Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four with a deserved 1-0 win away at Tottenham on Saturday. The Blues were head and shoulders above their London rivals, and though Joao Pedro scored the game’s only goal, the disparity between the two teams was clear for all to see, with Spurs registering just three shots in total and one on target.
A stop-start opening half-hour, largely due to injuries, saw Chelsea fall into the game’s first chance. Pedro Porro’s sloppy clearance hit Alejandro Garnacho and rolled fortuitously into Pedro’s path, only for the Brazilian to be thwarted by Guglielmo Vicario when one-on-one with the Tottenham goalkeeper.
But Chelsea’s No.20 didn’t make the same mistake twice and the Blues went ahead moments later. Micky van de Ven was robbed of possession by Moises Caicedo deep inside his own half, and the Ecuadorian squared for Pedro to roll into the net.
Chelsea battled their way through an attritional second half and should have doubled their advantage in added time when Jamie Gittens skied an effort, before Pedro was again denied by Vicario. Nevertheless, that mattered little as Spurs were unable to muster a single meaningful chance and Enzo Maresca’s men secured the three points.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…