Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham: Blues strengthen Europa League bid as Tottenham sink deeper into relegation trouble
Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham: Blues strengthen Europa League bid as Tottenham sink deeper into relegation trouble Chelsea strengthened their prospects of qualifying for the Europa League with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night. Chelsea have won the Europa League both times they participated in the competition, making it a familiar hunting ground for the Blues. If Chelsea secure a place in Europe’s second-tier tournament again, they’ll undoubtedly be favourites to add a third trophy to their cabinet next season.
The victory against Spurs ended Chelsea’s seven-match winless streak in the Premier League, a run that started with a narrow defeat against Newcastle United in mid-March. Chelsea also extended their winning home streak against Spurs to three games on the bounce, while stretching their unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge to eight matches. Coming up against a Tottenham side battling relegation was always going to be tricky for Chelsea, but their phenomenal record against their London counterparts prevailed.
Interestingly, the Blues started somewhat on the back foot, with Jorrel Hato’s loose backpass nearly wrong-footing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Chelsea nearly went behind again when Mathys Tel hit the post with a header from close range. But it didn’t take too long for the Blues to find their feet.
Tottenham keeper Antonin Kinsky made a smart save to deny Cole Palmer but could do nothing about Enzo Fernandez’s piledriver, which handed Chelsea a crucial lead. Chelsea kept their foot on the gas after taking the lead as Liam Delap spurned a decent chance from close range before Fernandez hit the crossbar from a stunning free-kick. Tottenham struggled to respond, with only a wild effort from Tel offering any threat before half-time.
Despite starting the second half looking for a leveller, it was Chelsea who got the next goal as Fernandez turned provider, setting up Andrey Santos for a tap-in in the 67th minute. Richarlison gave Spurs a lifeline in the 74th minute, slotting home from a clever backheel from Pape Matar Sarr. But the North Londoners didn’t do enough to find an equaliser late on.