Tottenham Draw Chelsea in FA Cup Semifinal
By Ryan Wrenn
Tottenham will take on London rivals Chelsea come April as the two sides vie for a spot in the FA Cup final.
Though drawing the current Premier League leaders isn’t ideal for Tottenham, with the other options being Manchester City and Arsenal there was never going to be an “easy” draw.
Tottenham are the only team of the four to not have faced a Premier League opponent yet in their prior FA Cup rounds. The fourth round against Fulham was their trickiest match, though Wycombe Wanderers surprisingly gave them an game in that 4-3 January result.
None of which will deter Spurs of course. While their route in the FA Cup has proved relatively easy, they have faced virtually all comers in the Premier League and currently sit second.
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Chelsea enjoy a ten point lead at the top of the table however. On paper Spurs might have every reason to be discouraged by Monday’s draw. Would that they could have faced City or Arsenal, both of which have suffered through some spectacularly uneven form this season.
While either of those other teams might have been the preferred matchup, Spurs should not be too distressed at the prospect of playing the Blues in Wembley.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side came out strong in the two sides’ first meeting in November, even taking an early lead. Chelsea rallied by the end of the first half though, leveling the scoreline, and were able to complete their comeback after the interval.
That disappointment was short-lived however. Less than six weeks later the sides met again at White Hart Lane. This time, Tottenham won decisively, thereby stalling out Chelsea’s record-breaking winning streak of 13 matches.
In what might be the peak of their season so far, Tottenham’s defense contained Chelsea’s formidable attack while Dele Alli scored two virtually identical goals to leave it 2-0.
That win came amidst Tottenham’s own winning streak that followed the return to health of Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld. Prior to that run the club was struggling to compete for a spot in the Champions League. After, it seemed as if the title was in reach.
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A loss to Liverpool and Chelsea’s continued run of form might keep Spurs from a legitimate title run at this point. It is safe to say, though, that Chelsea are almost as wary of facing Spurs as Spurs are of facing Chelsea.