Sunday afternoon’s top-four London derby was the tight affair many would have predicted between two in-form teams, but without the goals expected from sides who are, with Liverpool, the Premier League’s top scorers.
Chelsea, in the second half especially, were the better side but without creating many good chances.
The first half was a cautious affair, with Tottenham content to wait for counter-attacks and the Blues determined to prevent those. We did have the ball in the Shed End net off the boot of Timo Werner but that was disallowed. Edouard Mendy saved from Serge Aurier in Tottenham’s best moment before the break.
Chelsea had defended well however when called upon, and there was less work to do at the back after the interval as we managed to pin Tottenham back and probe for an opening. Mason Mount came the closest to breaking the deadlock with a shot saved with 10 minutes to go, and both sides traded misses in added time, the game’s drama saved for the very end.
The point leaves us third, two points behind Spurs who move ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.
There were no surprises with the three players Frank Lampard brought back into the team. Hakim Ziyech was restored to the starting line-up and Reece James was at right-back, with N’Golo Kante asked to patrol central midfield. All three had begun on the bench for the midweek Champions League victory in France.
Chelsea against Tottenham is never less than a massive game, but this meeting, even if it was in front of no fans, felt especially important ahead of kick-off with both sides in very good form, on the longest unbeaten runs in the competition, and with top spot in the Premier League the reward for the winners.
Before the main event however, there was a moment to remember the legendary Diego Maradona with a minute’s applause from those who could be inside the stadium today. His visit to Cobham back in 2008 was shown on the video screens.
What followed in the opening 45 minutes will not live long in the memory however, as the game settled into a very tactical encounter. Both teams managed one shot on target in the first half.
Hakim Ziyech struck a dipping effort from outside the box straight at Hugo Lloris, in an opening in which Chelsea dominated possession without much action in our attacking third. Tottenham looked happy to sit back and wait for their moments to spring forward, one of which came in the ninth minute but that counter-attack ended with Steven Bergwijn scooping his shot over the bar.
It was Chelsea who broke just as sharply two minutes later, with Tammy Abraham carefully releasing Mount, who supplied Timo Werner to the left of him for a superb finish off the far post, but the German had strayed marginally offside. Full report here
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