In a fiery encounter at the Wembley, Chelsea prevailed 2-0 against a promising Tottenham Hotspur side. John Terry and Diego Costa scored to win Mourinho his first trophy since the Spanish Super Cup in 2012.
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Matic, often the third centre-back and game-breaker in the Chelsea side, missed the game through suspension and Gary Cahill was brought in place of the Serb, with the clear intention that the Englishman will take the role of Matic. In the 10th minute, Kurt Zouma conceded a free-kick from 25-yards, a territory one can safely claim to be as Eriksen-territory. The Dane breezed the ball over the wall and slammed the crossbar. Cech was clearly beaten but the ball didn’t dip enough. An array of half-chances followed, with neither side able to breach one another’s defence. Fabregas was quiet throughout the game so far and it seems Chelsea were relying a bit too much on Hazard for some magic.
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In the dying moments of the first-half, Terry opened the scoring for the Blues. Chadli clumsily gave away a free-kick and Willian curled the ensuing free-kick into the box. The Tottenham defenders could only head the ball as far as Terry who drilled a shot goalwards. Tottenham were the better side throughout the half and deserved the lead. But Chelsea didn’t care.
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Chelsea looked in control after the opener and doubled the score in the 53rd minute, when Fabregas slid a pass to Costa who took a shot from a tight angle, which took a deflection off Kyle Walker before going in. Tottenham seemingly lost all hope after the goal and Chelsea dominated proceedings for the rest of the match. Mourinho showcased his tactical acumen, yet again, with a defensive masterclass. Chelsea won the match and the League Cup 2-0 and put in a professional display, which proved too much for the passionate Tottenham Hotspur.
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Meanwhile at Anfield, Liverpool outclassed Manchester City with two mesmerizing curlers from Henderson and Coutinho enough to retain Chelsea’s 5 point gap at the top. Having played one game less than City, Chelsea will thank Liverpool for giving them the opportunity to turn the lead to 8 points in the Premier League.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty was insufficient for a victory at home against Villareal for Real Madrid, with Gerard Moreno’s low-shot in the 64th ending it all-square at the Bernabeu. Dropping points at home only for the second time this season, Real’s lead at the top of La Liga was cut to two points following Barcelona’s 3-1 win at Granada.
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In Germany, Borussia Dortmund continued their resurgence, this time winning 3-0 against Schalke at home. Bayern also enjoyed a comfortable victory over FC Koln, winning 4-1 at the Allianz Arena.
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Tags: Chelsea Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
