It was no more than Erik Lamela and Tottenham deserved. Given next to no chance by their manager, José Mourinho – at least in public – they had started slowly, seemingly consumed by caution, and fallen behind to Timo Werner’s first goal in Chelsea colours.
Mourinho had said he would “like to fight for the Carabao Cup but I don’t think I can.” It was Spurs’s fifth game in 12 days and the sixth will come on Thursday – the Europa League play-off against Maccabi Haifa; a game of huge significance to the club’s finances. Mourinho made nine changes to the team that drew 1-1 at home to Newcastle on Sunday and, the way he had framed it, this tie was the one that had to give.