Chelsea recovered from their League Cup final defeat at the weekend as they overcame Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in a fiery London derby at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening.
It took some time for the game to liven up but it certainly did in the second-half as Pedro netted from close range to give the Blues the lead just after half-time. An inexplicable own goal from Kieran Trippier late in the game ensured the points were staying with Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Lack of quality at Stamford Bridge
The headlines before the match were devoted entirely to Chelsea as Sarri elected to drop goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to the bench following the pair’s altercation at Wembley at the weekend. Nonetheless, Gonzalo Higuain almost got the hosts off to the perfect start as he struck a wonderful half-volley against the Tottenham upright.
The Argentinian then put an effort just wide as Chelsea looked to profit from a Tottenham mistake.
Spurs build before the break but Pedro strikes
Tottenham finished the first-half the stronger of the two teams. Harry Kane went close as he had a shot deflected wide from just inside the penalty area before Harry Winks set his sights with a spectacular long-range effort that cannoned off of the crossbar.
The hosts did have the ball in the net after the break through Higuian but his strike was ruled out by the linesman’s flag. However, Pedro was not to be denied as he found space on the right-wing, cut-inside Toby Alderweireld and finished underneath Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham clanger sees Chelsea double lead
Spurs had to react throughout the second-half and they almost did just that as Christian Eriksen did excellently to dribble into the Chelsea box. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, goalscorer Pedro put in an excellent last-ditch challenge. Kane then again put a great chance just wide as he connected with Ben Davies’ cross.
Despite that, it was actually the hosts who got on the scoresheet once again, and it was an embarrassing moment for Trippier. With a routine Giroud header seemingly rolling back, it looked like the English defender was going to easily deal with it. Unbeknownst to him, Lloris had advanced out of his goal and Trippier passed the ball back and it trundled into the net, giving Chelsea and Sarri what could potentially be a huge win in the pursuit of the Premier League top four.
Final Thoughts
Tottenham simply did not show up at Stamford Bridge which will hugely disappoint Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs did not really carry all too much of an attacking threat and considering it was the barely-used Willy Caballero in goal, they really should have done that more. Chelsea ran out thoroughly deserved winners ahead of their match with Fulham at the weekend. Tottenham will now look to their North London clash with Arsenal on Saturday with some fear.
Match Report
Chelsea: Caballero (6), Alonso (6), Luiz (7), Rudiger (7), Azpilicueta (7); Kovacic (7) (Loftus-Cheek (N/A), 77′), Jorginho (6), Kante (7); Hazard (7) (Willian (N/A), 60′), Higuain (6) (Giroud (N/A), 84′), Pedro (8).
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (5); Davies (6), Sanchez (6), Alderweireld (5), Trippier (5); Winks (6), Eriksen (5), Sissoko (6); Lamela (6) (Llorente (5), 70′), Son (5) (Moura (N/A), 80′), Kane (5).
Goals: Pedro (57′), Trippier OG (84′)
Referee: Andre Marriner
Yellow Cards: Luiz (90+4′), Kane (90+4′)
Red Cards: N/A
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
