to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Carabao Cup.
The Blues welcome back Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian striker’s apology for an unauthorised interview, which saw Thomas Tuchel drop the £97.5m signing in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. “To the fans, I’m sorry for the upset that I caused, I should have been much clearer in my message,” Lukaku told the Chelsea website. “The interview was about saying goodbye to the Inter [Milan] fans, and it wasn’t about trying to disrespect the [Chelsea] fans, my team-mates, the club and the manager.”
Antonio Conte provides update on Harry Kane’s Tottenham future
14:26 , Jack Rathborn
Antonio Conte is impressed with the way Harry Kane has bought into the Italian’s project at Tottenham and says he will be the focal point of any success.
The striker looked set to leave Spurs in the summer after hankering for a move to Manchester City, hinting at his desire during a high-profile interview with Gary Neville and turning up to pre-season training late.
Chairman Daniel Levy stood firm and, after City did not come to the table with an offer that even needed contemplating, Kane, who is under contract until 2024, was forced to stay at the club.
The hangover of that saga went on for some time and it is only under Conte, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach in November, that the England captain has come to life this season.
Antonio Conte provides update on Harry Kane’s Tottenham future
Romelu Lukaku apologises to Chelsea fans: ‘I totally understand you guys being upset’
14:25 , Jack Rathborn
Romelu Lukaku has apologised to Chelsea fans after an giving an interview in which he complained about life at the club and expressed his wish to return to Inter Milan.
In an interview conducted three weeks ago but released last Thursday, Lukaku expressed unhappiness at a lack of game time at Chelsea, whom he rejoined from Inter last summer. Tuchel left the Belgium international out of the Chelsea squad for Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool, and it was later revealed that the German would speak to Lukaku about the matter on Monday.
“To the fans, I’m sorry for the upset that I caused,” Lukaku said in a video posted on Chelsea’s social media channels. “You guys know the connection that I have with this club since my teenage years, so I totally understand you guys being upset. Obviously it’s up to me now to restore your trust.”
Romelu Lukaku apologises to Chelsea fans: ‘I totally understand you guys being upset’
From Conte to Tuchel, Romelu Lukaku shows how role of Chelsea manager has evolved
14:24 , Jack Rathborn
When Romelu Lukaku’s interview with Sky Italia first broke, Thomas Tuchel immediately got in touch with the Chelsea hierarchy to explain his thinking. Their thinking, however, is perhaps the most instructive part of this. It quickly became clear that Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia trusted Tuchel’s instinct, and were willing to back him on his approach.
Even more importantly, all of that was with Roman Abramovich’s support.
Part of the reason Tuchel was relatively relaxed about it all was because he put it down to simple impatience rather than anything more serious. Lukaku had finally found a system that was perfect for him at Inter, only for external factors – principally the Serie A club’s financial situation – to force him elsewhere. That naturally played into an initial frustration when his second period with Chelsea started slowly.
From Conte to Tuchel, Romelu Lukaku shows how role of Chelsea manager has evolved
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Team news
14:22 , Jack Rathborn
The big question for Thomas Tuchel relates to Romelu Lukaku, who was left out of the matchday squad for the draw against Liverpool and held talks with his manager on Monday after expressing his displeasure with his role at the club in an interview released last week.
The Belgian has apologised and will be back, but may start initially from the bench, while Edouard Mendy is definitely unavailable having departed for the African Cup of Nations. Trevoh Chalobah’s hamstring issue will be assessed having played 70 minutes of that Liverpool encounter, while Thiago Silva’s legs may be given more time to recover after he made his return.
Cristian Romero remains out for Spurs but should be back in action soon, while the unfortunate Ryan Sessegnon is well-acquainted with the Tottenham treatment table and a thigh issue seems set to rule him out.
Steven Bergwijn has been linked with a move away from the club in January and is also troubled by a recent injury, which could mean an opportunity for Bryan Gil, though with Morecambe reasonably lowly weekend FA Cup opposition, Antonio Conte may stick with something close to his strongest side.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Predicted line-ups
14:22 , Jack Rathborn
Chelsea: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Sarr; Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Pulisic; Havertz
Tottenham: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Son, Kane, Moura
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Odds
14:22 , Jack Rathborn
Chelsea - 42/41
Draw - 27/10
Tottenham - 29/10
