Maurizio Sarri claimed progress beyond Tottenham on penalties into the first major final of his coaching career will breathe new “enthusiasm” into Chelsea’s season.
The hosts overcame a first-leg deficit to set up a meeting with Manchester City at Wembley next month with Sarri’s players reacting impressively after the head coach suggested they had lacked motivation and fight in losing meekly at Arsenal on Saturday. Sarri stressed he had not been seeking to criticise his team, but pointed to this victory as potentially being restorative in terms of Chelsea’s progress this season.
“In the last three or four matches, we had problems,” he said. “One was the motivation, and the other problem was that the players stopped having fun on the pitch.
“So I think that now, with this performance and the result, we can find enthusiasm again. So it’s very important. My players reacted really well tonight, but we need to have motivation with continuity now. We played with another mind. With another motivation. With another determination.”
Eden Hazard, restored on the left, had inspired the home side to a 2-0 half-time lead with Sarri having suggested in the build-up that, while a wonderfully gifted player, the Belgium captain is far from a natural leader in this squad. “I don’t care,” said Hazard when asked about his head coach’s assessment. “I just play my football. It doesn’t matter what the manager said. I just focus on my football and want to do my best for this team.”
Spurs, already without the injured Harry Kane and Dele Alli, and absent Son Heung-min, ended up restoring parity in the tie only for Eric Dier and Lucas Moura, the latter denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga, to miss in the shootout. This was the first year that the away goal rule has not applied in the semi-finals of this competition since 1980.
“We made an unbelievable effort,” said Mauricio Pochettino, whose side have now lost domestic semi-finals in each of the last three seasons. “This season we are fighting not only with the opponents but with everything that’s happened. That is not an excuse. It’ll make us stronger. We have three more competitions, still, and I can only feel proud of the performance and the way we competed.”
Tottenham, who travel to Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, lost Ben Davies to a slight groin injury and Moussa Sissoko to fatigue.
