Tottenham Hotspur 4-2

Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2:

Eden Hazard puts Antonio Conte on course for the double after decisive late show

Sam Wallace

The water has been a little choppy of late for Antonio Conte, a couple of defeats, a wave of illness in the squad, and a brief bout of general uncertainty for which the cure he prescribed was an afternoon at Wembley breaking the hearts of one of Chelsea’s most bitter rivals

Even the shrewd old Italian might struggle to explain how his side cruised into the FA Cup final two goals the better to Mauricio Pochettino’s bright young team who know how to control a big game but have not yet mastered the art of winning them. While Tottenham Hotspur were making their minds up how best to finish off a Chelsea team that was well off the pace for long periods, Conte’s players took the decision out of their opponents’ hands.

It helps when you can send on Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas as second half substitutes, as Pochettino ruefully reflected, but then perhaps his team should have closed the deal long before then. When the first two of that trio came on the score was 2-2 and once Hazard scored the third there was no looking back for a team that are now on for the Premier League and FA Cup double in their manager’s first season.

Conte picked a team without Costa and Hazard claiming both were rested with Tuesday’s Premier League home game against Southampton in mind and that the plan was always a second half cameo. He played Nathan Ake as a replacement for Gary Cahill, still out with an illness, and so Chelsea prevailed with the unerring certainty they have demonstrated most of the time in the Roman Abramovich years.

As for Spurs, this was the seventh straight FA Cup semi-final defeat for the club since they last won the competition in 1991 and the television pictures of Wembley Way with five minutes of the match left told their own story. It was full of Spurs fans ruminating on another day when triumph was within their grasp, when they had the game’s best player in Christian Eriksen, and yet it slipped through their fingers again.

None of this will matter if they reel in Chelsea’s four-point lead in the Premier League and win the club’s first league championship since 1961 but if one was looking for clues to the end of the season there was not that much encouragement in that regard. No doubt that the young guns in Pochettino’s team will continue to play swashbuckling, exciting football and Conte’s players will most likely continue to win matches.

Pochettino said that the burden of history does not weigh on his players and that the lessons will be learned for next season but in the rapidly emptying Spurs end of Wembley it felt that history hung heavy. Twice they had come from behind to Chelsea goals scored by Willian, the second from the penalty spot, and having done so Spurs really should have gone on to win the game.

Even Conte appeared to sense it and sent on Hazard in the reasonable belief that the best attacking player of the top-flight season might just have a trick up his sleeve to change the game and he duly did, scoring from a loose ball from the first corner Chelsea won all afternoon. By contrast, Pochettino had to turn to Georges-Kevin N’Koudou when the chips were down.

Afterwards, Pochettino said that the death of Under-23s coach Ugo Ehiogu, from a heart attack suffered at the training ground on Thursday, had been a dreadful blow to the club’s staff and players. He did not cite it as a mitigating factor and pointed out that Ehiogu’s death put the rest of their football lives into sharp perspective.

Pochettino too made some interesting selection decisions, picking a back three and no Kyle Walker in the line-up, while deploying Heung-min Son, who gave away a first half penalty, as a left wing-back. Spurs went in at half-time having controlled the first half but 2-1 behind.
Eriksen was always two paces too far from a blue shirt when he got the ball and it was the Dane’s left footed cross from the right side which Harry Kane flicked masterfully with the top of his head on 18 minutes, putting just enough on the ball to change its flight and beat Thibaut Courtois.

Spurs had fallen behind on five minutes when Ake took the ball from Kane and picked out Michy Batshuayi, starting in Costa’s place, whose lay-off to Pedro was the striker’s only really meaningful contribution in the match.
Running into the space was Pedro who got away from Toby Alderweireld rapidly and drew the foul on the edge of the area for which the Belgian was booked. The free-kick was always going to be a very dangerous situation for Spurs, made more difficult by the Chelsea players causing problems in the wall. Willian’s whipped right foot shot came round the corner quickly and beat Hugo Lloris.

Then with just three minutes of the half left, Victor Moses got a rare run on the right side of the Spurs area and Son dived in when there was no need for him to do so. Martin Atkinson awarded the penalty on the advice of his assistant and from the penalty spot, Willian beat Lloris. It had not been an entirely assured first half from the Spurs captain who handled outside his area but got away with it.

Eriksen made the second Spurs goal seven minutes into the second half with another ball from the right that picked out beautifully the run of Dele Alli between David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta, and the Spurs man finished for his 20th club goal of the season. For all their pressure after the hour, Spurs could not score a third and conceded when Hazard got the ball into a shooting position quickly and drilled a low shot into the left corner of Lloris’ goal.

By now, Spurs were running out of options and took off Victor Wanyama for N’Koudou. Perhaps that was why Hazard’s cut back found Nemanja Matic in plenty of space and his left foot shot was unstoppable, a sweet rising driving that clipped the underside of Lloris’ bar and went in.
Conte finished the day with a long complaint about having a day less than Spurs to recover before his team play Southampton in three days. You got the feeling he would have swapped this victory for a win on Tuesday but having won this one, Chelsea will surely believe that nothing can stop them now.

The Chelsea match-winners speak

Nemanja Matic: "Yeah it [the goal] was nice. We are very happy because we are in the final.
"Congratulations to Spurs, they made it tough, but when you score four goals you have to win the game.
"They are a great team. As I said it was very hard. They didn't give up and they play good football."

Eden Hazard:
"It's always good to win this kind of game. It will be my first FA Cup final with Chelsea and I hope to win this competition.
"The manager told me yesterday [about being on the bench]. When you play football you want to play every game but he made a good choice. Willian played a good game and scored twice."

=================================

Independent:

Eden Hazard comes off the bench to drive Chelsea past Tottenham and into FA Cup final
Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2: Hazard's replacement in the starting XI, Willian, scored twice

Miguel Delaney Wembley

One moment of managerial inspiration, a double substitution, and Chelsea thereby stay on course for the double. Those bare facts barely tell the story of this sensational FA Cup semi-final of multiple strands and moments to savour, though. The fundamental truth - as ever, it seems - is that Chelsea just had too much for Tottenham Hotspur. The fundamental frustration for Mauricio Pochettino is that his side once again came up short, and are now likely to again end the season without a trophy, especially since this very 4-2 defeat will have completely shifted the momentum of the title race.

That is the more immediate frustration for the Argentine. Spurs had actually shown supreme resilience to twice come back, to step up, and looked like they were ready to make the leap.
Then, Antonio Conte merely brought on his two biggest stars and Chelsea went and won it. It was effectively the recent history of the clubs summed up.

Pochettino’s side had offered the performance, the football, the emotional intensity… but Chelsea just had the expensive star quality to go and win it.
At the same time, a match of such high quality shouldn’t always necessarily lead to defining negatives or positives about either side. This was actually the first time that an FA Cup semi-final had featured the top two since 1999 - and only the second time since the second world war - and it told. Both greatly contributed to what was probably the most pulsating and rip-roaring semi since that famous epic. There certainly can’t have been too many last-four games in that time - or of any time - to match it for high-quality momentum, or that so swung and forced the managers into action as much as the players.

Both Pochettino and Conte had taken risks with their teams before the game, the Argentine putting Son Heung-min at left wing-back and the Italian leaving Diego Costa and Eden Hazard on the bench, and both were forced into more big decisions as this encounter to take massive shifts.

The game was of course played in the shadow of Spurs coach Ugo Ehiogu’s tragic passing on Friday, so it was perhaps understandable that Pochettino’s side started the game out of sorts, after such an emotional tribute to the former Aston Villa defence. Chelsea were ready to go from the off, though, and duly illustrated that when a racing Pedro forced Toby Alderweireld into a sloppy foul and Willian stepped up to take advantage of Hugo Lloris’ sloppy footwork. The Brazilian’s free-kick was excellently curled into the corner.

The curiosity, however, was just how much the game immediately swung. Having looked completely out of sorts, Spurs suddenly looked out for action, and it was very quickly Chelsea desperately hacking the ball away - and for pretty much the next 55 minutes.

Tottenham were so completely on top, and dominated the majority of the game. Even there, though, there were pointers of what was to come.
As dominant as Spurs were, and as desperately far deep as Chelsea often here, Conte’s side were still marshalling the space well enough to prevent any real chances being created. It was telling that it took moments of genuine elite quality to open them. First there was Harry Kane’s supreme
improvised header for the first equaliser, then the controversial Dele Alli’s instinctive first-time finish - not too long after he appeared to stamp on David Luiz - for the second equaliser, with both of them coming from perfectly devastating but very different Christian Eriksen crosses.

In between those, Willian had of course scored a penalty, after Son had gone in rashly on Victor Moses just before half-time. That is the kind of challenge that is inevitable when you have a forward in a notionally defensive position, but that was what Chelsea were reduced to, because there was nothing inevitable about them scoring at that point.

Spurs had been the better team in the game and, once Alli had struck so emphatically, looked set to announce themselves as the better team on the whole.
That, however, was when reality came crashing down.
Conte finally sent for the cavalry, and substitutes Hazard and Costa sent Chelsea through to their first FA Cup final since 2012. Even the quality of the winning goals seemed insultingly symbolic, as if to show a Spurs pushed to the very limit that these were the heights Chelsea could more effortlessly reach when they really needed.

For the first clincher, and Chelsea’s third and the game’s fifth, Hazard picked the ball up at the edge of the box. He then edged himself to the left before precisely rolling the ball past Lloris. For the next, Nemanja Matic - of all players - thumped the ball in off the crossbar from distance.
There once more looked a distance between the teams, and that four points in the Premier League table a chasm again rather than an ever-closing gap.

It was a further twist to this match. The build-up had been dominated by talk over whether Spurs were actually the best team in the country, and ironically spent much of this match as the better team.
Yet they still weren’t as good as Chelsea.

Spurs are likely to end up with nothing again, having given everything again. It just wasn't enough.
Chelsea had two much, and may now end up with two trophies

===========================

Observer:

Eden Hazard clinches semi-final thriller for Chelsea against Tottenham
Chelsea 4 - 2 Spurs

Paul Wilson at Wembley

The Wembley misery for Tottenham goes on. Not only were Mauricio Pochettino’s team well beaten by what appeared to be a weakened Chelsea side, their hopes of striking a psychological blow against their title rivals were dealt a blow when Antonio Conte came up with some blue sky thinking of his own, saving the best until last to put a strong Spurs performance into unflattering perspective.

Tottenham have still not been in an FA Cup final since Paul Gascoigne was running around injuring himself against Nottingham Forest in 1991 and they have now failed at the semi-final stage on seven consecutive occasions. Chelsea last won the Cup in 2012 and Conte now has a chance to mark his first season in England by winning the Double. It would be foolish to write him off, for though his selection policy might have been deemed risky, it ended up underlining the strength at his disposal.

All the pre-match conversation had centred on Chelsea’s eccentric starting line-up with Eden Hazard and Diego Costa named on the bench for one of the biggest matches of the season. Traditionally, an FA Cup semi-final is regarded as one of the most significant games of the season anyway and in Premier League terms this one pitted first in the table against second. It is true that Sir Alex Ferguson watered down his Manchester United team for a Wembley semi-final against Everton eight years ago, but he was worried about an upcoming Champions League appointment, not a home game against Southampton on Tuesday. f Conte is really that concerned about the tightening situation at the top of the league he could hardly have sent out a stronger message of encouragement to Pochettino and his chasing team.

Or so it seemed before kickoff. Once the game got underway the Chelsea changes had an almost instantaneous positive effect. Michy Batshuayi is still waiting for his first league start this season but the first time he received the ball in an attacking position a clever flick and feint was all he needed to send Pedro racing towards goal. Toby Alderweireld just about managed to get across in time to cover but only succeeded in bringing the Spaniard down with a scything tackle on the edge of the area. The defender went into the book with barely four minutes on the clock and to make matters even worse Willian scored directly from the free-kick, bending a shot around the wall to catch out Hugo Lloris.
With Chelsea continuing to dominate, Batshuayi brought a save by Lloris from a N’Golo Kanté cross, finding himself free in front of goal but unable to quite summon enough power on the header to trouble the goalkeeper.

The header from Harry Kane that brought Spurs back level in the 18th minute was hardly the most forceful Wembley has ever seen either, though whether by accident or design he managed to put the ball in exactly the right place when he stooped low to meet Christian Eriksen’s cross with an improvised finish.
David Luiz needed treatment after Dele Alli trod on his ankle while looking in the opposite direction, the Spurs player receiving the benefit of the doubt and going unpunished by the referee, Martin Atkinson.

Spurs seemed to have recovered from their early nerves by the half-hour mark, and Eric Dier was close to putting then ahead from a Jan Vertonghen cross as the Chelsea chances began to dry up. A well-timed challenge from David Luiz was needed to prevent Alli running clear from Kane’s nudge forward, then an Eriksen shot was comfortably held by Thibaut Courtois when it appeared the goalkeeper might be caught off his line.

Just when Conte must have been weighing up the pros and cons of putting his strongest team out for the second half, Chelsea unexpectedly regained the lead. There seemed little danger when Kanté fanned the ball out for Victor Moses to cross from the right, but as he entered the penalty area the wing-back took an extra touch that left Son Heung-min exposed and already committed to a sliding tackle. Son protested his innocence, but it was a poor challenge to make in the area and once Moses had fallen over an outstretched leg Willian scored his second of the afternoon from the penalty spot.

Spurs were thus obliged to climb back into the game again and it took them only seven minutes of the second half to manage it. The influential Eriksen hoisted a diagonal ball forward that David Luiz thought he had covered until Alli nipped in ahead of him to beat Courtois with a masterly first-time finish, taking only one touch but sending a left-foot half-volley high into the net.
The game was a full-blooded contest now, and when Willian saw a shot blocked at one end, Alli charged into the box at the other to win a corner.

When Costa and Hazard made their entrances after just over an hour in what appeared a pre-planned strategy, nothing happened for the best part of a quarter of an hour. Chelsea continued to look sluggish and reluctant to take the game to Spurs with only Moses willing to break out of his own half, though one of his runs produced the corner from which their third goal arrived. Cesc Fàbregas crossed but did not find David Luiz, Spurs failed to clear and the ball ran through to Hazard on the edge of the area who drilled a low shot into Lloris’s bottom corner.

As if making up for lost time Hazard was also involved in the show-stopping finish five minutes later, carrying the ball across the area and meeting little resistance before rolling a pass back for Nemanja Matic to score with a thumping drive.
One could only feel sorry for Spurs by then, they hardly deserved to be on the end of a 4-2 mauling, yet Chelsea not only seem to be writing their own rules but coming up with some completely new scripts.

Chelsea

GK Thibaut Courtois 6/10 Fit again after missing last week’s defeat to Manchester United, the big Belgian could not be faulted for either of Tottenham’s goals.
CB César Azpilicueta 7/10 The Spaniard is Chelsea’s most consistent player and there was never any prospect of him being caught out. Did the basics with typical efficiency.
CB David Luiz 7/10 The Brazilian lost Dele Alli for Tottenham’s second equaliser, a reminder that he still suffers the occasional brain freeze, but he recovered well.
CB Nathan Aké 6/10 In for the unwell Gary Cahill for his first start since February. Made important interventions, but slack marking led to Tottenham’s first equaliser.
RWB Victor Moses 6/10 Cleverly won Chelsea’s penalty by luring Son Heung-min into a needless challenge and making the most of faint contact. Also defended well.
LWB Marcos Alonso 6/10 Booked for throwing the ball away, the Spaniard was wasteful in possession at times. But he rarely looked like committing a major error. Reliable.
CM Ngolo Kanté 7/10 Snappy and energetic as ever, he relished the battle, although he might have done more to stop Eriksen crossing for Kane’s goal. Booked.
CM Nemanja Matic 7/10 Got through the dirty work unfussily in the middle Then he confirmed his team’s victory with an unbelievable 30-yard piledriver.
FW Willian 8/10 The replacement for the rested Eden Hazard offered a reminder of his class, scoring with a lovely free-kick before converting a penalty.
FW Michy Batshuayi 6/10 Starting for the first time since January, the Belgian released Pedro with a brilliant flick. But his threat had faded by the time he went off.
FW Pedro 6/10 The winger’s pace was a constant thorn in Tottenham’s side and he won the free-kick that led to Willian’s opener. Unselfish off the ball.

SUBSTITUTES
Diego Costa 6 (for Batshuayi 61) Missed a good late chance; Eden Hazard 8 (for Willian 61) Came off the bench to produce one moment of decisive magic Cesc Fàbregas 6 (for Pedro 74) His corner led to Hazard’s winner.

Tottenham Hotspur

GK Hugo Lloris 5/10 Anticipating that Willian would curl his early free-kick over the wall, the goalkeeper could not react when the Brazilian bent a sharp effort into the opposite corner.
CB Eric Dier 6/10 Gave a decent account of himself after making a nervy start. A couple of hairy moments, though, and he missed a good chance to give Tottenham the lead.
CB Toby Alderweireld 5/10 Booked for the foul on Pedro that led to Chelsea’s opener, the normally dependable centre-back was uncertain. A strangely jittery performance.
CB Jan Vertonghen 6/10 A solid performance from the Belgian, who denied Willian with an important block early in the second half. Rarely put a foot wrong.
RWB Kieran Trippier 6/10 Stood in for Kyle Walker and offered attacking thrust on the right, often combining well with Eriksen. Moved to the left in the second half.
LWB Son Heung-Min 5/10 Shoehorned into the team by Mauricio Pochettino, the South Korean was a wobbly presence at wing-back. Naive defensively, he conceded a rash penalty.
CM Victor Wanyama 6/10 Strong and powerful in midfield, the Kenyan broke up plenty of Chelsea moves with forceful challenges. Tough to bypass, though he can lack composure.
CM Mousa Dembélé 6/10 Disappointing in the early stages, but Tottenham improved when he started to dictate the tempo and pull the strings in midfield.
AM Christian Eriksen 7/10 Comfortable with both feet, the Dane gave a Beckham-esque cross for Alli’s equaliser and created Kane’s goal with another delivery. Always a threat.
AM Dele Alli 7/10 Might have been censured when he trod on David Luiz. Booked for a cynical foul on Moses. But he always influences games and his 20th goal of the season hauled Tottenham level.
CF Harry Kane 7/10 The best striker in England showed speed of thought and tremendous skill to score from an unlikely position, stooping low to skim a back-header past Courtois.

SUBSTITUTES
Kyle Walker 6 (for Trippier 70) Didn’t get on the ball; Georges-Kévin N’Koudou 67 (for Wanyama 80) On too late to make a difference.

==============================

Mail:

Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham: Eden Hazard comes off the bench to fire Antonio Conte's side into FA Cup final and keep alive double quest in a six-goal thriller

By Rob Draper for The Mail on Sunday

Here was the contest we had dared to hope for, the two best teams in the country furiously wrestling each other for supremacy in an exhilarating bout at this famous old venue. The only regret? That this was not the final; it would have been one of the greats.

Still, there is now a tradition of Wembley semi-finals and this one will live long in the memory. Perhaps as long as 1991 and that Paul Gascoigne goal, even if it will be less-fondly recalled by Spurs.
It even had a strike which, if not quite as astounding as that one, was still one of the best moments this stadium has witnessed. 

Nemanja Matic finally settled this compelling affair with a goal from 30 yards which will accumulate YouTube views and likes for years to come.

'To see this type of game, I think England must be proud, to have this type of football with this intensity, this level of players,' said Antonio Conte.
He was right. Too often excitement trumps technique in games deemed to be good in England but here there was quality and thrills in equal measure.

For Tottenham, there will inevitably be regrets. They are becoming that delightful team which comes up short in the final analysis. That may seem harsh, given their improvement.
On Saturday, they were excellent again; yet still second best. Even in defeat, Christian Eriksen was man of the match. Perhaps their time will come. Yet, trophies pass them by. And perhaps not just the FA Cup.

Even with no points at stake, the momentum of the Premier League race shifted back in Chelsea's favour. With Chelsea buoyed by this win and Tottenham punctured by defeat, the already unlikely task is surely beyond Tottenham now.

This was a seventh successive FA Cup semi-final defeat and Mauricio Pochettino protested that he could not change the past. 'We need to build the present to have a better future,' he insisted.
'I know and I am sure that if I am a Spurs supporter I would feel disappointed. But our fans know the pressure and the momentum we had in the game. And I feel very proud as the players did a fantastic effort. I believe it is an exciting team.
'Two years ago it was difficult to think we would arrive at that level, to reach a semi-final, final, fight for the Premier League. Now it is a reality. It is important to be clever how we build the team for the next few years.'

But Chelsea prevailed whilst initially holding back their best hand. Conte gambled outrageously, leaving Diego Costa and Eden Hazard on the bench for the almighty clash, later claiming that the Premier League, in scheduling their next game on Tuesday when Spurs play on Wednesday, made him do it.
'You must take a strong decision and take the responsibility but, for sure, it is not easy,' he said.
Cometh the hour, the plan was always to reach for the stars and ultimately, that would be decisive. Still, without Hazard and Costa, you suspected Chelsea might start on the back foot. Not so. They fairly flew into Tottenham.

And just four minutes in, Chelsea had exerted their early superiority. Pedro, a constant irritant, set on his way by a Michy Batshuayi flick, was sprinting away and hacked to the floor by Toby Alderweireld. Willian struck the free kick from 20 yards out and Hugo Lloris hesitated, feinting to his right as the ball flew past him to his left.
The tone seemed set. And yet, the momentum would switch on 18 minutes. From a Spurs corner, the ball worked its way back to Eriksen. His cross was sublime but Harry Kane's stooping header, a triumph of opportunism and skill, was even better. Even if Kante had failed to close – for once – and Nathan Ake failed to mark, it was some goal.

Now Tottenham were in the ascendancy, flying forwards with wing backs Kieran Trippier and Son Heung-min. In midfield there was a veritable heavyweight clash of tag teams; Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante versus Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.
A more-ferocious contest of better midfielders is hard to imagine in this country. But Conte's team were creaking. Jan Vertonghen's lovely cross was met by Eric Dier, who headed just wide on 36 minutes.

Spurs though invited their opponents back into the game. Chelsea gathered their poise and worked the ball out wide for Kante to play in Victor Moses. He broke dangerously into the box yet there was little need for Son's diving challenge, which begged for Moses to fall over him and a penalty to be awarded. Willian stepped up and again fooled Lloris for 2-1.

Yet each blow invited an equally-compelling counter punch. And, on 51 minutes, when Eriksen spotted Dele Alli making a trademark run from deep, he knew precisely the ball he needed.
With little width and minimal back-lift, the Dane delivered a delightful ball with exquisite precision. Again, his excellent delivery was matched by the finish: Alli, sprinting, meeting the ball first time, directing it past Thibaut Courtois.

Now Spurs believed and Chelsea needed a lift. On the hour it came with Costa and Hazard unleashed on the game, with Batshuayi and a seemingly disgruntled Willian giving way. Tottenham still looked the stronger but neither team would yield. On came Cesc Fabregas for Pedro. Conte's hand had been played.
Moses flew forwards and a corner was won. Fabregas floated it goalwards and Kyle Walker headed clear but only to Hazard. A posse of Tottenham players flew at the Belgian to close him down. Yet somehow he managed to strike through them all and past Lloris on 75 minutes.

Chelsea might have feared the onslaught. And yet, on 80 minutes, a strike worthy of a wonderful contest settled the game. Hazard, refusing to give up on a seemingly lost cause, chased across the Tottenham, area and touched the ball to Matic.
Thirty yards out, with little danger imminent, Matic simply connected first time with the most-exquisite timing possible.
The ball flew past defenders and past Lloris into the far right hand corner and somehow Chelsea had prevailed with something to spare.

Chelsea (3-4-3): Courtois 6, Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 6.5, Ake 6, Moses 6.5, Kante 7.5, Matic 7, Alonso 5, Willian 8.5 (Hazard 61, 7), Batshuayi 6.5 (Costa 61, 6), Pedro 7 (Fabregas 74, 6)
Subs not used: Begovic, Zouma, Terry, Chalobah
Goals: Willian 5, 43 (pen), Hazard 75, Matic 80
Booked: Alonso
Manager: Antonio Conte 7.5

Tottenham (3-4-2-1): Lloris 5, Dier 6, Alderweireld 5.5, Vertonghen 6, Trippier 7, Wanyama 6.5 (Nkoudou 80), Dembele 6.5, Son 5.5 (Walker 68, 6), Eriksen 8, Alli 7.5, Kane 7
Subs not used: Janssen, Sissoko, Wimmer, Lopez, Davies
Goals: Kane 18, Alli 52
Booked: Alderweireld, Alli
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7

Referee: Martin Atkinson 7
Attendance: 86,355
Ratings by Adam Shergold

=================================

Express:

Chelsea 4 - Tottenham 2: Antonio Conte's ruthless Blues snatch FA Cup final berth

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.

The Italian manager has delivered a few masterstrokes this season, and here was another. Why do people keep on doubting him?
Chelsea took the lead within five minutes of the kick off, playing with the vitality and vigour of potential champions.
Pedro roared forward from the halfway line and was felled on the edge of the box by Toby Alderweireld. The free-kick was taken by Willian, who curled a delicious shot into the net.
For a few minutes Tottenham appeared stunned by the setback. But there is a diamond-hard resilience to these Spurs and they equalised swiftly enough.

Christian Eriksen crossed low with his left foot in the 18th minute and Harry Kane scored with a deft header into the far corner of the net.  There had seemed little threat from the cross --- but there is always danger with Kane around.
Now it was Spurs in command of a compelling contest. Eric Dier head inches wide and Eriksen had a shot saved by Thibaut Courtois.

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.

=================================

Star:

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2: Nemanja Matic screamer sends Blues into FA Cup final

ANTONIO CONTE got his big decisions right as Tottenham’s Wembley woe continued.

By Paul Hetherington

But after an hour of a magnificent FA Cup Semi-Final, Conte replaced Willian with Hazard, who put Chelsea back in front before setting up the fourth goal for Nemanja Matic.
So it is Chelsea who go to the final as Spurs, who scored through Harry Kane and Dele Alli, suffered again at the national stadium.
They have now won just one of their last nine matches at Wembley, including this season’s European games.

It was a semi-final tinged with sadness following the sudden death of Ugo Ehiogu, Tottenham’s Under-23s coach.
Both sides wore black armbands and Spurs clearly wanted to put on a special performance as a tribute to the former England defender – and they came close to doing so.

There was a minute’s applause for Ehiogu before the kick-off, rightly acknowledged by the participating Chelsea fans too.
And it was the Blues who were celebrating in only the fifth minute as Spurs made a nightmare start.
A move started by Nathan Ake and Michy Batshuayi – two players who were not originally expected to figure – led to Pedro breaking through the middle at pace.

The Spaniard’s run was ended just outside the penalty area by a foul from behind by Toby Alderweireld, who was yellow-carded by referee Martin Atkinson.
And worse was to follow for Spurs as Willian superbly curled the free-kick to the left of keeper Hugo Lloris and into the corner of the net.
As Chelsea celebrated, a light aircraft flew over Wembley, displaying a streamer which read “Antonio, Antonio” in tribute to the Blues boss.

Chelsea almost scored again 10 minutes later but Batshuayi did not get enough power behind his header and Lloris dropped to his left to save.
Tottenham, however, recovered to score a fine equaliser in the 18th minute. A corner was headed out by Ake but Spurs immediately retrieved possession.

Christian Eriksen crossed low from the right for Kane to stoop and cleverly flicked a delicate header into the far corner of the net for his 26th goal of the season.
There was a scare for Chelsea when David Luiz was trod on by Alli as he made a clearance. The Brazilian defender required two minutes of treatment before being able to continue.

Spurs then almost took the lead as they took a grip on the first half for a spell. Jan Vertonghen crossed from the left and Eric Dier glanced a header across the face of goal and inches wide.
When Tottenham came again after Cesar Azpilicueta had been robbed of possession, Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois plucked a curling effort from Eriksen out of the air.

But Chelsea regained the lead two minutes from half-time when Heung-Min Son was ruled to have brought down Victor Moses as he moved on to a N’Golo Kante pass.
Son, not normally a wing-back, went to ground but Moses appeared to dive over his body.

Referee Atkinson took his time before pointing to the spot and Willian converted the penalty. But just seven minutes into the second half it was all square in the capital derby.
Eriksen delivered an exquisite pass and Alli timed his run perfectly to meet the ball and drive it past Courtois.
Spurs then had a penalty shout turned down when Alli went to ground.
With Tottenham on top again, Conte sent on the cavalry in the shape of Hazard and Diego Costa on the hour. They replaced Willian – who could feel hard done by – and Batshuayi.

And 15 minutes later, Hazard superbly drove Chelsea in front. A corner delivered by another substitute Cesc Fabregas was half cleared by Spurs sub Kyle Walker but only as far as Hazard.
From just inside the box, the brilliant Belgian struck a low left-foot shot through a crowded goalmouth and into the far corner of the net.

Hazard then set up Matic five minutes later for another Chelsea goal, a left-foot rocket high into the net.
That brought Spurs’ eight-game winning streak to a painful end as Kane was denied an added-time goal from a free-kick when Courtois grabbed the ball at the second attempt as it spun back into his arms.

================================================

Sun:

BLUE BEAUTY Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2:

Nemanja Matic and Eden Hazard decisive in FA Cup Wembley thriller as Blues book final date
Willian scored twice with Harry Kane and Dele Alli also on the scoresheet but it was Hazard and Matic who had final say

By Anthony Chapman

NEMANJA MATIC booked Chelsea a spot at the FA Cup final in style with his thunderbolt strike sealing a 4-2 semi-final win over Tottenham this afternoon.
The Serb lashed home from outside the area to bring Wembley to its feet on a memorable day for Antonio Conte and Blues fans.

Chelsea started the brighter of the two and were rewarded with a free-kick after just five minutes when Pedro was brought down by Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian was booked but things got worse for Spurs as Willian fired in the resulting set-piece with aplomb.

Eden Hazard was dropped in favour of the Brazilian and it appeared Antonio Conte was also right with his selections of Nathan Ake and Michy Batshuayi, with all three looking sharp.
However, Tottenham rallied and scored an equaliser through Harry Kane after 17 minutes.
The clinical striker stooped low to score a backwards diving header, and his goal saw Spurs step up the pressure ten-fold.

But Chelsea held on and again came out on top when Son Heung-Min fouled Victor Moses two minutes before the break.
And Spurs again battled back to restore parity when Christian Eriksen’s sumptuous long pass was tucked home by Dele Alli with 52 minutes on the clock.
But sub Hazard made sure Chelsea took a late advantage when he found the target with 15 minutes remaining before Matic put the result beyond doubt with his stunner from distance.

DREAM TEAM RATINGS
Chelsea: Courtois 6, Azpilicueta 7, David Luiz 7, Ake 6, Moses 7, Kante 7, Matic 7, Alonso 6, Willian 7 (Hazard 7), Batshuayi 6 (Costa 6), Pedro 6 (Fabregas 6)
Subs not used: Begovic, Zouma, Terry, Chalobah
Goals: Willian 5’, 43’ (pen), Hazard 75’, Matic 80’
Booked: Kante, Alonso

Tottenham: Lloris 5, Dier 6, Alderweireld 6, Vertonghen 6, Trippier 6, Wanyama 6 (Nkoudou 6), Dembele 6, Son 6 (Walker 6), Eriksen 8, Alli 7, Kane 7
Subs not used: Janssen, Sissoko, Wimmer, Lopez, Davies
Goals: Kane 18’, Alli 52’
Booked: Alderweireld, Alli

Star Man: Christian Eriksen

=================================

Mirror:

Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham: Blues edge thriller at Wembley to reach FA Cup final

Substitute Eden Hazard scored the decisive goal before Nemanja Matic rubber-stamped the victory with a screamer

BYJOHN CROSS

Eden Hazard inspired a brilliant Chelsea late victory as Antonio Conte’s men won a Wembley classic.
Hazard and Nemanja Matic scored late goals as Chelsea overcame Tottenham to give the Premier League leaders a huge boost.

Tottenham twice fought back from being behind as Willian’s early free kick and then his penalty before half time put Chelsea ahead.
But Harry Kane and then Dele Alli levelled things up and Tottenham looked in complete control with Chelsea on the ropes.
But the introduction of Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas changed the game completely as Conte’s substitutions hit the jackpot.

The FA Cup still matters

This was an incredible game, a real thriller. Tottenham unlucky as they played so well, Chelsea fought and it shows this brilliant game was a treat for 86,355 fans (well, maybe about half).
But it was a classic to remind us all that the FA Cup is a fabulous competition, the two best teams in the country put aside the title race to go hell for leather.
Tottenham were so unlucky to lose, they were brilliant. But Chelsea sent for the cavalry and Eden Hazard, in particular, changed the momentum.
This surely has to be a lift for Chelsea in the title race as well. This should be a lesson for all.

The whole of football embraces Ugo’s tribute

The pre-match tribute to Ugo Ehiogu only served to underline what a popular and respected figure the former England and Tottenham under-23 coach was.
His tragic death after a heart attack on the training pitch was marked with a minute’s applause before the game, respected by both sets of fans.
Mauricio Pochettino looked particularly emotional when the TV cameras panned to him. He’s been left understandably devastated by the loss of someone he liked and respected so much.

Now we know why Michy Batshuayi doesn’t get a game…

Bearing in mind Diego Costa’s poor form and his head seemingly already in China, it is surprising that Antonio Conte hasn’t given Batshuayi a chance before now.
And then again… Bearing in mind he cost £33m, Batshuayi was very poor. Poor touch, didn’t hold the ball up and didn’t look dangerous.
Maybe it’s a lack of sharpness through a lack of chances. But he didn’t look great and now we know why Diego Costa is still playing despite his poor form.

Christian Eriksen is a pass master

His delivery from set pieces and passes is out of this world. Great cross for the first, even better pass for the second.
It can be no coincidence that Tottenham’s form has been at its peak at the same time as Eriksen’s form has hit new heights.

Chelsea on the march

This was a brilliant lift for Chelsea. They were on the ropes and struggling with Tottenham looking the only winners at 2-2.
But the way Hazard lifted the leaders was immense and Tottenham’s Wembley curse goes on and it must lift Chelsea while also be a sickener for Spurs.
A huge day and a huge lift for Chelsea as they chase the double. Tottenham will do well to lift themselves with Chelsea on the march again.


================================