Tottenham vs Chelsea a few quick thoughts
Dan Tracey
April 23, 2017
1,813 Views
- It pains me to write this article after Tottenham’s defeat but like pulling off a plaster we may as well do it quickly and get it over and done with
- It was a great game for the neutral…….It’s just a shame I’m not a neutral
- Ultimately Tottenham were masters of their own downfall, in no way did the 4-2 scoreline reflect the game
- Mauricio Pochettino made the big mistake of trying to shoehorn a player into a system that has worked so well
- Not only was it a bold move, it left Tottenham with no plan b
- Where Chelsea made the surprising decision to not start Diego Costa or Eden Hazard, Tottenham played all of their trump cards from the start
- I can see why he wanted to include Heung min-Son as a reward for the past few weeks but it really was the wrong position to play him in
- To be fair to Pochettino if Tottenham were to win then the decision to play Son at Left Wing Back is lauded as a clever one
- But Football fans are just too fickle and the gamble backfired
- The biggest regret is once again not killing off when clearly on top. Just like what happened at Stamford Bridge earlier on in the season
- With Wembley on the horizon next season how big of an opportunity missed is that for Spurs. A real defining result for the club
- Obviously exciting times ahead but with a more than likely trophyless season it makes the task of keeping this squad together harder
- I don’t think players will leave this Summer or even before the move to the new stadium but the opportunity to really establish a winning mentality at the club has been missed
- Moments in isolation cost Tottenham dearly. They cannot always play catch up in matches like that they need to not only get on stop but stay on top
- Eric Dier got caught out of position early on which allowed Pedro to surge forward, Toby Alderweireld had to pick up a very rare booking to halt the Spanish international
- But Willian who was very close to a move to White Hart Lane at one point before the move was hijacked by Chelsea would be spot on with the following free kick
- Even though I was watching at home alone, I said to myself that it would be a goal
- It was the perfect distance for someone of his quality to rifle the ball home
- Questions have to be asked for Hugo Lloris though, his gamble to go a step in the other direction caught him out and by the time he readjusted his body the ball had already flashed past him
- First blood Chelsea
- But they would not be ahead for all that long, Harry Kane’s attacking instincts were in full display
- He stooped down to cushion the ball past Thibault Courtois from an almost impossible height
- But when you are in that kind of form, those kind of attempts come off. The ball nestled past the Belgian international and parity was restored
- Tottenham were then in the ascendency and nearly went ahead through Eric Dier
- He ghosted in a header from the edge of the box which just flashed past Courtois and to safety
- Tottenham had Chelsea one the ropes but they could not land a knockout blow
- And they would be sucker punched just before the break
- Victor Moses versus Heung min-Son was set to be a key battle and it was one that Moses was winning with ease
- It would be even more apparent when Moses was felled in the box by the South Korean international
- It was a rush of blood from the stand in wing back and Martin Atkinson had the easy decision to award a penalty
- Willian would duly oblige and Chelsea would go into the break ahead
- But once again they would not be infront for long as Christian Eriksen launched an inch perfect pass into the box and Dele Alli was once again on hand to head home past Chelsea
- The former MK Dons midfielder bagged a brace of headers in the White Hart Lane league encounter and would another goal to his already impressive tally
- Once again though Tottenham were in the ascendancy but could not break down a stubborn Chelsea
- And then arguably the pivotal moment of the game
- Antonio Conte played his trump card, that being the arrival of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard into the game
- Costa had minimal impact but the same can not be said about Hazard
- It may have raised a few eyebrows that Willian was subbed off after an impressive first half but Chelsea needed the extra gear that Hazard could provide
- And by the time Chelsea had made their third and final substitution, the game would finally land in their favour for good
- Cesc Fabregas was bought on just to try and get more of a presence in the centre of the park and within a minute the league leaders would be 3-2 up
- Hazard was criminally left unmarked at the edge of the box and he would have more than enough time to fire a shot past the helpless Lloris
- Tottenham had clawed back proceedings twice, could they do it a third time?
- The question was answered for them just five minutes later when Nemanja Matic let loose an absolute rocket launcher
- It was an incredible strike from nowhere which left Lloris flat footed
- A fantastic goal to seal victory and secure Chelsea’s progress to the final
- The chance of a double is now a very realistic one, while for Tottenham they will have to hope that the defeat does not send the final few games into a tailspin
- They still are very much in the title race and need to make sure there is not another late season collapse after a disappointing result to the hands of Chelsea
- Once the title was lost at Stamford Bridge last season they conspired to finish third in a two horse race
- Mauricio Pochettino will have to make sure his players pick themselves quickly as they travel to Crystal Palace on Wednesday
- The title race still has a couple of laps left in it
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