Chelsea's firepower too potent for Spurs

Chelsea 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

The scoresheet was dominated by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who scored a goal in each half to sandwich Les Ferdinand's 64th-minute equaliser and extend their extraordinary unbeaten run against Tottenham.

The spotlight, though, was on John Terry and Jody Morris, who had begun a busy day with a lunchtime appearance at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court. There, following an incident in a nightclub last week, they pleaded not guilty to charges of affray and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Eight hours later they had gone from courtroom to dressing-room. Not since Ruud Gullit left Alan Shearer out of the Tyne-Tees derby has a team-sheet been as symbolic. This one represented a two-fingered salute to Chelsea's critics, with one digit tattooed TERRY and the other MORRIS. Had Ken Bates not been in Florida, one would have wanted to dust for the chairman's dabs.

Chelsea will argue they were merely following the precedent set by Leeds in presuming innocence until guilt has been proven. But Leeds always picked their best side, soon dropping Jonathan Woodgate. With William Gallas injured, Terry's inclusion was not surprising but Morris had only once started a Chelsea match this season, playing in a weakened side earlier in this competition three months ago. Since Slavisa Jokanovic, another holding player and a favourite of Claudio Ranieri, was on the bench, his selection seemed gesture-driven. Especially when he was withdrawn at half-time.

"He is only fit to play 45 minutes but he played very well," said Ranieri. "We needed him for this match, he was a good point of reference. I was not worried about the criticism he and Terry have had. We are used to that."

It was not much of an example, though, and it was perhaps not surprising that missiles were later thrown at both Ferdinand and Hasselbaink and a fan invaded the pitch.

But what of the football? Though Ferdinand tested Carlo Cudicini in the opening minute Chelsea soon took command. Nine minutes had elapsed when they scored with a move which both illustrated their movement and betrayed the absence of the cup-tied Dean Richards in the Spurs defence. Mario Melchiot played a pass from the right which Hasselbaink dummied for Eidur Gudjohnsen. As Ledley King and Anthony Gardner ball-watched the Dutchman kept moving, took Gudjohnsen's pass, and scored.

Spurs thereafter tightened up, with a Hasselbaink free-kick, which Kasey Keller parried, Chelsea's lone on-target effort during the rest of the half. Cudicini had even less to save but, as Spurs made their numbers count in midfield, the ball flashed across the face of his goal too frequently for comfort.

Chelsea moved to 3-5-2 after the break. The switch almost backfired after 53 minutes as Albert Ferrer, the substitute, mis-hit a clearance to Mauricio Taricco. He volleyed just wide. In response Hasselbaink clipped a shot over, then brought a good save from Keller after springing the offside trap.

That was a half-chance, though, compared to the one presented to Ferdinand after 63 minutes. Played onside by Terry, he advanced unchallenged from 40 yards out but Cudicini snatched the ball off him as he attempted to waltz by. He did not have long to dwell on the miss. A minute later Terry's slack pass allowed Tim Sherwood to supply another through ball and, this time, Ferdinand made no mistake.

Chelsea were stupefied but eleven minutes later they received a helping hand with a handball, harshly given against King. Though nearly 30 yards out, Hasselbaink drove home. "It's the sweetest free-kick I've struck," he said. "It was a key decision and the referee should have got it right," Hoddle said.

The weight of recent history was behind Chelsea now and Spurs were twice fortunate to survive counter-attacks. First Christian Ziege appeared to foul Hasselbaink just outside the area. Then Keller brought down Mikael Forssell inside the penalty area. Both managers thought the latter a penalty but, on each occasion, the referee, Alan Wiley, waved play on.

The margin thus remained one goal but, to reach the final, Spurs will still have to defeat their capital nemesis on 23 January for the first time in 11 years and 27 matches.

Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Melchiot, Terry, Desailly, Babayaro; Dalla Bona, Morris (Ferrer, h-t), Lampard, Zola; Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen (Forssell, 73). Substitutes not used: De Goey (gk), Jokanovic, Keenan.

Tottenham Hotspur (5-4-1): Keller; Taricco, King, Perry, Gardner, Ziege; Davies, Freund (Sherwood, 29), Anderton, Poyet; Ferdinand (Rebrov, 88). Substitutes not used: Sullivan (gk), Thelwell, Etherington.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).