'The reaction was really very good': Maurizio Sarri hails Chelsea's powers of motivation after his team beat Tottenham to book place in Carabao Cup final Chelsea beat Spurs on penalties to reach the final of the Carabao Cup Victory comes days after Maurizio Sarri publicly questioned team's motivation Sarri praised his team for responding well to the defeat to Arsenal on SaturdayBy Sami Mokbel for MailOnline Published: 23:15 GMT, 24 January 2019 | Updated: 23:39 GMT, 24 January 2019 3 Viewcomments Maurizio Sarri hailed Chelsea’s powers of motivation as the Blues booked their place in the Carabao Cup Final in a tense shoot-out win over Tottenham. Eric Dier and Lucas Moura missed two crucial penalties for Tottenham before David Luiz rammed home the decisive spot-kick to send Stamford Bridge into delirium and set-up the Wembley showpiece against Manchester City. The euphoric win arrived just days after Sarri publicly questioned his players’ motivation after the disappointing loss to Arsenal on Saturday. Maurizio Sarri celebrates following his side's victory over Tottenham on Thursday night And Sarri, who reached the first final of his managerial career, praised his team saying: ‘I think that, in the last three or four matches, we had a problem. A problem was the motivation, and the other problem was that the players stopped to have fun on the pitch. ‘So I think that now, with this performance and the result, we can find again enthusiasm. So it's very important. ‘I think that they reacted really very well tonight. But I didn't attack my players. I only said that we had a problem. The reaction was really very good, but I think we need to have motivation with continuity now. ‘Of course, now, it's better because we are able to play in a final, a very difficult final but we will go to play.’ On the criticism from their own manager earlier this week, Eden Hazard - who scored a crucial goal last night - added: ‘I don't care. I just play my football. Chelsea players celebrate after David Luiz scores the winning penalty in the shootout ‘It doesn't matter what the manager said. I just focus on my football and want to do my best for this team. ‘It is always good to bounce back after a tough game. Today we did well for 90 minutes. ‘We controlled the game in the first half. They had one chance and scored. At the end we go through to the final so tonight we are happy.’ The semi-final loss brought about another huge disappointment for Tottenham as they stumbled at the final stage yet again. But Pochettino refused to blame Dier for his decisive penalty miss in the shoot-out, saying: ‘Anyone can miss who takes the responsibility to shoot. ‘For me, it's not a problem. It's about the emotions you have as you shoot. Sometimes you score, sometimes you miss. Luiz wheels away in celebration after sealing his team's place in the Carabao Cup final ‘In the history of football, it's nothing to complain about. You can only feel pride for the players who take the ball and shoot. It's not a problem for me the mistakes. I feel so proud. Only people who shoot can miss. ‘We are disappointed to lose in that way. But it can happen. It was a signal we fought and were brave, and even in the circumstances we played really well.’ But to rub salt into Pochettino’s wounds, his side are now in the midst of a crippling injury crisis after Ben Davies and Moussa Sissoko limped off last night. With Harry Kane and Dele Alli out until March through injury - and Heung-min Son on international duty - Spurs’ squad is seriously stretched. ‘When you assess that pre-season when we were the team most affected by the World Cup, lots of circumstances. ‘Fixtures were crazy. It put us in a very difficult moment. It was a massive challenge for us after the World Cup, and we know the circumstances. ‘We are managing very well the situation.’ Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility