CityVP Manjit

7 years ago · 6 min. reading time · 0 ·

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No 14th Win for Chelsea - Third Place for Tottenham

No 14th Win for Chelsea - Third Place for Tottenham

Tottenham 2 Chelsea 0

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Premier League - 4" January 2016

Statement Win for Tottenham as Dele Alli Shines Bright
Match Day 20 - Photo Credit ESPN

As both teams entered the field, gladiator-like music accompanied both teams, this match was billed at a battle of Premier League Titans - the old masters vs the new young pretenders.  For Tottenham fans the years of false hopes could be on the verge of a real new epoch in the history of Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club.  This is how much was riding on results as Mauricio Pochettino's project begins to look more and more like reality rather than fantasy.

Chelsea were looking for a record breaking 14th win to eclipse Arsenal's former record and Spurs were looking to make a statement about their title aspirations, the obvious conclusion would be that Chelsea cannot keep on winning but Spurs would be cancelled out by Chelsea.  Despite the awful record Spurs have going to Chelsea, Chelsea have only won once in their last ten visits to White Hart Lane.

This scenario nearly went out of the window after just four minutes when a Kyle Walker mistake let Edin Hazard clean through the back line, yet fortune shined for Tottenham as Hazard shot wide, when on his day this would have been considered a chance Hazard normally puts away.

It took 18 minutes for referee Martin Atkinson to brandish a yellow card for a foul by Pedro, he had let some tackles go because that is the nature of London derbies, especially one's with title implications that at least four other Premier League clubs have a vested interest in, but that card set the mark down, so that it would not mirror the disgraceful scenes from last season.

Spurs from the beginning showed that they were as capable to fight the midfield battle and the return of three key Spurs defenders from suspension or injury.   Chelsea have shown that they are ruthless this season to defensive mistakes, thus Spurs could sigh a breath of relief from a couple of plays by Chelsea that did not come off - one saw teammates Pedro and Costa actually having an unseemly argument.

At 23 minutes Costa was fouled by Toby Alderweireld and Chelsea had a freekick outside the box. These are the kind of moments that can turn a game but David Luiz flashed his kick just over the top of the ball, yet again Spurs did not need to give this Chelsea team any gift of a chance that they did not earn to create.


Half way through the game it began to sound like a cup game more than it did a blood and thrust derby.  Long ago Spurs used to have the better of Chelsea and were the top dogs, but then millions came in with their Chairman from Russia and Spurs in all that time have been the bridesmaid, or at least the team one did not expect to be able to beat Chelsea.  Last year at White Hart Lane, Spurs did and handsomely in a 5-3 win.  That was not something Spurs supporters expected but today in the first half hour both defenses were holding on strong.

While Christian Eriksen failed to score another wonder goal when his great turn and shot flashed wide, it was Diego Costa whose shot could have had far more goal threat but he scuffed his shot and yet again Spurs were relieved to see the ball fly over the bar.

More cards flashed out from Atkinson's pocket with yellow's for Gary Cahill of Chelsea and Spurs Victor Wanyama.  Both of these players have historically been prone to red cards.

As the half was ending, Chelsea's fearsome front six ball players began to create slick passes that led to a Chelsea corner but the resulting cross was picked up harmlessly by Lloris in goal.

As the game was ending with a 0-0 scoreline, Costa gave a rare friendly thumbs up to a linesman offside call, perhaps that signaled that beast of Chelsea would not be a threat today.  Then it happened Spurs scored a superb goal master crafted by Eriksen, scored dutifully by Dele Alli in clinical finish.  That it was a clinical header was great for all Spurs fans to see.  So it is that Spurs went into the half leading 1-0.  The best time to score is right before half-time.

Chelsea started the second half with great intent but the ball was not falling right for them, in the wave of these Chelsea attacks, perhaps they were forgetting that Spurs are these days noted as a ruthlessly counter-attacking force.  Spurs weathered the early storm and Chelsea went back to a more patient pass-playing game rather than trying to copy Spurs high-press.

b134f7e0.pngOn the touchline Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was sensing a strategic win, this is how he envisaged his game plan working and the very result he was craving.  Spurs could be thankful for having a strong defensive midfield of Wanyama and the brilliant Dembele. Still Chelsea continued to press requiring all the wits of a defensive Tottenham back line that this year has been as miserly as Chelsea's.  What Spurs needed now was a Harry Kane special, but it was the other Spurs star Dele Alli scored another brilliant header - now Spurs fans were ecstatic. 2-0.

Now Spurs players were first to every ball, Chelsea in their heart of hearts know that a record 14th successive win now required the comeback of comebacks.  For Spurs fans with the hour mark arriving, this was a happy of happy days, this was the kind of statement about their vaunted title credentials, which have been tantalizing to consider but not with any title in sight.

Spurs mission now was to stop Chelsea scoring, because in the infamous end of season game, Spurs did hold a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea played out of their skins to draw the game, effectively killing last years Tottenham title bid.  Spurs were beginning to play regal and majestic football, this meant that whatever magic Chelsea had in their bag, it would have to be that kind of spirit which on this day looked less and less likely to be.

At the hour mark the home fans began to serenade their manager, recognizing the incredible contribution Pochettino has made.  Previously he was heralded for blooding exciting young talent instead of spending millions on proven stars, now he was being heralded for this tactics and the belief that clearly now is being instilled in the Tottenham team to see themselves as a real force in the Premier League.

This was not the time to take the foot of the gas, but to keep pressing Chelsea and squeezing the life out of them, which in turn meant that Spurs were 7pts closer to the league leaders, rather than the 13 points it would have been if Spurs conspired to lose this important game.

For Spurs players there was no more sourness from last year's game and when Willian came on as a Chelsea substitute at 65 minutes, what would normally be a note of concern, could not dampen the confidence, the verve and the spirit within White Hart Lane, it is what makes this old stadium due for demolition this year, so special.  While the new stadium will be built on the same plot of land, considering the history of this stadium, this game was becoming special for long-time Tottenham fans.

The question now was if Tottenham had learned how to close out a game, the way that Chelsea championship winning teams were so accomplished in every time they won a league title. A clean sheet now was as important as the victory.  In this league where so many teams this year are trying to contend for a league title, goal difference is a very important metric in terms of end of season league position.   Chelsea for their credit were still not giving up on the game, but it is Spurs who wanted this result far more.  Even Victor Moses now was failing to make any chance count.  On another day slick moves could end with devastating results - but not today.

At 73 minutes Spurs fans were applauding Mousa Dembele as he was substituted for one of Pochettino's young one's as Harry Winks came on.  It may sound more sensible to bring a youngster on when a team is winning 3-0, but Pochettino takes these kind of risks to build the confidence of players who have come through the Tottenham youth academy.  Dembele had been a rock all afternoon long and now Spurs had just 15 minutes to hold on to a very signficant league win.  Perhaps Chelsea will still go on and claim the crown, but this result is tantamount to begin throwing the cat among the pigeons.

Christian Erikson had the free-kick but continues to miss the target, on his day his free-kicks can be breath-taking spectacular.  Spurs fans wanted the same 3-0 beating that Arsenal had dished out to Chelsea before Chelsea had gone on their 13 game winning run.  With 12 minutes ago a chorus of boo's greeted Cesc Fabregas - what could be worse for any Spurs fan than seeing a former Arsenal star coming into the match.  For Antonio Conte, all substitutions were just a blind hope rather than tactical genius.  He was playing whatever cards he had left, and it was up-to Tottenham whether they could add polish to the battling display on show.

A lovely flick from Hazard did no harm, just when he was on the cusp of doing something dazzling, true to form of this game, the moment dissipated and Spurs were back in control of their own destiny.  It is the calibre of this Chelsea team that even with 8 minutes of the game left, Spurs could not be certain of the win, but nothing was coming off for Chelsea, no matter how promising the approach play was.  The crowd howled "come on you Spurs" and then were given the opportunity to hail their emerging superstar Dele Alli as he was substituted for the questionable Mousa Sissoko.  Yet in a good way, the strong frame of Sisspko in a game like this was actually a welcome sight.   Not even Sissoko could foul up this wonderful night.

Now there was 2 minutes to go and the singing was boisterous, the minutes applauded no matter how hard Chelsea tried to ruin Spurs clean sheet.  Not even generous amounts of extra-time was going to put a dent in this Glory Glory Spurs day.  This was the best present any Spurs fan could have expected to receive, but on this day, it was the best present of all.

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Comments

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #1

#1
Dear Vincent, I often quote Jimmy Greaves line "it's a funny old game", and though Chelsea were stopped from an all time record of 14 straight wins, did you know that when Arsenal achieved their record of 13 straight wins in 2002, they did not go on to win the league title that year. I also note that both this year and last year Manchester City got off to an incredible start and within five or six matches people were already crowning them champions. The way Pochettino works his teams, he still has to overcome a tendency for all his teams to fade at the end of a hard season, so if he can solve that predicament, then he has a good shot at winning what would be his first piece of silverware as a manager. Liverpool look ominous as a force, if that is they can solve their defensive frailties including confidence in their goalkeepers. We will know much more about Liverpool's title threat once they get through another tight run of fixtures which includes two semi-final matches against Southampton. Unlike Pochettino, Klopp knows what it takes to win a championship and trophies. Manchester United are indeed the sleeping horse - they are getting things right and the signs look even better considering they could have surrendered to a 1-0 loss against boro but turned it around in the last five minutes to win 2-1 - that was more like the Manchester United of Alex Ferguson, than the Manchester United of David Moyes and Van Gaal. Arsenal last year and this year have a squad that should be capable of lifting the title but the anger and doubt of Arsenal fans ensures there is the seeds of doubt, otherwise how does one explain them falling behind 3-0 to Bournemouth - but despite the red card, their comeback to 3-3 was impressive, especially the renewed threat of Giroud coming back into form.

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