Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham: Two points dropped!

I cannot help but feel that Chelsea dropped two important points tonight against Tottenham, as they sat back and allowed them to dominate the final twenty minutes of the game and to get their equaliser. If anything, they looked the more dangerous team after Rafa’s substitutions left us scratching our heads once again.

A bright and positive start from Chelsea was needed and that was exactly what we had, and Tottenham were struggling to get to grips with us. I pointed out the weakness in their defence (defending corners). We took advantage early in the first half with a goal from a corner, headed towards goal by Gary Cahill and flicked into the net from two yards by Oscar.

We were dangerous, causing Tottenham all sorts of problems with Oscar, Juan Mata and the returning Eden Hazard on the ball. We created chances but never took them, got into good positions but it came to nothing, and then we were hit by a sucker punch.

Adebayor cleared a corner, heading the ball away and after Eden Hazard was caught out in midfield, Tottenham and Adebayor counter attacked us. For some reason, Chelsea’s defence dropped deeper and deeper towards goal and gave him time and space to place a peach of a strike into the top corner of the net from 25 yards, with Cech having no chance when 1 vs 1.

Back all square and game on, but once again Chelsea upped their game and took the lead for a second time, this time through Ramires. After some interplay down the line, Fernando Torres came inside and got the run on his man. Ramires made a run into the box, Torres found him and Ramires toe poked the ball into the far corner to make it 2-1 at half time.

In the second half, Tottenham had it all to do to keep their top four hopes alive, but once again, Chelsea continue to deal with their threats and create chances on the counter attack. Three or four times we got into decent positions, but never once capitalised on it.

As players seemed to tire, AVB made two changes and brought attacking options onto the pitch to go all out for a goal and to then kick on and win the game. Rafa never wavered.

Eden Hazard took a whack on the ankle and never recovered and was replaced by Victor Moses. Now, some people will argue that maybe right then, being a goal up, knowing Tottenham simply had to come out and attack us, we should have brought on JT to slot into the back line to sure things up or even Frank Lampard to bolster the middle of midfield. That never happened, as Moses came on in a like for like change.

Tottenham continued to press forced Chelsea backwards towards their own goal. Chelsea allowed them to do it, changing their focus to the counter attack, and it would have worked but for Ramires losing his footing in the box with the chance gone!

Once again Tottenham hit us with a sucker punch. The ball was played into Adebayor and his fantastic first touch was placed into the path of Sigurdsson, who struck the ball hard and low into the far corner to make it 2-2.

Rafa then decided to take off Oscar and replace him with Yossi Benayoun, to a chorus of boos from the Chelsea faithful, and rightly so. Too many times this season under Rafa we have lost points from leading positions, and we should have seen the game out. Too many times we have seen him miss a trick, rather than make a defensive change to protect a lead.

Tottenham were on the up and in the ascendancy and Chelsea looked tired and leggy, and still no third sub from Rafa. You can bet your life Jose Mourinho would have made three changes in the second half last night, and one of those would have been early in response to Tottenham’s attacking approach.

The game finishes 2-2 and it’s now out of Tottenham’s hands regarding a top four place, as they are now reliant on Chelsea or Arsenal losing one of their remaining games with Spurs winning. Chelsea extend the gap to Arsenal in fourth to two points, with a difficult trip to Villa on Saturday lunchtime ahead of us.

Chelsea need to get the players rested and prepared for that one, with the hope that one more win will see our qualification for the Champions League confirmed. It’s typical Chelsea, that we had the chance to do it last night and mucked it up. We never do anything easy, do we?

Credit Tottenham for their finish to the game, as a point is a fair result overall. In saying that, we keep seeing occasions where we need to be more ruthless and take our chances, not waste them.

It needs to come together on Saturday as Paul Lambert’s team is very different to the side that were hammered at the Bridge earlier in the season.

It’s just a shame it only came together for 70 minutes tonight, as it wasn’t enough!

Carefree & KTBFFH!