Mauricio Pochettino is happy that Tottenham lost their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg to Chelsea on penalties rather than in normal time.
The Blues went ahead after 27 minutes, as Kante’s strike from the edge of the box went through several pairs of legs before beating Paulo Gazzaniga.
The hosts soon moved ahead in the tie, as a quick free-kick scrambled Spurs, allowing Hazard to pick out the corner and make it 2-1 on aggregate.
Spurs would fight back early in the second half, as Danny Rose crossed in for Fernando Llorente to level the tie.
Penalties would be required to separate the sides, and misses from Eric Dier and Lucas Moura allowed Chelsea to progress into the Carabao Cup final, where they will meet last season’s winners Manchester City.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Pochettino said: “We won at Wembley. They beat us here. I’d prefer to lose on penalties [than in the game]. Congratulations to Chelsea.
“We’ll keep going in the FA Cup game against Crystal Palace.
“In the second half we played so well and dominated and had chances. Over 180 minutes it was 2-2. Chelsea would have been disappointed at Wembley. That’s football.
“We changed in the second half. I think we started to dominate. In the first half before we conceded the first goal, we played well and had control. That’s football.”
A criticism aimed at Pochettino’s side has been their lack of depth, and he appeared to accept that the number of options available to Chelsea played a huge role in them making the final.
“When you have Hazard, Pedro, Giroud, Kante, they can score,” he explained.
“The team was so good. I feel so proud. I’m so happy with the performance and the way we fought. After two amazing games I praise my players.”