Reaction and analysis
David Hytner was in north London to witness Chelsea’s victory. His report has landed, and here it is. You know what to do: click, click, click! Thanks for reading this MBM. Stay safe and warm, wherever you are. Nighty night!
Jose’s up. “It was a bit of a struggle in the first half. But how many chances? The penalty? So the struggling is what it is. We didn’t have the ball, correct. We didn’t create in the first half, correct. But the struggle is the penalty that decides the game. A couple of chances they had, a couple of chances we had. In the end the penalty is not a penalty that you say, dangerous situation, one on one, almost scoring; it is just a penalty that is difficult to accept, so if you lose the game with a penalty like this, it is a bit painful. But in the second half we were different. The spirit was different, the confidence too. I believe that Lucas and Lamela helped the team to change the dynamic. The team stuck together until the end, fought until the end, and that is a positive thing. To finish the game in a positive spirit helps. It was not easy for us to control it. Vinicius is a player who has an incredible spirit, but his understanding of how to press, the positions of the press, are not something that he is comfortable with. So it was difficult. But no chances. But in the second half we pressed and I think we deserved a little bit more.”
Thomas Tuchel speaks to BT Sport. “Every experience we make is a step forward if we are hoping to learn from it. There were moments in the first half when we totally controlled the game. In the second half we lost a bit of confidence. We escaped the pressure but could not finish. So minute by minute we lost ball possession, but we never lost belief and we never lost the structure or the intensity to defend. If it is necessary to suffer, you have to be ready to suffer. I would like a bit more killer instinct, a bit more aggression in the box towards the goal. There were chances where we lacked a bit of determination. But it’s best if we have something to improve yet we still win. And it was a big win in an away game, and I am very happy. It is not only about tactics, it’s not only about how what we play but how they live it, and they live it 100 percent, with full power and full intensity. We were brave and the winners and it was deserved.”
A word with Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, named man of the match by BT. “We should have scored more. I had a couple of chances, we had a couple of other chances, we should be more clinical. But we had good possession and it was good to come here and control the game throughout. I thought we played very well. We’re all learning, but obviously it’s going well so far. We are working on different formations, different tactics.”
Updated
Thomas Tuchel is delighted. That’s a fine statement victory in only his third match as Chelsea boss. His team climb over Everton and Spurs into sixth, four points off the Champions League spots; Spurs slip to eighth. Chelsea were much the better side, though they made hard work of it in the end, failing to convert all that dominance into more than one goal. Spurs showed a bit of desire in the last ten minutes, and might have snatched something, but were punished for their overall lack of ambition. Much for Mourinho to think about; it’s probably for the best that the stadium was empty this evening.
Updated
FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea hold on, Jorginho’s first-half penalty the difference. It’s yet another win over their London rivals, who have now lost their last three matches on the bounce.
90 min +3: Hojbjerg, Son and Moura combine crisply down the inside-right channel. The ball is teed up for Son, on the edge of the box. He leans back and sends his one and only half-chance of the match over the bar. That’s the best football Spurs have played all evening. Why leave it so long?
90 min +2: Spurs have possession, but only in the middle of the park. No opportunity to launch a Hail Mary.
90 min +1: Lamela bustles in from the right and curls towards the far post. James is well positioned to clear, with a hopeful Hojbjerg rushing in.
90 min: Werner, just inside the Spurs box on the left, curls powerfully towards the top right. It looks a decent effort, but it’s blocked bravely by Dier. There will be three extra minutes.
89 min: Dier floats a dismal effort wide left of goal. Mendy not forced into work. What a waste.
88 min: Azpilicueta shoves Son to the floor, and this is a free kick in a dangerous position, 30 yards out, right of centre. Azpilicueta is booked for his cynicism.
87 min: Aurier crosses from the right. It’s a sensational ball to the far post. Vinicius rises, six yards out ... but sends his header wide of the bottom-left corner. That’s an awful miss. Despite it all, Spurs should be level.
86 min: Moura spins past Jorginho into space and launches high in the stand. Mourinho applauds.
84 min: Mount swings it in. Hojbjerg makes up for his transgression by heading it clear.
83 min: Pulisic cuts in from the right and is dragged back by Hojbjerg. A free kick 30 yards from goal, right of centre.
81 min: Lamela performs a little ballet along the byline to the right of the Chelsea goal. He’s eventually closed down. But Spurs come again, through Moura down the left. Kante is concerned enough to clatter into him, earning a yellow. Are Chelsea getting a little nervous?
79 min: But this is nice. Lamela dribbles right to left, 25 yards out, and curls powerfully towards the bottom left. Mendy is forced to fingertip around the post. Nothing comes of the corner, apart from a yellow card for Pulisic, for a foul during the move before Lamela’s shot.
78 min: As Spurs toil, a reminder that Gareth Bale is on the bench.
Updated
77 min: A wee set-to between Lamela and Rudiger. Some light wrestling, followed by a bit of theatrical frowning, nothing more. The referee reminds both players that they’re grown adults, and we play on.
76 min: Werner slips a ball down the inside-left channel for Mount, who aims low and hard towards the bottom right. Lloris parries clear. Spurs are living dangerously.
74 min: Rudiger sprays a pass down the left. He finds Werner, whose shot is blocked. James picks up the rebound and shoots. Blocked. Finally Pulisic has a go. A third block.
73 min: Kovacic is replaced by Kante as Chelsea look to shore it up.
72 min: Son earns a corner off Rudiger down the right. He takes it short, and quickly. Lamela crosses; Christensen heads clear. A reminder that, for all Chelsea’s dominance, parity is still well within reach for Spurs.
71 min: It’s Pulisic’s turn to drive down the middle at speed. He’s got Werner to his left, but delays the pass, and instead of sending his team-mate clear in the box, is upended fairly by Davies.
69 min: Here’s Justin Kavanagh re my half-time ‘jobby’ count: “it’s not often indeed, Scott. And I reckon if Mourhino continues producing this jobby, he’ll soon be out of a jobby. There, I’ve doubled your daily Scrabble score.” To this end, Jose sends on Moura and Lamela in place of Ndombele and Bergwijn.
68 min: Kovacic strides down the middle with extreme prejudice. He’s got Werner and Mount either side, but opts to go himself. He bobbles a shot wide left. Wonderful run, dismal finish. Ultimately very poor.
66 min: Some heroics in the Spurs goal from Lloris. First off, a header off his own line, Dier nearly chipping his own keeper with an absurdly strong looping backpass. Great improvisation. Then Mount swings one in from the right, Lloris punching clear under extreme pressure, just in time as well, from Pulisic, who was extending to poke home.
Updated
65 min: Chelsea make their second change of the evening, swapping Hudson-Odoi for Pulisic.
64 min: Werner works his way down the left and fizzes an extremely tempting cross through the six-yard box. Nobody in Chelsea blue has taken a gamble, though. James retrieves the ball on the right, and tees up Alonso, who lashes wildly over the bar from the edge of the box.
63 min: Hojbjerg breaks the monotony by clattering into Jorginho, earning himself a pointless booking.
62 min: It’s all gone a bit scrappy.
60 min: One corner leads to another. From the second, the ball drops to Rudiger at the far post. He chests down. Dier blocks again, less painfully this time. The flag goes up for offside anyway. “I’m just wondering if the phrase ‘valid journalistic reasons’ has ever been seen within a country mile of the Fiver.” Some harsh but ultimately fair analysis from Daniel Strauss.
59 min: Mount glides down the middle at top speed. He slips a pass to Werner, just inside the box on the left. Werner opens his body to shoot. Aurier nips in from the back, just in time, to toe-poke out for a corner on the right.
58 min: Chelsea ping it around in the sterile fashion. The Spurs snap has slowed a little.
56 min: Chelsea are beginning to rediscover that verve. Kovacic sashays down the middle of the park, one-twos with Mount, and gets a snapshot off. Dier blocks with his trouser arrangement. Ooyah, oof. That’s gotta hurt. He goes down to attend to his special area, but he’s up again soon enough.
54 min: Hudson-Odoi, to the right of the D, drags a low diagonal shot wide left of the post. Not too far away from a second goal that would put Spurs under serious pressure.
53 min: Spurs are snapping at Chelsea’ heels. A little too much here, as Davies clips James. Still, another ref might have allowed play to go on, in which case Vinicius would have latched onto the loose ball and romped into the box from the left.
52 min: Spurs are playing at a significantly higher tempo, albeit for little reward so far. But they have put a stop to Chelsea’s first-half gallop. The visitors haven’t rediscovered their rhythm since the restart.
50 min: Mount spins Alderweireld on the halfway line, and is hacked down for his trouble. A booking for the Spurs defender. No argument.
Updated
48 min: Mendy plays an absurdly risky pass out from the back. Son rolls Jorginho and the ball breaks to Ndombele, in space on the edge of the box. The whistle goes for a pretty generous foul. The Chelsea keeper got away with one there. Spurs are within their rights to be a bit annoyed about that.
47 min: It is now really pelting down at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The pitch is getting pretty sodden. Davies flings a cross in from the left, forcing Alonso to turn the ball behind for a corner. Nothing comes of it, but some promising early signs that Spurs are finally coming out to play.
Updated
Spurs, who surely can’t continue to play as listlessly, get the second half underway. They have to do something. No changes. “I reckon if fans had been in the ground for the last few games, Mourinho’s position would be in serious doubt,” argues Martin Gamage. “Spurs are playing with such a lack of ambition it’s almost breathtaking in its own way.”
Half-time entertainment. It’s not often there are valid journalistic reasons for repeatedly using the word “jobby” while working for a broadsheet newspaper. You’ve got to seize these extremely rare opportunities when they present themselves. A banner day. Don’t die wondering, folks.
HALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Chelsea
There’s just enough time for Mount to line up a shot from the edge of the Spurs box. Dier deflects it into the arms of Lloris, and the whistle goes. This half-time scoreline flatters Spurs. Mourinho, face like thunder, is down the tunnel like a flash. Cue trenchant discussion in the home dressing room?
45 min: Son drives purposefully down the left, but there are no options for him in the middle. He’ll be counting down the days until Kane’s return. Meanwhile the referee will be counting down two added minutes.
44 min: The half is petering out. “José would seem to be saving his players for the League Cup final, but is completely unaware it has been rescheduled from February to April,” quips Gary Byrne.
42 min: A free kick for Spurs out on the right, and a chance for Spurs to worry Chelsea at long last. Son curls it in nicely. Aurier rises above everyone and sends a downward header wide right from eight yards. He should probably have done better, but that’ll give the hosts a little succour. For all Chelsea’s dominance, Spurs came very close to equalising there.
Updated
40 min: Hudson-Odoi’s work down the right wins Chelsea’s fifth corner of the evening. Mount and Hudson-Odoi exchange clever passes, opening up space with Spurs snoozing. Mount’s got time and space in the box, but seriously overcooks a cross that flies over the bar in the rugby-union style. A real let-off for Spurs, who had switched off.
38 min: Chelsea have sure been impressive, but it’s also the case that Spurs have been abysmal so far. A rare occasion where the home side are probably happy the fans are absent. By way of illustration, here’s Guy Hornsby: “This is fun isn’t it. When is José going to realise that Eric Dier isn’t a centre back? It was a brainless challenge in the box. Our back four looks like a bunch of under-11s.”
36 min: A dejected Silva is helped off down the tunnel. He’s replaced by Christensen. “Tottenham Hotspur do know that it’s the team that score more goals that wins the match don’t they?” asks Gary Naylor, of a glory-glory club that certainly used to.
34 min: Everything’s gone to plan for Chelsea so far. But this is an unwelcome sight for them. Silva looks to have pulled something while executing an acrobatic clearance upfield. He’s prone on the turf, wearing the expression of a man who knows his race is run.
Updated
32 min: By contrast, Spurs have achieved next to nothing in attack. There’s very little movement. They pass it around the back awhile, unsure of the next move. Eventually the ball is clanked out of play, allowing Chelsea to come back at them. Mount drags a shot wide right from distance.
30 min: There’s a notable spring in Chelsea’s step. Every task is being carried out at pace. Tuchel hasn’t taken long to establish some non-negotiable ground rules, the first step en route to implementing a new style.
28 min: Wily Werner was certainly looking for that penalty, more than happy to topple over Dier’s outstretched leg. But Dier should never have given him the opportunity to do so. Clever play from the striker. None too smart by Dier.
26 min: Chelsea continue to swarm around Spurs, who can’t get out of their final third. This is really impressive from the Gegenpensioners.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Chelsea (Jorginho 24 pen)
No hop, skip or jump by Jorginho. He goes direct, and thrashes the ball into the left-hand side of the goal. Lloris went the right way, but was powerless to stop it. This is no more than Chelsea deserve.
Updated
Penalty for Chelsea!
23 min: See 21 min, except replace Silva with Azpilicueta and Hudson-Odoi with Werner. Werner takes up possession in the area. Dier slides in to block. Werner is about to dribble off with the ball. Dier sticks out a telescopic leg, and carelessly clips Werner to the ground. Penalty.
Updated
22 min: ... though to be fair to Silva, it continues to lash down in north London, and this pitch is very slick.
21 min: Silva looks to release Hudson-Odoi, who is in acres down the inside-right channel. Too much juice on the ball. Lloris claims. Silva looks sick, an opportunity squandered.
20 min: Dier robs Werner on the edge of the Spurs box, and launches long for Vinicius. He holds the ball up well, and it eventually ends up with Ndombele on the left. Ndombele enters the box and whistles a hard cross-cum-shot into the arms of Mendy. The first time this evening that Spurs have had a whiff of danger about them.
18 min: Ndombele has the ball at his feet, 30 yards out. He tries to find Son in the area with a neat dink forward, but Son fails to read his intent, sprinting the wrong way, and the ball sails harmlessly through to Mendy.
16 min: This is all Chelsea, who have flown out of the traps at an impressive lick. They’ve had over 80 percent of possession during the last five minutes. On the touchline, Jose doesn’t seem too worried about it.
14 min: Mount swings it in to the far stick. Silva reaches to win a header, though he’d have perhaps been better to leave it to Rudiger, just behind him and winding his neck back powerfully.
13 min: Chelsea look really confident here, a team with a plan. That plan seems to be mainly concentrated on their right flank. James finds more space, and pings a cute cross to the far post, forcing Aurier to head behind for another corner.
Updated
12 min: Hudson-Odoi has a whack from the edge of the box. It’s not great, but deflected out for a corner. From that, Jorginho has a look. Harmless. Goal kick. It is hosing down.
10 min: Chelsea are stroking it around in a very aesthetically pleasing style. They’re well on top, though how much of that is down to their new manager, or Tottenham’s passive counter-based gameplan, is at this early stage moot. A bit of both perhaps.
Updated
8 min: Spurs break from the Chelsea corner, Vinicius barging his way down the middle at speed. He’s got Son as an option, but his indecision is fatal. The counter peters out.
7 min: Kovacic slides a ball down the right for James to chase. It looks like going out for a goal kick, but Davies is taking no chances and slides it out himself for a corner. The resulting set piece is a bit of a non-event, much to Davies’ relief.
6 min: Spurs launch their first sortie into Chelsea territory. Son has a speculative dig from 20 yards, but it’s straight down Mendy’s throat.
4 min: Mount and Alonso exchange passes along the byline, Mount pulling the ball back to Werner on the penalty spot. Werner’s first-time slapshot is blocked by a sliding Davies, but the flag goes up for offside. Alonso the culprit, though it was close, and it’d have been an interesting VAR decision had Werner scored. A crisp training-ground move from the corner, though.
3 min: Chelsea look lively. Hudson-Odoi and Mount combine down the right and earn the first corner of the game. Mount to take.
Updated
2 min: Chelsea are on the front foot early doors. Werner is clipped by Ndombele out on the right. Mount swings in the free kick. Spurs have some trouble hacking clear, but manage it in the end. Then James stands on Ndombele’s foot to totally relieve the pressure on Spurs. Accidental, so a free kick, nothing more.
12 seconds: Azpilicueta, quarterbacking from deep, launches long down the middle. Werner gets on the end of it, looping a header from the edge of the box towards the top left. It’s too high, but not by much, and Lloris was backtracking in a panic for a second. What a start that would have been!
Tuchel and Mourinho share a friendly embrace, and then the whistle goes. Both teams take the knee. There’s no room for racism. Kick it out. Chelsea get the ball rolling.
Here come the teams! Spurs are in their lily white, while Chelsea wear blue. Always extra-special when both teams can wear their first-choice gear. One of the more combustible fixtures in the calendar is a mere heartbeat away!
Jose Mourinho’s turn for a chat with Des, and he’s specifically asked about Vinicius. “He came here to face a difficult challenge, but he knew it. As a team guy he comes with that spirit of ‘I’m going to help the team’, especially when Harry Kane is not on the pitch. Let’s not compare the boys, because comparing is not a good thing, but he has lots of energy and an incredible spirit. He’s a popular guy in the dressing room, he’s a target man. We trust him.”
Thomas Tuchel speaks to BT Sport. “I enjoyed my first two matches and now it’s my first London derby and we’re here to win. We have a squad with many good players who deserve to play. We change from game to game to what we think suits us best. Today is Reece James’s turn to show up, and I hope he can. Everybody prefers to play Spurs without Harry Kane, that is clear, but normally we love to play the best in the world, and Harry is one of them, so it would have been no problem. Now we have to adapt and sometimes it is harder to prepare, because you don’t know what solutions the opponent is going to find. So there’s always an up and a down side. But hopefully it’s our game today.”
Pre-match reading.
Tottenham make three changes to the team named at Brighton. Carlos Vinicius, Eric Dier and Serge Aurier take the places of Gareth Bale, Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez, all of whom drop to the bench. Vinicius is making his first start in the Premier League.
Chelsea make one change to the side that beat Burnley. Reece James is back, Tammy Abraham dropping to the bench. Kai Havertz has the night off altogether.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Davies, Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son, Vinicius.
Subs: Doherty, Sanchez, Winks, Bale, Lamela, Hart, Rodon, Tanganga, Lucas Moura.
Chelsea: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Kante, Abraham, Pulisic, Giroud, Chilwell, Ziyech, Emerson Palmieri.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).
Preamble
Tottenham Hotspur once went 16 years without a win over Chelsea in the Premier League, so the current wait of two years and two months isn’t anything to be panicking about. Yet. But since then, they’ve lost four and drawn two of their six league meetings. Throw in a semi-final defeat in the League Cup and Chelsea appear to have their London rivals’ number again.
Spurs could do with snapping this winless sequence, and not just because it’s a hot-button local issue. They’re in a bad place right now, having lost their last two, against Liverpool and Brighton, toyed with humiliation against Wycombe in the cup, and seen their star turn Harry Kane hobble off on both ankles. A statement victory tonight would reignite their top-four hopes, and go some way to silencing the whispers suggesting Jose Mourinho is prematurely shifting into his beloved third-season earth-scorching mode.
Chelsea are in a better frame of mind right now, two matches and two clean sheets into the Thomas Tuchel honeymoon. They arrive in N17 after a comfortable victory over Burnley, and are also looking to get their top-four charge back on. However they’ve got some concerns of their own; they’ve lost four of their last five away from home, and only Newcastle have conceded more than their 50 goals on the road since the start of last season.
There’s no question both teams will be fully up for this. We’re pretty sure you are too. Kick off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
Updated
