Chelsea Assistant Manager Zola Praises Impact of Substitutes in EFL Cup Win Over Bournemouth

Chelsea's assistant manager Gianfranco Zola has praised the impact of Chelsea's substitutes in their 1-0 win against Bournemouth in the EFL Cup quarter-finals. 

The Blues left it late, with substitute Eden Hazard sending his side through thanks to a deflected effort that creeped in with seven minutes remaining.

Christopher Lee/GettyImages

The victory means Chelsea will face London rivals Tottenham in the semi-finals, after they beat Arsenal 2-0. 

Per West London Sport, Zola said: “The difference was the changes that we made.

"It was a very tough game. I have to say Bournemouth are a very good team and gave us a really hard time.

“When Pedro and Eden came on they really gave us an extra gear as we got the goal that made all the difference.

“We knew that Eden is the type of player that when he comes on, even for 20 minutes, he can really make a difference. But also Pedro was excellent.”

Regarding the continued speculation over whether Hazard will be staying at Chelsea, Zola said: “Hopefully he will stay long with us. I’m really looking forward to Eden achieving great things for us.”

Zola also lauded the performance of midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, stating: “I was impressed with him. Towards the end he was getting tired but still he was disciplined and he gave the team a hand.

“He has gone a long way since the beginning of the season. He has improved in many ways and I’m pleased because he’s a good boy and works very hard at his game.”

Chloe Knott - Danehouse/GettyImages

Chelsea will be looking to kick on from this result when they return to Premier League action on Saturday, hosting Leicester at 15:00 GMT.