Tottenham Hotspur faced their first defeat of the Premier League this season as a resurgent Chelsea side made a comeback after being 1-0 down to snatch three points at Stamford Bridge.
Despite a great start, that culminated in a Christian Eriksen strike giving Spurs the lead, Tottenham struggled to make the most of their early endeavours as Chelsea grew into the game with Pedro scoring the equalizer just before the first half ended.
And the home side turned up the heat post half-time, with Victor Moses bundling home from close to hand the Blues the lead. Spurs were lucky not to concede another goal as wing-back Marcos Alonso missed a golden opportunity. Courtois did well to keep out an Eriksen volley later in the second period as Chelsea sat deep and defended to protect their lead. Spurs came close from a marauding run from substitute
Courtois did well to keep out an Eriksen volley later in the second period as Chelsea sat deep and defended to protect their lead. Spurs came close from a marauding run from substitute Georges Kevin Nkoudou with only a few minutes left to play, but the summer signing failed to capitalize, meaning Chelsea were winners on the night.
It was a game of two contrasting halves for Tottenham, as we look at how their stars fared:
Hugo Lloris – 6
Could not do much to keep out Pedro’s sublime strike, but was caught out for Chelsea’s second goal.
Kyle Walker – 6
Always an option in attack with his pace causing some issue to Marcos Alonso. Was questionable in defence at times.
Eric Dier – 5
Let Diego Costa off in the build-up to the second goal, allowing the Spanish forward the time and space to tee up Moses.
Jan Vertonghen – 6
Dealt with Costa’s threat well for most of the game, but couldn’t stop Chelsea’s revival after the first half.
Kevin Wimmer – 5
Struggled on the evening as he looked nervy especially when Chelsea romped up the pressure in the second half.
Victor Wanyama – 7
Relentless and energetic as he harried the Chelsea midfielders, putting in some crunching tackles. Another impressive display by Wanyama.
Mousa Dembele – 6
Had a good start to the game in the middle of the park, but his effectiveness dropped off as the game wore on.
Son Heung-Min – 5
Ineffective display by the South Korean. Was inconsistent with the ball throughout. Rightly subbed off with half an hour to go.
Dele Alli – 6
Teed up Christian Eriksen in the first-half for the Spurs’ opener. Showed up in dangerous positions on occasions but was rather quiet. Replaced by N’koudou.
Christian Eriksen – 7
Scored his first goal for Tottenham since March with a wonderfully hit left-foot strike. Just like his teammates, wore off in the second period.
Harry Kane – 6
Had a strike ruled out for offside. Made some bustling runs but was largely well-marshalled by the Chelsea defence.
Substitutes
Harry Winks – 6
Came on to replace Son early in the second half. Tidy display with an interception to cut Costa’s cross, his most vital contribution.
Georges Kevin N’koudou – 6
Carved out Tottenham’s best chance in the second half with a slaloming run into the Chelsea box, but was let down by his poor decision as he went for glory instead of opting to pass.
Vincent Janssen – NA
Replaced Dembele with less than minutes of normal time left to play.
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