Chelsea eased into the 2017 FA Cup semi-final beating Spurs 4-2 in what was a thrilling game.
Before the kick-off, Antonio Conte sprung a surprise dropping Eden Hazard and Diego Costa to the bench, their places being taken by Michy Batshuayi and Willian and with Nathan Ake coming in for the ill Gary Cahill. Having missed the defeat at Old Trafford, both Thibaut Courtois and Marcos Alonso returned to the starting eleven.
Chelsea got off to a good start pushing Spurs back and in the fifth minutes were to go ahead. Pedro, chasing a through ball was tripped just outside the area. Willian and David Luiz stood over the ball but it was to be Willian who stepped up to curl a free-kick past Hugo Lloris, in the Spurs goal. It was first blood to Chelsea.
The goal gave Chelsea the momentum they deserved and Spurs look rattled, but Spurs were to strike back when, from a corner, Christian Erikson delivered a low cross that Harry Kane stopped to flick a header into the far corner of the net.
Spurs gained heart from the equalizer and suddenly the North London club were in the ascendency, the Chelsea defence, with David Luiz at the heart of it, coped admirably. But, as half-time approached, the semi-final was to take another twist. Victor Moses burst down the right-flank and darted into the penalty area, Son, playing as a wing-back, slid in and Moses went to ground. Whilst the referee, Martin Atkinson, dithered about awarding the spot kick, his assistant who had been close to the incident, had no qualms and Chelsea had a chance to edge ahead again.
Batshuayi and Willian both looked ready to take responsibility but the word, screamed from the bench by Conte and relayed by the captain for the day Azpilicueta, was that Willian was to take it. The Brazilian stepped up and with a slight shimmy waited for Lloris to go one way and then put the ball into the opposite side of the goal. Chelsea had a 2-1 lead at half-time.
Conte would have sent his side out with orders to keep things tight in the second half but Spurs had other ideas. Pushing forward, the North London side were level again when Erikson floated in a peach of a ball for Deli Alli to half-volley past Courtois, all square at 2-2.
Once again it looked like Spurs who were going to grab the initiative, but Conte had other ideas deciding to introduce Hazard and Diego Costa with Willian and Batshuayi making way. Hazard`s introduction was to be the turning point.
From Chelsea`s first corner of the game, the Spurs defence failed to clear the ball and it fell to an un-marked Hazard, on the edge of the area. A jink into the area and Hazard took the opportunity to drill a low shot into the far corner of the net. Chelsea were ahead again, for the third time, but could they hold on.
The answer was an emphatic yes. Hazard was involved again, this time playing a ball into the path of Nemanja Matic who hit a first-time shot that flew into the top corner of the net with Lloris not even having time to move.
The Spurs half of Wembley emptied rapidly, as the Chelsea hordes celebrated yet another emphatic win over Spurs, whilst Spurs contemplated their seventh successive semi-final defeat in a row, a record.
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