EFL Cup: Chelsea Vs Tottenham Live 5 January 2022

Chelsea will face Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, England, on January 5, 2022 at 19:45 UTC. The match is part of the English Football League Cup. Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte returns to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night for the first leg of his team’s EFL Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

The Blues defeated Brentford 2-0 to go to the last four, while their North London opponents defeated West Ham United 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Chelsea’s difficult period on and off the pitch looked to approach a boiling point with the visit of Liverpool, as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah put the Reds two goals up despite the tension surrounding Romelu Lukaku’s recent interview comments.

However, the Blues fought to salvage a 2-2 draw in a fantastic advertisement for the Premier League, as a Mateo Kovacic stunner was followed by an injury-time equaliser from Christian Pulisic, who had earlier in the half wasted a golden opportunity to beat Caoimhin Kelleher.

That result did little to help either side’s chances of catching Manchester City, but the Blues may have a chance at glory in the EFL Cup after defeating Brentford 2-0 with a youthful lineup to reach the final four. Chelsea’s performances in the 2021-22 EFL Cup have been far from stellar, with penalties required to beat Southampton and Aston Villa at home after 1-1 draws, and the Blues have developed a penchant for stalemates at Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, four of Chelsea’s past five home games have finished in a draw – including each of their last three – and the Blues will find it difficult to break the stalemate against their former boss and proven winner. Antonio Conte should receive a warm welcome when he returns to Stamford Bridge, but nostalgia will fade as he tries to win this tense North London derby.

Spurs have made it this far thanks to goals from Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn against West Ham, and the EFL Cup represents their best chance to finally end their 13-year trophy drought – their last piece of silverware came in the 2008 competition after beating Chelsea in the final – and they made it this far thanks to goals from Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn against West Ham.

Spurs needed a last-gasp Davinson Sanchez header to defeat Watford on New Year’s Day, but they are still unbeaten in the league since Conte took over, with the Italian becoming the only manager in Tottenham’s history to win all of his first eight league games. Spurs’ solitary away win under Conte has come at Vicarage Road, and their most recent meeting with Chelsea in the 2018-19 EFL Cup semi-finals saw the Blues advance on penalties before losing to Man City in the final.