FULL TIME: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
And that’s that! There goes the last unbeaten record in this season’s Premier League! Chelsea go top after a hard-fought victory. Spurs were much the better team in the first half, but Pedro equalised with a moment of brilliance, and the home side never looked back. Chelsea were good value in the end. They might have finally conceded a goal, but that’s now seven wins on the bounce. Can anyone stop them? It’s Manchester City’s turn next!
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90 min +2: Oscar nicks the ball from Wanyama in the centre circle and sends Costa into space down the right. He should get the return, and an opportunity to slot home from 12 yards, but for once Costa’s delivery is awful. Vertonghen intercepts and clears.
90 min: There will be three added minutes.
89 min: Costa backflicks down the left to release Alonso into space. Alonso crosses low. Willian, stepping into the area to meet the ball, leans back and blasts miles over the bar.
87 min: Nkoudou dribbles with some style down the left, breaking into the box. He’s got white shirts in the middle, but opts to fire for the top left. Courtois gathers the ambitious effort. But the Spurs sub is lively: he comes again down the wing, and opts to cross this time. Wanyama, level with the right-hand post, 12 yards out, lets the ball run under his foot. Chance gone.
85 min: Willian spoils for a fight with Nkoudou as the Spurs man bundles him into touch, then clatters into Winks. Having lost the place a bit, he’s booked.
84 min: The corner is cleared easily enough by Chelsea.
83 min: Kane takes a high Eriksen pass down brilliantly, as he breaks into the Chelsea box. Killed the ball stone dead. His reward is a corner off Azpilcueta. Before the corner can be taken, a couple of changes: Oscar comes on for Moses, while Janssen replaces Dembele.
80 min: Ivanovic comes on for the impressive Moses. Chelsea very much looking to keep hold of what they’ve got.
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79 min: Dembele works his way down the left to earn a corner off Luiz. Difficult to see exactly how that panned out, because BT Sport had put up a box containing the cavorting Antonio Conte in the corner of the screen. No doubt they think it’s a cute and clever idea. But it’s not. Anyway, the corner comes to naught.
77 min: The uncharacteristically quiet Hazard is replaced by Willian.
76 min: Chelsea knock it around in the Spurs half awhile. Eventually Alonso loops a cross into the box from the left. The dip beats Vertonghen, and drops to Costa, six yards out. But the striker was caught by surprise, and instead of heading goalwards, chests awkwardly wide right. That could have wrapped it up.
73 min: Spurs, roughly 20 minutes away from their first Premier League defeat of the season, replace the out-of-sorts Alli with Nkoudou.
71 min: Kane, bustling in from the left, breaks through a couple of challenges and flicks a pass down the channel to release Alli on goal. The flag goes up for offside. It’s a poor decision, but Alli slices hysterically wide left before the whistle goes, so it’s all academic.
70 min: Something of a lull.
68 min: Costa rolls Vertonghen down the left and is pulled back for his trouble. Free kick, in a very dangerous position. Chelsea load the box. Hazard whips high to the near post, where Luiz tries to flash a header goalwards. He’s hustled out of it by Vertonghen, making good. Spurs clear.
65 min: The first change of the evening is made by Spurs. Son is replaced by Winks.
63 min: Kane breaks into space down the left. He doesn’t fancy his chances of skinning Azpilicueta for pace, so bustles slowly towards the by-line before checking and pulling back for Eriksen. Rushing in, Eriksen can’t quite meet the ball properly, contorting his body and sending a soft shot towards the bottom left. Courtois has that covered all the way.
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62 min: Costa, his back to goal 30 yards out, sprays a fine pass wide right to Moses, who curls into the centre. Costa has made up the ground, and attempts a bicycle kick. He can’t connect properly. Had that come off, it’d have been one of the great goals. Hazard picks up possession to win a corner on the left. Nothing comes from that, other than a lame shoving match between Matic and Wanyama. Dier gets in between the pair of grown men, as if to say “For the love of God, lads.” But it doesn’t descend into hot-headed madness. Still half an hour to go, of course.
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59 min: Kane dribbles down the right to earn Spurs a corner. Eriksen takes. Alonso knocks it behind again by his near post. From the second set piece, Wimmer idiotically shoves Hazard in the back, relieving the pressure on Chelsea, who had been struggling to clear.
57 min: A corner down the left for Chelsea. Azpilicueta tries a cute flick at the near post, but no Gianfranco Zola he. Still, Chelsea are coming at Spurs from all angles now. Do the visitors have any answer?
55 min: Moses makes off down the right and curls to the far post. Hazard flings himself at the ball, but can’t connect, the ball flashing left of goal. Spurs are hanging on. They’ll wonder how it’s come to this - they were so dominant in the first half - but this is where they are now. What a determined turnaround by Chelsea, who will be leading the League tonight if they hold on.
53 min: Costa is such a fine player. He makes good down the right this time, and skelps a low cross towards Alonso, who has to score. He simply has to. But he somehow hoicks the ball over the bar from six yards. Chelsea, second best for so very long this evening, should now be out of sight.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Moses 51)
Kane wins a corner down the left. But it’s easily cleared and Chelsea go down the other end. Costa bombs down the left, reaches the by-line, and fires low across the six-yard box. Coming in from the other wing is Moses, who is in acres of space to meet the cross. He sidefoots low and hard. It’s not the most accurate shot, but power wins the day: the ball clanks off Lloris, then Vertonghen on the line, and in! What a wonderful run by Costa, though.
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49 min: Son falls to the ground under a challenge from Azpilicueta. Nothing wrong with that, though the Chelsea man then knees his prone opponent a couple of times in the thigh, in a highly disingenuous attempt to free the ball. It wasn’t vicious, but it was a bit saucy, and he’s lucky not to be booked.
48 min: Kante has a dig from 25 yards. It’s a fierce, rising effort that’s aimed towards the top left, and claimed easily enough by Lloris.
46 min: Spurs start the half pressing hard. It spooks Azpilicueta into nearly conceding a pointless corner with a strange stooping header, and then in the very next phase of play he’s nearly hounded off the ball by Son. Kane tries to burst down the left soon after, but he zips down a cul-de-sac.
And we’re off again! Spurs get the ball rolling for the second half. Pedro’s moment of magic, and the scoreline, won’t have blinded Chelsea to the fact that they seriously need to raise their game. Their starting XI gets a chance to right some wrongs. No changes by either side.
Half-time reading: If you missed the 3pm kick-offs, you’d better take a look at this.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hostpur
And that was pretty much the final act of the first half. Chelsea were second best for 44 minutes, but Pedro’s genius has levelled the match and given his side an almighty boost! Spurs will wonder how they’re not leading. But hey, this is Stamford Bridge. Still, they should take confidence in how well they’ve played. This is going to be one hell of a second half. It was always going to be one hell of a second half, admittedly, but you get the general point. You’ll be going nowhere, right?
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hostpur (Pedro 45)
This came out of nothing! And it was wonderful! Matic, in the middle of the Spurs half, slips a pass to Pedro on the left-hand corner of the D. Pedro has his back to goal, but executes a little Cruyff Turn, takes a touch inside, and curls a gorgeous dipper into the top right! Lloris had no chance! That’s a stunner!
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43 min: Not for the first time this season, Moses has been Chelsea’s best player. He grafts down the right and earns another corner, this time off Son. The corner is easily dealt with, but Chelsea soon snaffle the ball back, Lloris playing loosely out. The keeper makes amends by gathering Hazard’s low shot from 25 yards.
42 min: Alli slides down the left and cuts back for Son, who lays off to Dembele. The Spurs midfielder cocks the trigger and looks for the top left. It’s a bit wild. Chelsea didn’t do much to close him down, though.
39 min: Costa isn’t the sort to take this lying down. He romps down the left in a determined fashion. It’s a great run, but there’s nobody in the middle for him to find, and so he flashes a frustrated shot-cum-cross straight through the area.
38 min: Tottenham certainly fancy this. Eriksen finds Alli in the Chelsea area with a long rake downfield. Alli can’t control, and goes down under a slight brush by Cahill. He’s not getting that decision. Spurs come again, Son spraying a diagonal pass left to right, Alli cushioning it down for Eriksen, and the goalscorer flashing over from 20 yards. Chelsea need to watch themselves here.
36 min: Moses tries to get something going with a power jog down the right. His pace and purpose earns a corner, but nothing comes from the set piece. Stamford Bridge is fairly quiet right now, the Spurs corner excepted.
35 min: Chelsea see a bit of the ball, but it’s all along their back line. No movement up front, no options. Spurs are happy to sit back. And so, there’s a lull.
33 min: Kane glides in from the left and has a batter towards the top left from just outside the area. Courtois parries the ball up and round the post. The corner comes to nothing. But Chelsea are being overrun in the midfield here. Spurs are not finding it difficult to launch attacks.
32 min: Out on the right, Walker flips the ball over Alonso’s head and races into the Chelsea box. He shoots low towards the near post. The ball’s bundled out for a corner. Dier rises to meet the set piece on the penalty spot, but can only head weakly down, straight at Courtois, who gathers. Chelsea go down the other end, Pedro feeding Costa down the left. Costa reaches the by-line and hits low and hard into the centre. Lloris, by his near post, catches calmly.
30 min: ... sends a dipper over the wall and back down towards the bottom right. It’s well struck and on target, but Lloris is behind it all the way and snaffles it.
29 min: Hazard skedaddles down the left. He’s shown inside. All the way across the pitch. And then he’s bundled over by Wanyama. A free kick in a dangerous position just outside the Spurs box on the right. Luiz’s eyes light up. He steps up, and...
26 min: Dembele becomes the second player to go into the book, for a late slide on Moses as the Chelsea man skitters down the right. He can have no complaints. Two down, ten to go if we’re to match last season’s entertaining total.
24 min: This is much better, as Costa turns on the halfway line and sprays a pass down the left for Alonso, who romps forward with purpose. He fires a low diagonal pass inside for Hazard, on the edge of the Spurs D. Hazard looks to turn and shoot, and would have got something away had the flag not gone up. He was offside. Still, that was the most incisive the home side have been. They’ll take succour from that.
22 min: Wanyama and Dembele ping the ball back and forth to each other, along the front of the Chelsea box. Nobody’s closing them down! Eventually Wanyama has a pop, but it’s not very good. Still, Spurs are being given the run of Stamford Bridge here. Is it too early for them to dream of their first victory here since 1990? Yes. Yes it is. But Chelsea need to get their gamefaces on. They’ve been very passive so far.
19 min: Luiz is booked for knocking Kane to the floor during that last attack. This stops Chelsea taking a quick free kick, earned by Costa 30 yards out. Moses had been free on the right with time to shoot, but it was the first break in play, and admin is admin. Chelsea scoop the retake into the Spurs box, and Costa shapes to Mark Hughes a bicycle kick goalwards, but Vertonghen and Dier combine to bundle clear.
17 min: Son is sent scampering into acres of space down the left. Unfortunately for Spurs, Kane was knocked to the floor during the early stages of the attack, and there’s nobody in the box for Son to find. The move fizzles out. But Chelsea need to move up a couple of gears here.
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16 min: Eriksen drops deep down the right, and swings a fine cross into the Chelsea box towards Kane. Courtois comes off his line quickly to claim. Spurs are winning practically every ball in the midfield. This is most un-Chelsea-esque.
14 min: Chelsea half clear, allowing Son the opportunity to shoot from the edge of their D. Fortunately for the half-asleep home side, Son screws a pitiful effort wide left.
13 min: Chelsea look collectively stunned. Eriksen, his boots hot, takes a stride down the inside-right channel and shoots from the best part of 30 yards. The ball balloons off Alonso and out for a corner on the right. From which...
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Eriksen 11)
Chelsea concede their first goal since their defeat at Arsenal! Dembele is allowed to prance down the left. He shuttles the ball inside to Alli, who moves it further infield for Eriksen. The Danish international takes a touch, and arrows an unstoppable riser into the top left! What a goal! And it had been coming. This is a marvellous start to the game by Spurs.
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10 min: Alli turns Matic in the middle of the park and fizzes a first-time pass down the left to release Kane into acres. That’s fine play. Kane can’t take advantage of the situation. But Chelsea are second best all over the park right now. This is impressive stuff from Spurs.
9 min: ... sends his effort sailing miles over the bar. An attempt to curl one into the top left gone wrong.
8 min: Now Kane earns a free kick out on the left, as he’s bowled over by Pedro. There was no need for Pedro to make the challenge, Spurs were going nowhere. Dier looks like he fancies this. He steps up, and...
6 min: ... Kane has the ball in the net! He reacts quickest to Eriksen’s high curler, which isn’t cleared by Chelsea and falls by his feet, six yards out. He slams home, but he’s jumped offside when Eriksen swing the ball in from the right, and the flag goes up. Both sets of fans enjoyed that passage of play, albeit at different moments. Chelsea with the last laugh. But this is a lively start by Spurs.
5 min: Dier plants an elbow on the back of Costa’s noggin as the pair contest a high ball. The Chelsea striker has a word with the referee. The referee then has a word with the Chelsea striker. Spurs go up the other end, Alonso wrestling Kane to the ground just outside the right-hand corner of the area. Free kick. From which...
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3 min: Son attempts to burst clear down the left, the tactic that earned those two late goals against West Ham this time last week. Luiz is wise to his game, though - no Håvard Nordtveit he - and ushers the ball out for a goal kick.
2 min: Spurs enjoy a little possession deep in Chelsea territory. Walker has a probe down the right, Dembele along the left. It all goes nowhere, but that’ll give the visitors a little confidence.
Here we go, then! Referee Michael Oliver ostentatiously checks his tit pocket for cards. What an entertainer. Then Diego Costa gets the ball rolling for Chelsea. Luiz lumps it long. Costa brings the ball down on the edge of the area and falls over. He claims a free kick, but it was nothing more than a slip. Hearts will have been in Tottenham mouths then, though.
The teams are out! One of those fixtures that always looks perfect, because both teams are able to play in their first-choice colours. Chelsea are in their bright blue, while Spurs wear their lilywhite shirts. There’s a wonderful atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, which will come as no surprise whatsoever to lovers of London derbies. One of the biggest fixtures of the season will be underway very soon, after a quick spin of The Liquidator!
Mauricio Pochettino explains his back line! “Jan Vertonghen will play in the centre with Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer will play on the left. But both can play on the left. The possibilities are good.” As for Tottenham’s meltdown here in May: “We need to forget about what happened last season.” All delivered with a cheeky smile. Imagine if it kicked off again, with Pochettino and Conte on the touchline. Just imagine. Oh yes.
Antonio Conte speaks! “I have a lot of confidence in my whole squad. But it is normal that I pick the eleven who start, because in this moment they play very well.” Has he warned his players not to act the giddy goat in the wake of last season’s brouhaha? “I always tell my players to be focused and concentrate, and to think of the game. This is most important if you want to win.”
Chelsea, going along like the clappers, unsurprisingly name an unchanged side. The XI starters last Sunday at Middlesbrough start again.
Tottenham Hotspur however make three changes to the team that crashed out of the Champions League at Monaco midweek. Danny Rose is unavailable while Kieran Trippier and Harry Winks drop to the bench. Coming into the side: Jan Vertonghen, Kyle Walker and Christian Eriksen.
The teams
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Pedro, Costa, Hazard.
Subs: Begovic, Ivanovic, Fabregas, Oscar, Willian, Batshuayi, Chalobah.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Dier, Wimmer, Vertonghen, Walker, Wanyama, Dembele, Son, Eriksen, Alli, Kane.
Subs: Janssen, Vorm, Nkoudou, Trippier, Onomah, Winks, Carter-Vickers.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
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Pre-match yap
This fixture was the match of the 2015/16 season. Of course, Tottenham Hotspur won’t remember it fondly at all: they shipped a two-goal lead and handed the title to Leicester City. But good gosh, it was marvellous entertainment: four goals, 12 bookings, one collective loss of noggin and a thundering, bench-emptying donnybrook involving players and managers which spilled off the pitch and trundled all the way down the tunnel. Who will think of the kids, and all that, yeah yeah, but let’s be honest, you’d pay good money to see that sort of widescreen nonsense every week.
Spurs will want to right some wrongs this evening. Partly to erase some of the sour memories of that game last May, but mainly to keep on Chelsea’s tail in this season’s title race. Mauricio Pochettino’s team are unbeaten in the League to date, but they haven’t been totally convincing at any stage, and could do with a statement result here. A draw would be enough to keep them happy, one suspects, given they haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 1990, a pitiful sequence that stretches back 30 matches. If they manage that, they’ll remain four points behind their London rivals; that’s nothing in November. A seven-point gap, by contrast, would cause them no little discomfort.
A statement result, though, might be a big ask. Chelsea are the Premier League form horses: six wins on the spin have wheeched them right to the top of the table. Their last three matches at Stamford Bridge have ended 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0. They last conceded a goal in 1967. Recent form and the weight of history are very much in Chelsea’s favour: it’s going to be interesting to see how Spurs, light in defence without Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld, approach their task. They’ll take succour from their staunch comeback victory against West Ham last weekend, and the fact Harry Kane can’t stop scoring goals in London derbies: he’s got 17 in his last 16 appearances! This promises to be a cracker, potentially with serious repercussions for the rest of the season. Oh me, oh my, this is a big one. It could kick off! It’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm GMT.
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