Tottenham 0 Chelsea 0
Man of the match: Moussa Dembele (Tottenham)
LONDON // It took until the 75th minute for Diego Costa to rise from the substitutes’ bench at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon.
The striker, dropped from Chelsea’s starting XI after being criticised by Jose Mourinho for a lack of movement and failure to properly read the game in Tuesday’s Uefa Champions League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, sauntered down the touchline with a quarter of an hour left on the clock, committing himself to a half-hearted warm-up that barely attracted a sideways glance from his manager.
Kenedy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were summoned by Mourinho in the closing stages of the 0-0 draw with Tottenham, the pair entering the fray late on as Costa remained fixed to his seat.
When it became clear that he would not be enjoying even a few seconds on the pitch, the Spain international hurled his training bib in Mourinho’s direction, an act of petulance that is likely to further drive a wedge between the Portuguese and his primary goal-getter in last season’s Premier League title triumph.
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When Chelsea brought Costa to Stamford Bridge, in the summer of 2014, it appeared to be the perfect match.
The Brazil-born Spain international was moving to England after a fantastic campaign for Atletico Madrid, who won the Primera Liga by being dangerous on the counter-attack and extremely difficult to play against.
Costa spearheaded such an approach, finding the back of the net on 27 occasions but also proving a nuisance for defenders with his physicality and all-action style. He continued in such vein at Chelsea last term, constantly hassling and harrying at the top of the pitch and symbolising his side’s mode of play with his useful blend of technique and aggression.
In many ways, Mourinho’s game plan against Tottenham on Sunday was a return to the methods that served his team so well in the bigger games away from home in 2014/15.
Chelsea sat deep and looked to stifle Mauricio Pochettino’s in-form side by denying them space in advanced areas, before springing forward on the break and trying to catch the hosts in transition.
It was telling, then, that Costa, previously seen as the ideal line-leader for such an occasion, was nothing more than a spectator.
Eden Hazard was the man fielded up top in Costa’s absence, with Oscar also taking increasingly high positions as the game wore on.
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With Willian and Pedro manning the flanks, there was a promising fluidity to Chelsea at times, with the front four all speedy and nimble players capable of quickly turning defence into attack.
The visitors’ solidity at the back would also have pleased Mourinho. Son Heung-min twice tested Asmir Begovic from inside the box and Mousa Dembele and Harry Kane once each from outside, but Tottenham struggled to create many clear-cut chances, failing to score for the first time in eight games in all competitions.
There is a certain irony to the fact that this was a typical big-match Chelsea display, but one that does them little favours given the wider circumstances of their season.
Unlike last year, Chelsea are trying to close the gap on the top four rather than maintain their distance ahead of them; a goalless draw at White Hart Lane may be a good result in isolation, but it meant that Mourinho’s men remained 11 points adrift of the Champions League places at the final whistle.
Nevertheless, avoiding defeat to Tottenham ensures that Chelsea’s faint hopes of a top-four finish are still alive. There can be few slip-ups from here, though, and Costa’s moment of petulance may lead Mourinho to conclude that the champions’ leading marksman is no longer worth the trouble.
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