CHELSEA took control of its League Cup semifinal against Tottenham as Romelu Lukaku returned from exile in Wednesday’s 2-0 first leg win over its London rival. For Tottenham manager Antonio Conte, it was a night of frustration on his return to Stamford Bridge four years after being fired by Chelsea. Kai Havertz’s shot after five minutes was inadvertently diverted into his own net by Davinson Sanchez. More absurd was the own goal in the 34th minute after Hakim Ziyech swung a free kick into the penalty area. There were no Chelsea players around Tottenham duo Japhet Tanganga and Ben Davies as they combined comically to gift the hosts a second goal. Tanganga’s attempt at a headed clearance came off the shoulder of Davies and past their own goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris. “We try to improve the personality, try to make less mistakes during the game,” Conte said. There’s still a second leg to turn it around next Wednesday back on Tottenham’s home field. But the trip to west London on Wednesday, two months into Conte’s reign, reinforced the need to rebuild a team that is without a title since the 2008 League Cup. (SD-Agencies) | 