toptop
Chelsea
maintained their perfect Premier League record at Stamford Bridge this season
with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
After Harry Kane hit the bar with an early header, Chelsea broke the deadlock in
the 19th minute when Eden Hazard fired past Hugo Lloris from close range.
A poor clearance from Lloris was punished five minutes later when Oscar slipped
in Didier Drogba - who started in place of the suspended Diego Costa - to double
the advantage.
The result was firmly put beyond doubt in the 73rd minute when substitute Loic
Remy slid a shot into the corner.
The victory – Chelsea’s seventh in a row at home in the league this season –
keeps the Blues six points clear at the top of the table while Spurs slip down
to 10th.
Perhaps the outcome would have been different if Spurs had been able to convert
either of a couple of excellent early openings.
After a bright start from the visitors, Kane headed against the crossbar in the
eighth minute from Aaron Lennon’s right-wing cross with Thibaut Courtois beaten.
Kane then went close again a few moments later when he dispossessed Gary Cahill,
drove into the box and fired a shot across goal inches wide of the far post.
Chelsea had offered little in response at the other end until they took the lead
against the run of play in the 19th minute. Hazard played the ball into the feet
of Drogba in the box and the striker laid it off nicely for the on-rushing
Belgian to collect and fire past Lloris.
While some of the blame for the goal must go to Lennon for not tracking Hazard’s
run into the area, there was no doubt the Spurs stopper was at fault for the
second.
The keeper’s poor clearance landed straight at the feet of Hazard, who worked
the ball quickly forward to Oscar. He slipped in Drogba and the striker held off
Jan Vertonghen’s challenge before firing home.
The five-minute double seemed to sap Spurs’ confidence and they created nothing
more of note before the break.
Willian saw a couple of shots comfortably saved by Lloris at the other end but
in the second half Chelsea were content to sit back and soak up Spurs’ pressure.
The visitors enjoyed plenty of possession but found it tough to break down a
solid Chelsea defence and their best chance came from a corner as Vertonghen
headed over the bar.
The league leaders looked dangerous on the counter and they put the result
firmly beyond doubt in the 73rd minute when Remy broke away and showed good
strength to hold off Vertonghen before sliding past Lloris.
It could have been even worse for Spurs as Chelsea continued to threaten on the
break but Oscar and Willian could not convert from promising positions.
Nevertheless, there never looked to be any chance of Spurs staging a comeback as
the Blues held firm and comfortably saw out the match.
Tony Cottee’s verdict
"It was all too easy for Chelsea. You just look at this team and it’s going to
be very difficult to beat them. Are there any weaknesses? Not at the moment.
They’ve got a fantastic goalkeeper and one of the strongest defences – Gary
Cahill may have to miss a few games so that won’t do them any favours. In
midfield, Matic and Fabregas are fantastic and you’ve got the creation with the
other midfielders. They have a choice of three players up front. Apart from
Manchester City, it’s hard to see which team could beat them.
"With Spurs there was a lot of pass, pass, pass for the sake of it. You need to
create in football and you need to have chances. The bottom line is Chelsea took
their chances when they needed to."
Player ratings
Chelsea: Courtois (6), Ivanovic (7), Cahill (6), Terry (6),
Azpilicueta (6), Fabregas (6), Matic (6), Willian (7), Oscar (7), Hazard (8),
Drogba (7).
Used subs: Zouma (6), Mikel (6), Remy (7).
Tottenham: Lloris (5), Chiriches (5), Fazio (6), Vertonghen
(5), Davies (6), Mason (6), Bentaleb (6), Lennon (6), Lamela (5), Eriksen (6),
Kane (7).
Used subs: Paulinho (6), Soldado (6), Chadli (6).
Man of the match: Eden Hazard.
Click Here For Official Team Sheet
Teams
Chelsea Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill (Zouma 46), Terry (c),
Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas (Mikel 76), Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Drogba (Remy
67)
Subs Not Used Cech, Luis, Schurrle, Salah
Booked Matic
Goals Hazard 19, Drogba 22, Remy 73
Tottenham Hotspur Lloris, Chiriches, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies,
Mason (Paulinho 58), Bentaleb, Lamela (Soldado 74), Eriksen, Lennon (Chadli 58),
Kane
Subs Not Used Vorm, Kaboul, Dier, Naughton
Booked Chiriches
Goals
Attendance 41,518
Referee Mike Dean