LONDON (AP) – Chelsea won the English football League Cup by beating Tottenham 2-0 and had their Premier League title chances boosted by Manchester City’s loss at Liverpool on Sunday, raising the prospect of a second trophy-laden era under Jose Mourinho.
Two deflected shots settled a tight cup final between London rivals at Wembley Stadium, with Chelsea captain John Terry opening the scoring in the 45th with the aid of a ricochet off Eric Dier.
Diego Costa’s attempted shot then span into the net off Kyle Walker’s outstretched leg in the 56th, propelling Mourinho to his first piece of silverware in his second spell at Chelsea.
The Premier League title could also be heading to Stamford Bridge after City lost 2-1 at Anfield to leave Chelsea with a five-point lead and a game in hand.
Philippe Coutinho scored a late winner against Manchester City for the second straight season to dent the champions’ chances of hauling in Chelsea.
The in-form Brazilian playmaker capped his latest impressive display by curling in a 25-metre shot in the 75th minute, adding another long-distance strike to his repertoire of recent stunning goals.
Captain Jordan Henderson whipped in a near-identical finish to put Liverpool ahead in the 11th and although Edin Dzeko equalised in the 25th after a slick move, City were sluggish in a match they needed to win to keep the pressure on Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Arsenal beat Everton as Olivier Giroud scored to put his nightmare midweek performance behind him and the Gunners closed in on second-place Manchester City.
Giroud, who missed several key chances in Arsenal’s 3-1 Champions League home defeat to Monaco on Wednesday, scored in the 39th against the Toffees with a shot into the bottom left corner.
Tomas Rosicky added a second in the 89th.