Trevoh Chalobah stars as stoic Blues respond to Thiago Silva announcement with best defensive performance of the season
Chelsea fans haven’t had much to celebrate over the past two seasons, but by battling to a 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Thursday evening they did at least give their fans the chance to celebrate a satisfying double over their bitterest rivals.
This contest could not have contrasted more starkly with that insane 4-1 win, though. On that bonkers evening in north London, Chelsea were all over the place, only finally securing the three points when Spurs lost half of their starting XI to red cards or injuries. This time around, they were immeasurably more controlled and cohesive, reviving further hope that Mauricio Pochettino can turn this team of individuals into a coherent unit, following that demoralising thumping at the hands of Arsenal.
The hosts deservedly went ahead inside 25 minutes when Tottenham’s woeful set-piece defending was highlighted once again. This time, it was Trevoh Chalobah who punished Ange Postecoglou’s side, looping a header home at the back post after being left completely unmarked.
Mykhailo Mudryk then spearheaded the Blues’ charge for a second before half time, causing all sorts of problems and fizzing one curling effort a whisker wide. Spurs sporadically offered reminders of their threat, with Cristian Romero putting a header narrowly past the post just before the break.
The second half presented a different task for the Blues. After Cole Palmer blazed over early on, Spurs piled on the pressure. However, Pochettino’s charges kept their shape diligently and put in the hard yards. And they were rewarded for their discipline 18 minutes from time when Palmer’s free kick cannoned off the bar and straight to Nicolas Jackson, who headed past the scrambling Guglielmo Vicario.
The victory keeps Chelsea’s hopes of playing in some sort of European competition next season alive, with the Blues now three points adrift of Manchester United in sixth place.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Djordje Petrovic (7/10):
A confident display between the sticks. Distribution was absolutely fine.
Alfie Gilchrist (7/10):
Tasked with keeping Son quiet and fared extremely well, particularly given Madueke in front of him still isn’t the best defensively.
Benoit Badiashile (7/10):
Sprayed a couple of excellent balls and dealt with most things that came his way without incident.
Trevoh Chalobah (8/10):
Such a good header to open the scoring. Big block just before half time and was generally really solid.
Marc Cucurella (7/10):
Put in an excellent defensive display, successfully stifling Brennan Johnson’s usual, regular supply of crosses.
Midfield
Moises Caicedo (8/10):
Got through a huge amount of defensive work and was evasive on the ball, drawing a number of fouls.
Conor Gallagher (7/10):
Honoured with a stunning banner before kick off and responded with a battling but classy display. Set up Chalobah’s opener too.
Cole Palmer (7/10):
Some serious flashes of brilliance, but his final shot or pass wasn’t always there. Was very unfortunate his free kick didn’t fly in.
Attack
Mykhailo Mykhalo (7/10):
On the eight-year anniversary of the Battle of Bridge, he nearly netted a similar effort to the one Eden Hazard scored that night, but it went narrowly wide. Was spritely in the first half but faded a little.
Nicolas Jackson (7/10):
Guilty of some poor decision-making at times, but took his goal very well. It came at such a crucial time too.
Noni Madueke (7/10):
Such a exciting player one on one, with his dribbles carving out a couple of decent opportunities. Worked hard defensively, but his positioning still needs work.
Subs & Manager
Cesare Casadei (6/10):
Helped see the game out in the last 15 minutes.
Josh Acheampong (N/A):
Came on after fellow academy graduate Gilchrist pulled up late on.
Jimi Tauriainen (N/A):
A nice moment as he made his Premier League debut in the dying moments.
Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):
Injuries mean his squad is down to its absolute bones – but he still managed to conjure up a result. Will be delighted that his team defended so well.
