'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea's unbeaten run in the Premier League came to a screeching halt after they folded to a 3-1 defeat against Tottenham at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday (November 25).
It was a splendid display from Spurs, who have now leapfrogged Chelsea to sit third on the Premier League points table. They asserted their dominance in their adopted home, clinching the first goal of the match as early in as early as the eighth minute.
Trending
Dele Ali opened the scoring on the day, before Harry Kane followed up with a thundering goal. The hosts went into half-time with sitting on a 2-0 lead, which was extended after Heung-Min Son claimed his 50th goal for Tottenham in the 54th minute.
Chelsea's only goal of the game came off a header from Olivier Giroud in the 85th minute.
#3 Clueless in defence
Chelsea's defence struggled throughout the game, as the Spurs pierced the gaps to slalom swiftly through their backline.
The fact that Tottenham had two corners in the first minute of the game shows how vulnerable the Blues were in defence, failing to cope with their opposition's swift passing and pace.
A serious lack of coordination between the centre-backs – David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger – hurt Chelsea's chances even further, as Kane, Son, Ali and Eriksen kept finding a way to pierce their defence. Rudiger, who looked rusty on the day, was outpaced by the hosts on numerous occasions
Tottenham's first goal came after a reckless foul from Luis, which led to a sweet delivery from Eriksen into the box. Kepa Arrizabalaga kept shouting instructions at the players in front of him, but their defence remained slapdash through most parts of the game.
Luiz's frustration on the night was augmented further after he seemed to dodge a shot from Kane from 25 yards out, which meant the goalkeeper was unsighted for the second goal.
Effectively, he did not attempt to dive or even move towards the strike, as the visitors found themselves down by two goals to nil within the first 17 minutes of the fixture.
Their haphazard structure at the back made it difficult for Chelsea to build their attack, thereby leading to mediocre passing accuracy and range within their formation.
#2 Consistent pressing from Spurs
Spurs were not only scintillating with the ball but also worked hard off it. One of the highlights of their impressive display on the day was the constant press they maintained higher up the pitch.
The pressure exerted by them hurried the visitors into making mistakes, as they struggled to complete their passes and get on with their attack.
Every Tottenham player on the pitch knew his role and executed the same with efficiency through the 90 minutes.
Moreover, the Blues' defenders couldn't maintain their structure after the swift start made by the hosts, failing to recover from the slow start they made in the game.
#1 Minimal returns in the final third
Sarri decided to go with his trusted trio of Eden Hazard, Willian, and Alvaro Morata to spearhead the Chelsea attack. While all these players managed to get into promising spaces at different points in the game, they did not make the most out of these opportunities.
Morata had more than one chances to get on the scoreboard, but failed to time is runs and was trapped offside on multiple occasions.
Hazard, who looked potent in the first half, looked increasingly less effective as the match progressed, unable to grab the game by the scruff of its neck – as he has done so often this season.
Pedro was brought on by the ex-Napoli manager in an attempt to inject pace in Chelsea's final third, but the attacker seemed off-colour on the day, struggling to hold on to the ball in Tottenham's box.
It was the introduction of Giroud – with his aerial threat – that gave the visitors their first goal, but the strike came a little too late for it to become anything more than a consolidation.
