Dele Alli scored a second-half brace as Tottenham Hotspur sealed a 3-1 comeback victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.
Álvaro Morata edged the hosts ahead as he capitalised on a mistake from Hugo Lloris to head home in the 30th minute. Christian Erisken though dragged Tottenham level with a stunning strike on the stroke of half-time.
Dele Alli produced a masterclass in the second-half as his two strikes within four minutes claimed an historic win for Tottenham.
Morata back with a bang
Antonio Conte’s men had the ball in the net within the first 20 minutes as Marcos Alonso slotted the ball into the bottom corner. However, the referee ruled out the strike for offside.
Victor Moses then tested Hugo Lloris with a fierce low drive from the edge of the area. The French goalkeeper though collected his deflected shot with relative ease.
Despite there being few chances in the opening period, Chelsea seized the advantage through Morata. Moses found space on the left-wing and produced a teasing cross that left the Tottenham stopper floundering. He was easily beaten to the ball by Morata who leapt highest to nod into the bottom corner to notch his first Premier League goal since Boxing Day.
Chelsea end first-half strongly
The Blues had the chance to go into the break two goals to the good as Alonso galloped into space on the left side. The Spanish full-back attempted to cross towards Morata but had his first effort blocked. His second cross was much better as Eric Dier scrambled the ball away as he edged just ahead of the former Real Madrid man.
Alonso continued to find acres of space throughout the first-half and centred to N’Golo Kanté in the closing minutes. The Frenchman sent a powerful effort towards goal but it was deflected away by a Spurs’ body.
Eriksen blasts Tottenham level
For all of Chelsea’s dominance, Tottenham blasted level through Eriksen in stoppage time. Found by Ben Davies 30 yards from goal, the Dane let fly and sent the ball crashing into the back of Willy Cabellero’s net off of the crossbar with an utterly astounding effort.
Andreas Christensen had the opportunity to regain the lead for Chelsea in the second-half as he connected with Alonso’s cross. His header drifted wide of the far post however.
Caballero had to be at his best only minutes later as Heung-Min Son set his sights from outside the area. His shot looked to be curling into the top corner but the Argentine palmed the ball away excellently.
Dele Alli edges Tottenham ahead at the Bridge
Mauricio Pochettino’s men did not have to wait much longer to claim the lead though. An excellent searching ball from Dier found Alli who had sprinted beyond the Chelsea defence. The 21-year-old controlled excellently and expertly guided the ball past Caballero from only a matter of yards out.
The youngster claimed another only minutes later. Eriksen released Son down the right-side and he attempted to find the net but the Chelsea goalkeeper saved well. The deflection fell to Alli, and finding his composure, slotted into the bottom corner to seize a two-goal advantage.
Chelsea continued to scramble and Cesc Fabregas had the chance to equalise but only served to send his low shot marginally wide of Lloris’ net as Tottenham secured their first victory at Stamford Bridge in over 25 years.
Final Thoughts
Tottenham may well believe that this victory at Stamford Bridge could be a momentous day. To break their hoodoo at a place where they had previously endured no joy at all is surely a sign of process and they were good value of their victory despite an under-par first period.
Pochettino’s men attacked with extreme quality in the second-half and went ahead thanks to eye-catching strikes from Eriksen and Alli. As a result, they remain fourth in the Premier League table and now go seven points clear of Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the Blues are in fifth and now look set to be playing Europa League football next season. They by no means played badly however were simply not able to hold a talented Tottenham outfit.
Match Report
Chelsea: Caballero (5); Rüdiger (6), Christensen (5) Azpilicueta (6); Alonso (6) (Emerson (N/A), 84′), Kanté (6), Fabregas (5), Moses (7) (Giroud (N/A), 82′); Hazard (6), Willian (6); Morata (7) (Hudson-Odoi (N/A), 89′).
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (5); Trippier (7), Sánchez (7), Vertonghen (6), Davies (6); Dier (7) (Wanyama (N/A), 81′), Dembele (7); Lamela (7) (Sissoko (N/A), 88′), Alli (8), Eriksen (8); Son (6) (Kane (6), 73′).
Goals: Morata (30′), Eriksen (45+1′), Alli (62′ 66′)
Referee: Andre Marriner
Yellow Cards: Davies (70′)
Red Cards: N/A
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