:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70353744/1362972754.0.jpg)
Chelsea recorded a very good 2-0 win over rivals Spurs last night in the first leg of the League Cup semifinal, but it certainly could’ve been an even more lopsided scoreline as we missed multiple great chances in the second-half. With another goal or two, the tie would’ve been effectively over — as it stands, Spurs might some belief, especially if they were to make a good start to next Wednesday’s second leg.
And that possibility is what irked Man of the Match Hakim Ziyech afterwards, as he reflected on Chelsea leaving goals on the table and letting the visitors escape back home with just a two-goal deficit.
“We forgot to finish the game, we had a lot of chances today. [Now] There is a game on next week and hopefully we can get the job done there.”
-Hakim Ziyech; source: Metro
That’s not to say that Ziyech was displeased, far from it — we aren’t the Morocco national football team after all, about whom he “doesn’t really care” at this point.
Chelsea Man of the Match Hakim Ziyech has insisted that he does not care that he missed out on the Morocco squad for the African Cup of Nations. #CarabaoCup #CHETOT
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) January 5, 2022
Watch Now https://t.co/hkoevnV6B4 pic.twitter.com/HLouIsGMY4
He certainly enjoyed operating on the right side of Tuchel’s surprise 4-3-3 setup, mostly as the right forward pinging glorious passes with his left peg all across the pitch — especially that one to Timo Werner — but also as a hybrid wing-back at times, dropping and tracking all the way back especially in the first-half when Spurs were playing Antonio Conte’s usual wing-back system.
“We put pressure on them and didn’t give them time. We did good in the first half especially. [We] could have killed the game in the second half. We had bigger chances than they had, but 2-0, we can be happy with that.
“[We] had four at the back, normally we have five, so that gave us more opportunities up front. They didn’t know whether to follow the midfielders or step out. That was the biggest win for us.
“We had some difficult games, some injuries, Covid, but how we have dealt with it as a team is pretty good. We have got on the right track, and now let’s keep focused.”
-Hakim Ziyech; source: Chelsea FC
So say we all.
Loading comments...