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Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings Leg 1 Carabao Cup Semi-Final

By Aaron Coe

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 08: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team's first goal with Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Semi-Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on January 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 08: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team's first goal with Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Semi-Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on January 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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In what turned out to be a bit of a rough and tumble match, Tottenham Hotspur held off Chelsea FC 1-0 in the League “Carabao” Cup Semi-final Leg 1 behind a first half penalty from Harry Kane.

From a Tottenham perspective, it wasn’t the prettiest game, but Spurs did what they needed to in grabbing a goal and persevering through against Chelsea. As a fan, I would have liked to see three or four goals from Spurs, but as someone who also enjoys tactics, this was a game of chess, where Mauricio Pochettino orchestrated his pieces far better than Maurizio Sarri.

While the Blues may have had far more shots than Spurs – 17 to 6 – Chelsea only had 1 more shot on goal, 5-4. It was clear from the beginning of the game that Tottenham was going to have opportunities on the break and with the long ball. Additionally, it was clear that without a striker in front of Eden Hazard, Chelsea was going to mostly settle for shots from distance.

In the end the Blues’ best chance came at the back post where the center-half Christensen couldn’t convert. Beyond that opportunity off of a corner kick, despite the pressure, the game never really seemed in doubt following the Harry Kane penalty for the Spurs victory. So, who did what for Spurs and how did they rate?

Spurs Defense

Paulo Gazzaniga – 8.5

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Paulo Gazzaniga of Tottenham Hotspur looks on after he makes a save during the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on January 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Paulo Gazzaniga of Tottenham Hotspur looks on after he makes a save during the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on January 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

Paulo Gazzaniga had a solid game between the pipes as he continues to perform as Spurs number 2 keeper. Gazzaniga did well coming off his line, particularly in the first half, when Chelsea were trying to get behind the Spurs defense. He also did well cutting several crosses, both in the air and on the floor. If there is a complaint, it is about several rebounds that Gazza left on the turf. Alderweireld and Sanchez cleaned up a couple, and Paulo got back on two more himself. That said, it is clear everyone feels good about Spurs second choice keeper and Gazzaniga continues to show why.

Toby Alderweireld – 8.5

Alderweireld was his usual rock for Spurs defensively. Whether it was saving a corner with a late clearance over the touchline, a sliding tackle to clear, or booting away a Gazzaniga rebound, Toby was everywhere defensively. Despite the pressure being applied by Chelsea, he never looked hurried or rushed on the ball and helped control the game from the back. I should also note it was Alderweireld who played the long ball for Kane that led to the penalty that led to the goal.

Davison Sanchez – 7.5

Sanchez had a better first half than second. He followed Eden Hazard around the field for much of the game, doing a particularly nice job meeting Hazard where he got the ball to prevent him from creating Chelsea counters. In the second half, things got a bit tighter with the calls and Sanchez was booked. He had a big clearance off a Gazza rebound and a couple nice wins in the air.

Danny Rose – 6.5

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Danny Rose of Tottenham Hotspur argues with Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea after the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on January 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Danny Rose of Tottenham Hotspur argues with Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea after the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on January 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

I’m a big Danny Rose fan, but this wasn’t his best day. Callum Hudson-Odoi definitely gave Rose fits in the first half and early in the second. However, after Pedro came on and Hudson Odoi went to the left, Pedro never really was a concern for Rose. Danny also had a couple big deflections, one of which almost went into the net if not for a nice Gazzaniga save. Rose’s biggest contribution was probably his injury time tackle of Kante in the second half to stop a Chelsea move.

Kieran Trippier – 6.5

Like Rose, Trippier didn’t have a big impact on the game. He did play a nice ball in early in the first half, where Kane made an effort at a bicycle. Outside of that and a couple nice layoffs back to Gazzaniga, Trippier had a quiet evening.