Chelsea beat Tottenham, Rudiger takes last place in Carabao Cup | Carabao Cup

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First the passion killer. The opening goal was always vital, given the result of the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, and when Antonio Rudiger scored for Chelsea, it looked like it was. European champions led by Thomas Tuchel are not used to conceding three goals in one game. It only happened three times under him.

Then the soaring jinx that brought entertainment value, at least to the neutrals and mobile Chelsea supporters. It wasn’t funny for Spurs, who saw the referee, Andre Mariner, mistakenly award them two penalties that he had to undo after advice from VAR Mike Dean, and then rejected Harry Kane’s goal in the 63rd minute. Dean told Mariner that Kane was in an offside position.

There would also be concern in the closing stages when Spurs fans in the south stand alerted referees to what appeared to be a medical emergency. Soon, a group of people in flak jackets came to the scene and there was a long layover.

Chelsea career. Their followers chanted Antonio Conte’s name in the 70th minute, paying their respects to the Tottenham manager for his work at their club over the two seasons of 2016, when he won the Premier League and the FA Cup. But Tuchel had them saluted long into the night, and this was his third semi-final victory in three attempts with the club. He has now reached a fourth final in less than 12 months, having won the Champions League and European Super Cup and lost the FA Cup.

Conte was preoccupied with the gap between his current and former employers, and although Spurs struggled until the last time, he was once again there for all to see, especially during the first half. Rudiger had scored in Chelsea’s 3-0 league win here in September and his 18th-minute header was the climax of a period in which his side dominated.

Credit to Marriner for trying to keep the tie alive. His first attempt to award Spurs was due to Rudiger’s foul on Pierre-Emile Hogberg just before the break, although the offense appeared – in real time – outside the area. But the jaw dropper came in 56 minutes.

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Fans were delighted when the Chilean substitute walked home from close range in the 120th minute to decide the Italian derby in a match between last season’s Serie A champions and the Coppa Italia winners.

Weston McKinney led Torino to the front before Lautaro Martinez equalized with a penalty in the first half, but the match became more cautious after the break.

Inter dominated possession and attempts on goal, but penalties seemed inevitable as the clock counted down until Sanchez scored to give Inter their sixth Super Cup victory and their first since 2010. Reuters

Photo: Luca Bruno / AP

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Kane did well to break through halfway, although Lucas Moura’s pass was a bit heavy and Kepa Arrizabalaga slipped to net the ball cleanly off the Tottenham winger. It was a walk of shame for Mariner towards the field observer.

Conte’s astonishing assessment of his team was heavy in the air – believed to be “average” – and the players were booed by the home crowd in the first half. Most of Tottenham’s support was eliminated by the full-time whistle. Those who kept booing again.

Conte continued with the midfield and full-backs who struggled in the first leg and again were not convinced. They looked nervous on the ball in the face of Chelsea pressure.

Conte’s defensive change in goal was surprising, favoring Pierluigi Gulini over Hugo Lloris. Giulini hasn’t been convinced since arriving over the summer, and although he made an important block early to deny Romelu Lukaku, he quickly grabbed the ball out of his net after failing to tackle Mason Mount’s corner.

Spurs’ defense disintegrated, no one picked Rudiger’s path, and Golini never wanted to get to the ball first. Rüdiger’s header was sloppy. He seemed to turn his back a bit but he did just enough to direct his effort toward the goal. Gulini hit him with his fist. The replay looked bad for the goalkeeper.

Pierluigi Gulini’s stray punch makes contact with Antonio Rudiger but not before the Chelsea player swerves away from the game’s lone goal. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Tuchel continued his 4-2-2-2 system from the first leg but this time Timo Werner was up front alongside Lukaku. Werner had flashed before goal, jumping high after a poor header from Davinson Sanchez and a cross after a Lukaku flick. The ball passed to Malang Sar, who did well at left-back, and Giovanni Lo Celso hit his shot. Shortly after Rudiger’s goal, Callum Hudson-Odoi worked on Golini, before Lukaku flashed a long-range header from another Werner cross.

What about Tottenham before the break? They missed two well-placed free kicks, one by Kane early, and the other by Lo Celso with the last action after the first VAR overturned.

Tottenham’s best moment came when Højbjerg sent a skewed ball wide of the goal in the 32nd minute. From the corner, Sanchez moved and Kane, who slipped into the far corner, was unable to touch it. Emerson Royal also missed a chance after a beautiful pass from Moura.

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Spurs’ end product was starkly absent. Watch Harry Winks lose an easy pass to Kane in 54 minutes and a penny to Tanguy Ndombele’s thoughts at that point. The playmaker wasn’t even on the bench after coming off a low-speed substitution in Sunday’s FA Cup win over Morecambe.

Royal Arrizabalaga will extend a header from Ben Davies’ cross, but Tottenham were fighting a losing battle.

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