Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings Leg 1 Carabao Cup Semi-Final

3 of 3

Heung Min Son – 6.5

I- like many Spurs fans- hope that competing for South Korea doesn’t make the sun set on Son’s hot streak. This game, however, was not up to the standards the winger has set. While one could argue he could have gotten a penalty for Spurs 2 minutes into the game, outside of that there wasn’t the same contribution we have seen from HMS. Of all Spurs he could be tired, let’s hope he has some gas left for Manchester United on Sunday before he leaves for national team duty.

Harry Kane – 8

I debated putting Kane in with the midfielders as he did a LOT of hold-up play and dropped deep quite a bit in the game. He was frankly our best playmaker on the night, even if not all his passes came off. As usual, when it came to the spot kick, Kane buried it in the lower corner. He took a tough shot from Kepa Arrizabalaga to get it but was clearly fouled. His bicycle attempt wasn’t great but was on target. He forced a fantastic save out of Kepa in the second half from outside the box. It wasn’t his best game of the season, but Kane continues to show growth as the one season wonder now has 20 goals for club on the season.

Eric Lamela – 7

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea pulls Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur shorts 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) /

Lamela came in and did what Eric Lamela does, play rough and annoy the other team. His card was debatable, but he continued to defend tough, even after the yellow. He was unlucky that he was called for a foul on a swim move on Alonzo, when he could have been in on goal to make it 2-0 Spurs. Given he hasn’t played in nearly 3 weeks, it was good to see Lamela get some run in, even if he didn’t make a huge impact.

Fernando Llorente – N/A

Llorente came on in injury time and his biggest contribution was the 45 seconds wasted from the sub. That said, Llorente has done his job of late and deserved to walk out on the pitch for part of the game.

Bonus Ratings

Mauricio Pochettino – 8

We will see if his decision to play Jose Mourhino style with parking the bus football after going up 1-0 pays off in leg 2. That said, it was clear Chelsea wasn’t going to score. When nearly every shot comes from 25 yards away, the odds of success diminish. He clearly put out a plan that frustrated Chelsea and left them complaining on and off the pitch.

Video Assistant Referee – 7

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Refere Michael Oliver points to the spot to award a penalty after reviewing the VAR 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 Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

The VAR did some of the job in the match. While the Kane decision was ultimately right, I was surprised they did not review the Son take down in the first two minutes. Neither cry for a penalty by Chelsea for handling when they kick the ball directly at someone is going to be given. If nothing else seeing the reply and what the official was doing on TV while it was happening was pretty cool. Maybe the NFL could learn something from the transparency the FA is showing here. It is not perfect, but at least we know what is being looked at.

What’s next?

Spurs host Manchester United on Sunday then travel to Fulham the following week before the second leg. Meanwhile Chelsea host Newcastle on Saturday and then go cross town to the Emirates the following weekend. Then on Thursday January 24, these two sides meet again at Stamford Bridge to finish the tie.

Next. How Llorente can save Tottenham and Pochettino. dark