‘David Luiz the leader Antonio Conte needs’ – Three things learnt from Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham

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Chelsea are the best side of 2016/17

Tottenham have shown themselves to be the second best side in England in the 2016/17 season, and in recent weeks have even looked the best on their form.

It takes courage for any manager to go into a game against such high quality opposition in a semi-final without two of your key men in attack.

Antonio Conte’s unexpected decision to drop Eden Hazard and Diego Costa may only have been partially justified, as they were required as substitutes on the hour mark to make the difference and get the Blues across the line, but Chelsea showed exactly why they are rampaging through the Premier League and FA Cup with a quality performance even without two of their best men.

Willian was a more than adequate replacement for Hazard and performances elsewhere ensured that Chelsea more than held their own against the toughest of challengers, and when the Belgian was introduced, his free flowing attacking play made the difference.

Not only does this result set Chelsea on their way to a potential double, but it will also have a huge psychological impact on Tottenham as they look to close the gap on the leaders in the Premier League.