By DPA
London : Chelsea produced a professional display to defeat Everton 1-0 in the second leg of the Carling Cup semi final at Goodison Park Wednesday.
Joe Cole’s excellent goal midway through the second half gave Chelsea 3-1 aggregate victory here, as they booked their place in the Feb 24 final to face Tottenham Hotspur, who thrashed Arsenal Tuesday.
After a spirited performance in the first leg, Everton came into the match with high hopes, reaching their first final in 13 years, and in the first half it was the home side that created the best chances.
But as opportunities for Andrew Johnson and Joleon Lescott were thwarted, in particular by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, the visitors were able to exercise increasing control over the match.
New signing Nicolas Anelka, still looking for his first Chelsea goal, was a constant threat to the Everton defence, and his shot against the crossbar early in the second half was a warning to Everton that they could not afford to be too reckless in pursuit of the one goal they would have needed to win the tie on away goals.
Chelsea were always the more threatening team on the counterattack, and in the 70th minute their greater class eventually showed. Frenchman Florent Malouda’s precise pass fed Joe Cole, who controlled the ball superbly before rifling it past Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard from 10 yards out.
Cole was delighted to have given his side the chance to claim their third Carling Cup victory in four years.
“It’s a great competition,” said Cole. “The final is in February, so it’s a great chance to win a trophy.”
“We’ve always shown a lot of respect for this competition,” said Cole. “In the past we’ve been on the end of a few bad semi-final experiences in Liverpool, so it’ll be a nice flight home for us tonight.”