League Cup Final: Chelsea bid to curtail Spurs Hurri-Kane

Harry Kane scored a brace when Tottenham stunned league leader 5-3

LONDON: Inspired by their stunning 5-3 demolition of Chelsea on New Year's Day, Tottenham Hotspur will attempt to spoil Jose Mourinho's love affair with the League Cup in Sunday's final.

Chelsea have enjoyed the upper hand over their London rivals in recent years, but a run of 10 matches without defeat came to an abrupt halt at White Hart Lane on January 1 as a Tottenham side inspired by 21-year-old breakthrough star Harry Kane ran amok.

Victory at Wembley on Sunday will bring Mourinho full circle, as the 2004-05 League Cup was the first trophy he won during his first stint as Chelsea manager, but his Tottenham counterpart Mauricio Pochettino says Spurs will approach the game with no sense of inferiority.

"We got this victory against Chelsea on January 1 and it is important for belief," said the Argentine, who hopes to end a seven-year trophy drought stretching back to Spurs' win over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final. "If you saw the game, our performance was nearly perfect and we played very well. We need to repeat the same performance to come close to winning the trophy.”

While Spurs remain in contention for Champions League qualification, their form has diminished since a brace from Kane secured a memorable 2-1 win over derby rivals Arsenal at the start of the month.

Pochettino's side have since gone four games without victory, culminating in Thursday's error-strewn 2-0 loss away to Fiorentina, which curtailed their involvement in the Europa League.

Chelsea's form has also fluctuated, with a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley last weekend enabling Manchester City to trim their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points.

"Since I arrived in July 2013, it's the first time I don't think about the future of this club," said the Portuguese. "It's the only moment where I just think about the moment. I just think about this game. We have a final to win on Sunday and nothing else matters.”

 

 

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