Everton 0 Chelsea 1 (Chelsea win 3-1 on agg.): Cole's flash of brilliance puts Chelsea on road to Wembley

By Ian Herbert
Thursday, 24 January 2008

Joe Cole (centre) celebrates his winning goal

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Some nights cry out for a fairytale finish. In an old fashioned stadium and an old fashioned football atmosphere, Everton chased silverware here last night in a way which rekindled memories of what the League Cup once stood for. In the words of the club anthem which thundered out before kick off, it was all "enough to make your heart go wooooah".

But the reverie ended 20 minutes before the finish, with an audacious piece of skill by Joe Cole which would have delighted the onlooking Fabio Capello as much as it destroyed Evertonians. A 40-yard crossfield pass by Florent Malouda, for once the undoing of Joleon Lescott as it bisected him and Phil Jagielka, left Cole to control with one touch and unleash a right-foot shot which sent Chelsea through to face Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on 24 February. It left Everton still searching for the trophy which would tell the world that they are much more than just valiant losers.

There was plenty of consolation for David Moyes here, if he chose to take it. The quality of the players he has assembled was unquestionable with Mikel Arteta demonstrating there is probably no better deliverer of a ball in the Premier League at the moment. Lescott will also have impressed Capello, the new England manager, hugely with a commanding performance against Nicolas Anelka. The way that he toe-poked a lofted ball from Shaun Wright-Phillips out of Anelka's path early in the second half said everything about his potential.

But Moyes was not consoled. He knew that while his own side's chances were marginal, Chelsea's were clinical, clear cut and could have elicited more goals. Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, was probably being disingenuous when he said on Tuesday that the Carling Cup did not matter to him. Chelsea are now in their third Carling Cup final in four years and the side Grant fielded demonstrated that he wants the trophy much more than Manchester United and Arsenal. Anelka was a constant threat, Wright-Phillips troublesome and energetic and Claude Makelele created a spine with Ricardo Carvalho which maintained the side's shape. Everton never looked like reversing the 2-1 first-leg deficit after the initial blood and thunder.

And yet the atmosphere had told how badly Everton wanted a victory. Tim Cahill had predicted it would be "ridiculous" and rarely in the 13 years since Everton last appeared at Wembley had Goodison heard noise like it. Amid all this, the silence which suddenly descended in memory of the legendary, late post-war Everton striker Wally Fielding before kick off was stunning.

Everton's play never quite matched the theatre. There was an instant reminder of realities when Anelka shielded the ball into the path of the first-leg matchwinner Wright-Phillips two minutes in. His thumping shot from 30 yards was headed off course and behind by Jagielka.

Arteta kept the home fires burning though. Among several absorbing duels in a game which will have held much interest for Capello was that between the Spaniard and Wayne Bridge. Arteta edged it – just – and when he delivered one of the pinpoint corners Everton fans are so familiar with, early in the match, a goal threatened. Lescott stepped back from Alex to head the cross firmly towards goal but Petr Cech did well to save with the distraction of Cahill diving towards him. As Moyes later observed, Everton had no better chance all night.

The opening exchanges set the tone for a thrilling first half which pitched the flash fluorescence of Chelsea – for whom Anelka looks a bargain buy – against sheer Evertonian spirit. Chelsea's chances were the better. Malouda sent Anelka through the central channel and he was flagged offside when he looked half a yard on. Malouda blasted over on the half hour after finding room to shoot. Anelka could find only the side netting after a Lee Carsley deflection delivered the ball into his path five yards from goal on the left.

Arteta created where he could, delivering another perfect ball which Andrew Johnson took while reversing, span and pushed the ball into his path as he bore down on the penalty area but he could only to find the side netting.

Though Anelka hit the bar after the ball bounced off Cole early in the second half, Everton were pressing at their hardest when the goal came. Arteta – who else? – had just picked out Phil Neville from a short corner and the full-back, running in, thumped in a low shot through a crowded which Cech, a heroic figure last night, did well to stop. A deft Jagielka flick was also kicked clear by Cech.

It is now 52 years since Everton beat Chelsea in a cup competition and for Moyes there is anguish in that. "We've got to take the next step," he said.

Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard; Neville, Lescott, Jagielka, Nuno Valente; Arteta, Carsley (Anichebe, 70), Fernandes (Vaughan, 78), Osman; Cahill; Johnson. Substitutes not used: Hibbert, Stubbs, Wessels.

Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Belletti, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge; Makelele; Wright-Phillips, Sidwell, Malouda (A Cole, 90); J Cole (Pizarro, 83), Anelka (Ben Haim, 90). Substitutes not used: Ferreira, Cudicini.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

Spurs travails at hands of Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur ended one London jinx in handing out a 5-1 thrashing to Arsenal (6-2 on aggregate) on Tuesday, but now face a similar task against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final at Wembley on Sunday 24 February.

Spurs recorded a 5-1 win against their west London neighbours in the 2002 League Cup semi-final, but that came after a run of 26 games without success. Since then, they have won just once in 15 matches against Chelsea.

Avram Grant's side were due at White Hart Lane for a Premier League game the day before the final. That game will now be rearranged for a later date.

23 Jan '02 LCSF Tottenham 5 Chelsea 1

10 Mar '02 FA6R Tottenham 0 Chelsea 4

13 Mar '02 PL Chelsea 4 Tottenham 0

3 Nov '02 PL Tottenham 0 Chelsea 0

1 Feb '03 PL Chelsea 1 Tottenham 1

13 Sep '03 PL Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2

3 Apr '04 PL Tottenham 0 Chelsea 1

19 Sep '04 PL Chelsea 0 Tottenham 0

15 Jan '05 PL Tottenham 0 Chelsea 2

27 Aug '05 PL Tottenham 0 Chelsea 2

11 Mar '06 PL Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1