Christian Eriksen twice had time to look up, steady himself and identify his target. On both occasions his crosses were on the money, and on both occasions Dele Alli was on hand to provide the finishing touch.
Two headed goals from the England international made all the difference at White Hart Lane on Wednesday, when Tottenham Hotspur ended Chelsea’s 13-match winning run to move within seven points of their London rivals at the top of the Premier League table.
It was a thoroughly deserved triumph after an excellent all-round performance from Mauricio Pochettino’s charges, who were solid at the back, powerful in the middle and efficient up front.
It was clear in the opening exchanges that this would be a tight affair between two teams who had the potential to cancel each other out.
Tottenham employed a 3-4-2-1 formation to match up with Chelsea, who have used the same system ever since a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in September, right across the pitch. Each player had a direct opponent, and it soon became clear that the game’s overall victors would probably be the side who won the most individual battles.
Antonio Conte’s men were content to cede possession early on, with lofted balls over the top of the Tottenham defence a key part of their attacking strategy. Eden Hazard and Pedro both found space in behind inside the first five minutes, but neither took full advantage of the situation: the former screwed a shot wide of the far post, while the latter was unable to bring the ball under his control.
The visitors were also asked questions by Tottenham, who gradually gained the upper hand in the centre of midfield. Mousa Dembele’s tremendous ability to dribble past opponents in congested areas led to a half-chance for Harry Kane, while the prowling Victor Wanyama snapped into challenges and generally got the better of his opposite number, N’Golo Kante.
Pochettino: Spurs tougher than last season
Tottenham may have shaded the first half, but it looked as if the two sides would be heading into the interval with the scores level. Instead the hosts got their noses in front in stoppage time, as Eriksen’s pinpoint delivery from the right was steered home by Alli.
It was a well-worked goal from a Tottenham perspective, but Conte will have been disappointed with his team’s defending. Nemanja Matic’s decision to track Kyle Walker down the flank left Eriksen free behind him, with Gary Cahill forced to belatedly rush out to close the Dane down.
As David Luiz then shuffled across to cover for his defensive teammate, Chelsea found themselves outnumbered in the penalty area, with Cesar Azpilicueta caught between Alli and Kane. That, combined with Victor Moses’s failure to push up and leave the Tottenham duo offside, allowed Alli to break the deadlock.
Just nine minutes into the second period, a similar series of mistakes saw Pochettino’s men grab a second: Eriksen, again afforded far too much time in a dangerous area, produced a perfect cross which was nodded home by Alli at the back post.
Chelsea had actually started the half brightly, Hazard wasting their best opportunity with a miscued header from close range, but Tottenham did a fine job of managing the game once their two-goal lead had been established.
Wanyama continued to add bite in the centre of the park, while wing-backs Walker and Danny Rose took up more conservative positions to deny Chelsea an obvious route back into the game down the flanks. Although Hazard buzzed around menacingly in the final third, the league leaders did not sufficiently trouble Hugo Lloris or the Tottenham backline.
“It is a massive victory, a very important three points to reduce the gap at the top of the table,” Pochettino said. “It was a very tough game, we were playing one of the best teams in Europe, so the value of the victory is massive.”
This was a fifth successive success since a 1-0 loss to Manchester United at the start of December left Tottenham three points outside the top four and 10 adrift of the summit.
Now in third spot and just a couple of points behind second-placed Liverpool, things are starting to look up at White Hart Lane.
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