Thursday 29 January 2015 09:48, UK
Mauricio Pochettino dedicated Tottenham's Capital One Cup triumph over Sheffield United to the fans, as Spurs overcame adverse weather and a hostile atmosphere to reach the Wembley final.
A goal in either half from Christian Eriksen on Wednesday night sealed Spurs' first cup final appearance in six years and prevented another cup upset from the Blades, who fought their way back into the tie thanks to Che Adams' quick-fire double.
And Pochettino, having seen his side weather the late United comeback, was elated to have reach his first final at Wembley and thankful his side were not left to regret failing to take advantage of their dominance.
"I am very happy," the Spurs coach told Sky Sports. "Happy for the players, because they deserve to go to the final, and I’m happy for our supporters, they were great in the stadium and they deserve it too.
"When this type of game arrives, it is important to kill the game or score more than one, as the end of the game showed.
"In football, you need to kill and score when you have the possibility and if you don't, it's a difficult game. There was unbelievable pressure on the pitch and the last 10-12 minutes were difficult - but the most important thing is that the game is done and we're going to Wembley."
Eriksen produced yet another match-winning performance to rescue Spurs at the death, and Pochettino was grateful the Danish star presented them with the opportunity to repeat their New Year's Day victory over Chelsea one again.
The Argentine, though, admitted he would not underestimate the Premier League pace-setters, adding: "Every game is different. Tonight we needed to ensure that we can play the final.
"Before, (the New Year’s Day fixture), we were focusing on different competitions. Maybe we will prepare the week before for the final but it will be a tough game because Chelsea are one of the best teams in the world.
"I’ve not seen Eriksen do that many times before. Sometimes he scores on the training ground but I think we are very happy because we deserve to play the final."
