Blues spurred on for Cup Victory
Written By: Robert Halter
It was a battle for London pride in the capital as Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur contested the 2015 Capital One Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, beginning of March. After a foul by Andros Townsend on Eden Hazard, from Willian’s free kick, Blues captain, John Terry, ballooned a header over in the opening minute. Five minutes later, after Nabil Bentaleb’s challenge on Ramires had been penalised, Cesc Fabregas delivered a free kick, and a looping strike by Branislav Ivanovic, had to be turned over the bar from Hugo Lloris and through the resulting corner by Eden Hazard, a header by Ivanovic was put into the outside netting at the right post. But on nine minutes, Spurs were denied by the woodwork, as a Christian Eriksen free kick, crashed against the upright, following a foul on Harry Kane by Fabregas. A minute later, Kane surged forward but could not apply the finishing touch to trouble Petr Cech. On twelve minutes, Hazard sent a shot soaring wide, after a breakaway move by Diego Costa. The Lilywhites responded In the nineteenth minute, when Danny Rose ran at the Blues defence before dragging his shot wide. Then on thirty five minutes, Rose cut inside from the left flank, but Eriksen’s powder puff shot ran out of steam as the ball rolled into Cech. But on forty three minutes, Chelsea got the breakthrough, after Nacer Chadli’s arm struck Ivanovic, and as Willian drove in the free kick, Rose’s header cannoned off Eric Dier and then Kurt Zouma supplied an assist, before Terry calmly slotted the ball past Lloris from close range. Just before the break, the Blues looked to seize their advantage, when from a Fabregas corner, Ivanovic nodded the ball onto Cahill, who directed the ball straight at Lloris, off the top of his forehead. Spurs reacted at the start of the second half, as Chadli supplied Rose on the left flank, but Cech was not bothered by a flimsy strike. But on forty eight minutes, Willian set up Hazard on the left but his low strike deflected off Jan Vertonghen for a throw in out to the right, which Ivanovic put over and as Zouma won the header, Fabregas tried a spectacular over head kick that Lloris blocked with the minimum of fuss. But on fifty six minutes, Chelsea sealed the final as Willian combined with Fabregas and then from a tight angle, Costa’s strike took a cruel deflection off Kyle Walker, which left Lloris helpless in preventing the ball going into the net, before Costa set off behind the goal to celebrate with his team mates in front of an army of Blues supporters. Spurs soon made a change by taking off Townsend and brining on Mousa Dembele. On sixty three minutes, Chelsea pressed forward again, as Willian interlinked with Hazard, whose shot drifted wide of the right post. Two minutes later, after Willian was appended by Chadli, Willian’s free kick found Hazard, whose ball in went over Rose and a header by Fabregas just evaded the far post, as the Blues kept their grip on the game. Tottenham soon made another change by replacing Ryan Mason with Erik Lamela. After a nasty head injury to Cesar Azpilicueta following a boot in the back of his head from Dier, Chelsea switched Willian with Juan Cuadrado, as Azpilicueta was patched up with a bandage. In the last Lilywhites substitution, Roberto Soldado took the place of Chadli. After a gutsy tackle by Terry on Kane in the area, the match was won for Chelsea in the eighty sixth minute, as Fabregas then made way for Oscar while at the end Didier Drogba took over from Costa to join in the Chelsea celebrations as manager, Jose Mourinho secured his first trophy since returning to the Blues for his second spell at the club.