Frank Lampard after Chelsea's penalty shootout defeat to Jose Mourinho's Spurs side in the Carabao Cup: "We dominated the first half but the game changed, I'm happy with bits."
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard knew it was out of their hands when it was confirmed that a penalty shootout was to decide the winner of their Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
Chelsea played out of a 1-1 draw with London rivals Tottenham but failed to secure a quarter-final spot in the Carabao Cup after losing out on a penalty shootout.
Germany international Timo Werner broke the deadlock in the 19th minute after finishing off Cesar Azpilicueta's cross with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box.
The west London club dominated most of the first half and were comfortable in their display on Tuesday night.
But, manager Jose Mourinho made a few changes to his Spurs team in the second half, with the likes of Harry Kane, Lucas Moura, and Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg coming to impact the game and, they got their reward through Erik Lamela, who found the back of the net in the 83rd minute with a close-range strike after mounting pressure on the Blues defence.
A penalty shootout eventually decided the tie, with the north London team coming out on top after Mason Mount failed to hit the target but his fellow Chelsea teammates Tammy Abraham, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, and Emerson scored their spot-kicks.
And after the game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium last night, Lampard took the positives as he urged his side to work harder while speaking to Sky Sports.
"Anything can happen on penalties," he said: "You want to stay in these competitions of course but there are lots to like. We dominated the first half but the game changed, I'm happy with bits.
"They went long in the second half, missed our press out, a clear change in tactics from them and we need to improve on that. We can react better. If we get the second goal when on top and be more positive - that will come.
"We looked tired at the end which was understandable given where we are at. Timo Werner had some cramping at the end so he didn't take a penalty."
When quizzed whether defender Antonio Rudiger on his way out? Lampard replied: "No. It's not at that point."
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