A predictably feisty affair. Fast, furious and breathless. What it lacked in finesse, it made up for in the sort of blood and guts fans love in a derby between two such rivals. Enzo Fernandez got the only goal of the game to secure a double for the Blues – who won the reverse fixture 4-3 in North London. It returns Chelsea to that all-important fourth spot in the table, just above Man City.
Here are the main takeaways.
THE LINE-UPS
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caidedo, Fernandez (Dewsbuty-Hall 91), Sancho (Madueke 67), Palmer (Tosin 91), Pedro Neto, Jackson (James 82). Subs not used: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Nkunku, George, Acheampong.
Tottenham: Vicario, Spence, Romero, Van de Ven (Porro 87), Udogie, Bergvall (Sarr 64), Bentancur, Maddison (Tel 87), Odobert (Johnson 64), Solanke, Son. Subs not used: Kinsky, Bissouma, Gray, Davies, Moore
SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME
Chelsea battered Spurs without reward for 45 minutes – Nicolas Jackson hitting a post in the first minute, Malo Gusto hitting the side netting and Jadon Sancho having his drilled effort superbly saved.
But Enzo Maresca’s evident frustration at the wasted chances was eased five minutes after the break when Fernandez stole in to head in Cole Palmer’s cross from the left for his sixth club goal of the season.
Just five minutes later, Lucas Bergvall’s weak headed clearance to the edge of the area fell invitingly for Moises Caicedo to volley into the bottom corner – but a VAR offside call against Levi Colwill spared Spurs.
Chelsea then got the benefit of VAR as a goal by Pape Sarr was ruled out for a foul on Moises Caicedo. It spared the blushes of Robert Sanchez, who allowed the low shot to squirm past him from 25 yards.
The keeper redeemed himself with a superb late save to deny Son Heung-Min.
TACTICAL APPROACH
Maresca’s side in a familiar 4-2-3-1 set the tone early on with an intensity that Spurs struggled to live with. With Fernandez and Caicedo locking down the central areas and Palmer drifting into pockets of danger, supply lines to Jackson were varied and Ange Postecoglou’s side found it hard to get up the field.
Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and second-half sub Noni Madueke down the flanks ensured the pressure was maintained while the defence looked solid, with Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah keeping Dominic Solanke under wraps.
The Blues’ collective commitment to the cause was reflected in the fact they had five bookings – Marc Cucurella, Chalobah, Palmer, Pedro Neto and Jackson all going into Craig Pawson’s notebook. It’s the fourth time they have had five booked in a Premier League match this season.
STAR MAN
Moises Caidedo. Managed to shake off an early dead leg that looked like it might end his involvement. A magic pain-killing spray did the trick and he was soon pinging good passes out wide, biting into several winning tackles and covering so many hard yards to close down the visitors. A vital component in a gritty win.
BEST MOMENT
No self-respecting derby between these two would be the same without an almighty dust-up – you know, just to show how much everyone cares. There are always going to be enough short fuses around to make things happen and when Levi Colwill was bundled to the ground with Cristian Romero inevitably involved, Chalobah’s furious reaction sparked a huge melee, as all hell threatened to break out. The squaring up and red mist was not quite as crazy as on the famous day Chelsea scuppered Spurs’ title hopes in 2016, but it was a fine popcorn moment.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
We were deprived of a fabulous – and rare – goal from man of the match Caicedo because of a spoil-sport VAR decision. To make matters worse it took an age for the Bletchley Park officials to decide the goal had to be chalked off. Justice may have been done, but it felt like a Bah Humbug moment for home fans, whose delirium in the seconds after the ‘goal’ was quickly deflated by the prolonged wait for a verdict.
TALKING POINTS DOWN THE PUB
The win is everything and there won’t be any need to be too analytical after a night like that. In the cold light of day, there may be sober reflection on the relative lack of ruthlessness. The Blues really should have won this more comfortably, but the cutting edge in the final third was missing.
There may be some fans questioning why we didn’t get to see more of Madueke and whether Sancho has what it takes to take this team forward. They also came close to throwing it all away by conceding late on. Still, after an insipid defeat in their last London derby before the international break – at Arsenal – this will feel like a very welcome moment.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY
“We know in this moment how important it is to win games. I think tonight the performance was very good and we are happy. It was a different game compared to before the international break when we have games against four teams that sit back and wait for us. Tonight, Tottenham was a different kind of game and for us, in some ways better.
“If you want to become a team you need also to learn how to play like we did in the last 10 minutes – win a game in a [gritty] way. For 90 minutes until the extra time, we were in control, we created chances enough to win the game.
“Until the day that I will be here, I will tell you that our game plan depends on the opposition. We cannot do the same game plan against Tottenham as Leicester, because they play in a completely different way so tonight we used more ball’s in behind. It’s because of Tottenham, the way they defend and press.
“Nico Jackson is an important player for us because he’s a threat for the defensive line. Off the ball, he’s pressing everyone. For sure with Nico, we are a different team.”
Pictured top: Goalscorer Enzo Fernandez, left gives thanks to goal provider Cole Palmer (Picture: Alamy)
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