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Chelsea needed a 3-0 win on Sunday (September 19) at Tottenham to go top of the table alongside Liverpool. The Blues did precisely that and managed to walk away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with all three points.
Thomas Tuchel's side were not at their best for the opening 45 minutes, but N'Golo Kante's half-time substitution for Mason Mount turned the game on its head. Chelsea scored early in the second half via a Thiago Silva header from Marcos Alonso's corner. Kante's long-range shot then took a massive deflection off Eric Dier and doubled Chelsea's lead before the hour mark.
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The Blues gained control of the game completely from that point and allowed Tottenham just one opportunity in the final 30 minutes. Nuno Espirito Santo could not do anything to influence the game as his substitutions could not match the intensity brought to the pitch by the Chelsea players.
Chelsea had multiple opportunities to extend their lead throughout the second half, but it took until the 93rd minute for them to add the third goal. Antonio Rudiger did well to stay up from a corner and convert from a Timo Werner cross into the box. Rudiger's sweeping finish helped Chelsea move to the top of the table, level with Liverpool on 13 points.
Without further ado, here are Chelsea's top 5 players from their win over Tottenham:
#5 Kepa Arrizabalaga
With Edouard Mendy out injured, Chelsea had to turn to Kepa Arrizabalaga – the most expensive keeper in the world. This was the Spaniard's first start for the Blues this season as his only appearance before tonight was in the dying minutes of the UEFA Super Cup.
Chelsea fans were wary that they had lost the last three games in which the Spaniard was in goal, but Thomas Tuchel had confidence in him. Arrizabalaga had a lot on his shoulders and needed to bring out his best to help Chelsea win the London Derby.
Tottenham did not do much to trouble the Spaniard in goal as he had to make just two saves throughout the game. Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son tested him, but the Spaniard showed he was back in full confidence and was ready to challenge Mendy for the first-team spot.
#4 Marcos Alonso
Marcos Alonso loves playing against Tottenham, and that was evident tonight as well. The Spaniard thrived on the left-wing and constantly tested Emerson Royal, who was making his home debut for Spurs.
Apart from an assist for Thiago Silva's goal, Marcos Alonso also came close to doubling Chelsea's lead minutes before N'Golo Kante scored with his own long-range shot. The Spaniard spent a lot of time inside the Tottenham box, almost like he was Romelu Lukaku's strike partner. Alonso helped Chelsea pin Tottenham back into their box throughout the second half.
The wing-back did not have to make a single tackle or win an aerial duel tonight, as Spurs never really managed to trouble him.
#3 Mateo Kovacic
When the season started, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel seemed to have a clear plan. He was going to deploy Jorginho and N'Golo Kante as the preferred midfield duo with Mateo Kovacic and Saul Niguez as impact players. But Kovacic has changed all that as he has been impressive on the pitch in every single game so far this season.
The Croatian ran the game for Chelsea once again tonight and gave Tottenham players a tough time on the ball. Mateo Kovacic ended the game with an assist, six tackles, 88% pass success, and a shot on target. That shot could have easily been a goal had he decided to be selfish seconds before taking the shot.
Thomas Tuchel will now have a tough time deciding his eleven for the upcoming games as Kovacic, Jorginho and Kante are all fit. All three players have made compelling cases for a starting berth in this Chelsea team.
#2 N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante came on as a substitute at half-time against Tottenham Hotspur and completely changed the game around for Chelsea. The Frenchman worked his magic throughout the second half and even got on the score sheet for the Blues.
Kante was all over the pitch once again and closed down all the Tottenham players as soon as they got the ball. Nuno Espirito Santo's side had no idea what to do as the Frenchman, along with the other Chelsea players, gave them very little time on the ball and forced them to make mistakes.
Despite only coming on in the second half, Kante had as many tackles as Jorginho and Azpilicueta in the game. Talk about an impact player!
#1 Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva turns 37 this week, but his performance tonight made it seem like he was at least 10 years younger. The Brazilian did not put a single foot wrong throughout the game and wielded complete control over the defense from the first whistle. The former PSG defender showed exactly why Chelsea signed him last summer as he put on a stunning display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Not only did Silva get on the score sheet for Chelsea and open the scoring in the second half, he was also immense in defense. The veteran centre-half did not let Tottenham get past him despite the team boasting quality forwards who tried time and again to test the Chelsea defense.
