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Tottenham: Chelsea semifinal is bigger than just the FA Cup

By Craig Pearson

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 15: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides first goal with his Tottenham Hotspur team mates during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth at White Hart Lane on April 15, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 15: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides first goal with his Tottenham Hotspur team mates during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth at White Hart Lane on April 15, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham can inadvertently give their Premier League title bid a further boost with a win over Chelsea in the pair’s FA Cup semifinal.

Tottenham and Chelsea have a huge game approaching when the two collide at Wembley Stadium. The winner will advance to the FA Cup final, however, a win for either team will have an impact beyond just the one game.

The two clubs are currently competing for the Premier League title. Chelsea lead the way and have done so for much of the season. The lead is currently four points with just six games remaining in the campaign.

Chelsea have looked formidable for most of the season, but are currently having a slight wobble in first place. The Blues have lost two of their last four games, and those blips are what have now let Spurs back into contention.

Right now, all the pressure is on Chelsea. They are the ones who had a bigger lead and let it slip. They are the ones trying to fend off Tottenham. And they are the ones with everything to lose. Tottenham have very little pressure.

If Spurs finish second this season, everybody will pat them on the back and congratulate them on a good season. Nice try. If Chelsea finish second, though, then the perception is going to be that they blew a golden opportunity.

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This FA Cup clash comes at interesting time, with the title race only recently hotting up again. Before Chelsea’s two defeats, the title race looked rather dead. But now the fight is back on and will take another turn when the pair meet in the FA Cup.

Not that any points will be on the line, of course, but momentum is huge in any race. Whether it’s a relegation race, a top four race or a title race – momentum plays a huge part. Right now the momentum is with Tottenham.

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Mauricio Pochettino’s men have maintained their title push even as their star striker, Harry Kane, has been out injured. Tottenham did what Tottenham do and they stuck together, everybody did their bit to cover for the loss, and they got through it.

Now Kane is back to provide a further boost to his team’s title charge. Not that hey need a boost after seven-straight wins, but it’s just more momentum and positivity on Spurs’ side. And whilst Tottenham are flying, questions are being asked of some Chelsea players.

Diego Costa, for example. Is his heart still in the club? Does he want out in the summer? What about Eden Hazard, is he dreaming of Real Madrid? Where are Chelsea and their key players’ heads at this present time?

Now is the time for Chelsea to come back with a few wins to stamp out Tottenham’s title charge and stunt their momentum. Only wins will do that, draws won’t help. A Chelsea Wembley win would stops Spurs’ momentum and give Antonio Conte’s men a boost of confidence at just the right time.

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The trouble is, that logic works the opposite way around, too. If Tottenham can beat Chelsea, it will be yet more doubts that will then hang over the league leaders’ heads. The truth is that whoever wins at Wembley will do more damage than just dump the other out of the FA Cup.

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