Clinical Chelsea lift League Cup
John Terry set Chelsea up for a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s League Cup final as Jose Mourinho claimed the first trophy of his second stint as manager.
Terry’s deflected strike put Chelsea ahead on the stroke of half-time at Wembley and Mourinho’s side sealed victory in the 56th minute when Spurs right-back Kyle Walker deflected Diego Costa’s effort into his own net.
It was Mourinho’s first title since he returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013 and his third League Cup after previous successes with the club in 2005 and 2007.
Victory completed a satisfying day for Premier League leaders Chelsea, who saw closest rivals Manchester City beaten by Liverpool earlier in the day, and kept them on course for a trophy treble, following their 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.
Spurs had been hoping to end a trophy drought stretching back to 2008, when they had beaten Chelsea 2-1 in the League Cup final, but with star man Harry Kane shackled, they were unable to pull off a repeat of the 5-3 defeat they had inflicted on their London rivals on New Year’s Day.
It brought an end to a sorry week for Spurs, who were knocked out of the Europa League by Fiorentina on Thursday and now have only Champions League qualification to play for.