Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth — FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED: Ethan Ampadu likes a crunching tackle and Danny Drinkwater does the dirty work
- Chelsea defender Ampadu flew into Jermain Defoe after less than two minutes
- Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe must hope he has not just lost a key player
- Conte called upon Antonio Rudiger, Danny Drinkwater and Michy Batshuayi
Alvaro Morata's stoppage-time strike sent Chelsea into the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 defeat of Bournemouth.
Willian had given Chelsea a 13th-minute lead but the Blues invited pressure and Dan Gosling equalised in the 90th minute.
Chelsea attacked from the restart and Eden Hazard back-heeled into the path of fellow substitute Morata, who tucked in to send the Blues through.
Sportsmail's Kieran Gill highlights five things we learned.
Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu flew into Jermain Defoe after less than two minutes
A lot of people inside Chelsea rate Ethan Ampadu very highly and the 17-year-old centre back showed why here.
He is cool, composed and certainly likes a crunching tackle. Dreadlocked Ampadu flew into Jermain Defoe after less than two minutes but his late challenge injured the Bournemouth striker.
Still, the Wales international with two caps is learning, looks hungry and is one to watch closely at Chelsea.
Bournemouth striker Defoe was forced off after the challenge by Ampadu on Wednesday night
Defoe’s injury was unfortunate for Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, who will hope he has not just lost a key player for their fight for Premier League survival.
The 35-year-old striker tried to run it off but was clearly in pain after the clattering from Ampadu.
It was especially a shame as, at the start of the second half with them trailing 1-0, Bournemouth threw the kitchen sink at Chelsea.
Chelsea were able to call on Antonio Rudiger, Danny Drinkwater and Michy Batshuay
This is the first trophy up for grabs this season and Chelsea should see it as a golden chance for confidence-instilling silverware with their title defence way off.
Antonio Conte likes to complain about having a small squad with a lack of depth but this second string line-up was not too bad. There was £31m Antonio Rudiger, £35m Danny Drinkwater and £33m Michy Batshuayi to name a few.
A much-changed Chelsea side booked a semi-final spot in front of more than 41,000 fans
Eight changes for Chelsea, seven for Bournemouth. So we know how the managers felt about this Carabao Cup tie, with the Premier League their priority, but what about the supporters?
There were not many spare seats inside Stamford Bridge, except for the away end — a trip to west London on a school night is not easy. The attendance was 41,168, so the appetite still seems there.
What Drinkwater does often goes unnoticed. He does the dirty work in midfield, winning the ball then distributing it to someone can do something more creative with it. It can be a thankless job.
Whether or not Gareth Southgate likes the look of Drinkwater for the summer’s World Cup remains to be seen but the 27-year-old will want a run of games to follow this Christmas.
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