Tottenham vs Chelsea player ratings: Antonio Rudiger the difference as Pierluigi Gollini has night to forget

Antonio Rudiger scored the winner as Chelsea eased into the final of the Carabao Cup after defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their semi-final.

The defender opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 18th minute, heading in Mason Mount’s delivery from a corner. Tottenham’s fragility defending set-pieces was on display again, with Pierluigi Gollini hesitant in goal and Japhet Tanganga losing the German defender.

Spurs thought they were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty in the 40th minute. Rudiger fouled Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Andre Marriner pointed straight to the spot. However, VAR intervened, and it was clearly outside the area.

It was déjà vu in the 57th minute as Spurs were awarded another penalty, only to see it overturned again by VAR. And it wasn’t third time lucky for Spurs, either, as Harry Kane had a goal ruled out after he was caught offside.

Here are how the players rated:

Pierluigi Gollini, 5. Didn’t have too much to do but poor on the Chelsea goal. The goalkeeper was far too hesitant and allowed Rudiger to get something on the ball

Emerson Royal, 5. Didn’t cope particularly well with the threat of Hudson-Odoi and was lacklustre going forward. His position is likely to be under threat with a right-back rumoured to be joining in January.

Japhet Tanganga, 4. Lost Rudiger for the opening goal and didn’t look comfortable throughout the game. Tanganga will be hoping to forget these past two legs.

Davinson Sanchez, 5. Struggled up against Romelu Lukaku but quashed his threat for the most part. Almost provided Spurs with an equaliser when his flicked header nearly found Harry Kane for a tap in at the far post.

Ben Davies, 6. In a disappointing evening for Spurs’ defence, Davies looked the most comfortable. He kept Mason Mount quiet and it was clear he was Spurs’ most experienced man at the back.

Matt Doherty, 5. The former Wolves man struggled to have an impact on the game, both offensively and defensively. Wasteful in possession going forward on his wrong side and looked devoid of any confidence throughout

Giovani Lo Celso, 5. Seemed more concerned with his personal battle against Malang Sarr than the task at hand. A couple of decent deliveries into the box from corners but that was about it.

Harry Winks, 6. Looked to get on the ball as much as possible throughout but struggled to make any real impact on the game. One of Tottenham’s better performers in a poor performance.

Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, 7. Spurs’ most willing competitor, he tried his best to drag Spurs back into the game. Thought he’d won Spurs a penalty but ended up falling 5 yards forward from outside the box.

Harry Kane, 5. In a parallel universe Kane left here with the match ball and Spurs in the final. However, as it happened Kane was more effective in his defensive box when defending corners than he was going forward.

Lucas Moura, 6. Spurs’ livewire yet again. Lucas looked like he could make something happen whenever he got on the ball, but it wasn’t to be. Again, thought he’d won a penalty only for VAR to, correctly, overturn the decision.

Substitutes

Ryan Sessegnon, 4. Still doesn’t look like the player everyone thought he’d once be. Struggled when on the ball and looked devoid of confidence.

Bryan Gil, 5. Looked lively when he got on the ball but unable to do anything productive with it.

Oliver Skipp, 5. Only featured for the last 10 minutes and it wasn’t enough to do anything of note.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, 7. The keeper has struggled throughout his time at Chelsea but put in an assured performance throughout the night. Did very well to prevent Lucas Moura from rounding him when one on one and did well to keep a clean sheet.

Malang Sarr, 7. It was a good performance from Sarr in an unorthodox role. Sarr was a willing runner when acting as a left back when Chelsea were in possession and provided Hudson-Odoi with constant overlapping runs.

Antonio Rudiger, 8. Brilliant performance from the German defender. He scored the only goal of the game, losing his marker and powering his header past Gollini. His passing range was on display throughout and he made some vital challenges when defending. Solid.

Andreas Christensen, 6. The Dane didn’t have a lot to do throughout his time on the pitch. Substituted after 66 minutes with a clean sheet to his name, he did his job and looked tidy when on the ball.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, 8. A very good performance from Hudson-Odoi. Looked very comfortable when on the ball going forward and the positions, he picked up caused Spurs problems throughout. He was a willing defender, tracking Emerson Royal whenever he could and thwarting his threat. A mature performance.

Mateo Kovacic, 6. It wasn’t the Croatian’s most impressive performance in a Chelsea shirt. He did what he was asked to do and alongside Jorginho helped control the game for Chelsea, particularly in the first half.

Jorginho, 6. Ditto from above. Jorginho did his job and helped to control the game for the Blues. Quiet as ever, but did what was required.

Cesar Azpilicueta, 5. The Chelsea skipper was solid when required but didn’t have much impact on the game going forward or at the back. He will be hoping to lift the trophy when Chelsea meet whoever wins the other tie.

Timo Werner, 6. Looked lively throughout the first half and interchanged well with Callum Hudson-Odoi on Chelsea’s left flank. His threat fizzled out in the second half before he was substituted after 66 minutes.

Romelu Lukaku, 6. It was a performance that looked like the Lukaku Chelsea fans would want on a weekly basis. He held the ball up well and brought others into the game. He should’ve scored when Rudiger played him through in the first half, especially as it was on his left foot.

Mason Mount, 6. A quiet game. Mount didn’t get on the ball as much as he’d have liked but still managed to have an impact on the game, setting up the opener with a great delivery from a corner. Substituted off in the 66th minute.

Substitutes

Hakim Ziyech, 5. Limited impact when he came on.

Marcos Alonso, 5. Same as Ziyech, didn’t do a lot when he came on but didn’t need to.

Thiago Silva, 5. Added more defensive assurance at the back when he was subbed on after 66 minutes but didn’t have to do anything vital.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 5. Came on with eight minutes to go in normal time. Didn’t have much time to make any impact.

N’Golo Kante, 5. Came on to secure the victory and clean sheet for Chelsea. Did what was required and will be hoping to win another trophy in England.