Chelsea won 2-0 over Liverpool to advance to the soccer bet semifinals of the soccer betting English League Cup. Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko scored to lead Chelsea. Liverpool lost striker Peter Crouch who was sent off this soccer bet game in the 60th minute for a tackle on Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.
Lampard scored in the 59th minute on a feed from Shevchenko for Chelsea. The shot deflected off Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher and past Liverpool goalkeeper Charles Itandje. Shevchenko made it 2-0 in the 90th minute and Chelsea was in total control of the soccer betting match. Chelsea also got a boost from Michael Ballack who made his first appearance in soccer betting matches since April. Chelsea was without captain John Terry, who broke three bones in his right foot in Sunday’s soccer betting game. Liverpool was missing captain Steven Gerrard but did get Xabi Alonso back from a foot injury caused by a previous soccer bet game.
The other soccer betting semifinal winners this week were Arsenal and Tottenham. Arsenal defeated Blackburn 3-2 while Tottenham got past Manchester City 2-0. Everton had already taken the other semifinal spot last week with a 2-1 win over West Ham.
Arsenal was able to win their soccer betting game with basically a second string squad. They also had to play shorthanded for the final 30 minutes after Brazilian midfielder Denilson was sent off in the 90th minute. Eduardo da Silva scored two goals to lead Arsenal. It will be the fourth time in five years that Arsenal has made the soccer betting semifinals.
Tottenham had Didier Zokora sent off in the 20th minute but they were able to get goals by Jermain Defoe in the fifth minute and Steed Malbranque in the 82nd to defeat Manchester City. The defeat ended Manchester City’s 10 soccer betting game home victory streak.
Arsenal and Tottenham will meet in one of the soccer betting semi-finals of the Carling Cup while Chelsea will play Everton in the other. The soccer betting semi-finals are played with two legs, the first being on January 7th and the second on January 21st. Chelsea manager Avram Grant knows his team faces a tough challenge. “Any game is not easy. Everton are very good this year”, he said. “It’s not easy to play against them. It’s not easy for us – but not for them either. Any game in the semi-final is not easy but its two games so anything can happen. I hope we will be in the final”.