Chelsea’s Capital One Cup Semi-Final match-winner Branislav Ivanovic has praised the Blues’ team character after their 2-1 aggregate victory over Liverpool.
The defender headed home in the fourth minute of extra-time to seal their place at Wembley on 1st March, when they’ll face Tottenham Hotspur in a repeat of the 2008 League Cup Final.And Ivanovic believes a good team performance was crucial in securing the Blues’ place under the arch.
He told chelseafc.com: “This is one of those games when you show the real character of the team. I am happy about my goal but this game is a real example of how the team has to play - and the team won the game.
“It’s a great feeling [to score against Liverpool] but it’s the fantastic team spirit. It was a very difficult game but we are very happy that we are going to Wembley.
“We did well - we defended really well. It was really hard work but at the end of the day I think we showed the real power of our team and we deserve to be in the Final.”
Ivanovic has scored a number of crucial goals for Chelsea in cup competitions since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2008, including Tuesday night’s winner.
The 30-year-old netted two headers against Liverpool in the 2009 Champions League to send the Blues on their way to the semi-finals, while three years later he scored crucial goals against Napoli as Chelsea went on to win the top prize in Europe by beating Bayern Munich in the Final.
The Serbian full-back was also the man of the moment in the 2013 Europa League Final, netting a last-gasp winner against Benfica.
And his latest goalscoring exploits have booked Jose Mourinho’s men a place in the Capital One Cup Final.
He added: “Liverpool on Tuesday was very important, maybe it didn’t make the difference because we did well and didn’t concede so we would have gone through on away goals, but for me personally it is important and a nice moment.
“Of course there are many other important games we have played and other guys decided them for us, but maybe one in 10 games it is me, and it’s a great feeling. To make these memories is fantastic and very important to look back on.”