Chelsea were humbled by the hands of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-0 defeat at White Hart Lane. The visitors were so close yet so far when their 13-match winning streak was ended by two headed goals from the man of the moment, Dele Alli.
It was end-to-end flow as soon as the match kicked off, both teams managed to create but not convert chances and goalkeepers remained busy between the sticks. With the first period inching towards the interval, Christian Eriksen lofted an absolute peach of a cross into the danger area and found Alli. The England international rose like a salmon and directed a solid header into the back of the net, leaving Thibaut Courtois with no chance. Holding the best defensive record in the campaign at the moment, Antonio Conte will be disappointed as his defence missed to mark Spurs’ most obvious danger man.
The closing stages of the first period was a precursor to what followed in the opening exchanges of the second half. The duo who linked up for the first goal got involved for the second goal as well. The Danish international swung in a threatening cross into the box and the 20-year-old once again highlighted his terrific poaching instinct with another deft header. His 10th of the season and clearly the most important one.
Three points against the table toppers were tarted up with a clean sheet too. Mauricio Pochettino combated Conte’s much-heralded 3-4-3 formation with a 3-4-2-1 system that tactically shut down their opponent, something majority of the clubs have failed to do so far. This successful ploy has been used five times over the past 18 months and the Argentinean could use it as a silver bullet to reach the peak of the Premier League table.
Chelsea’s biggest threats are commonly from the wide area, having the likes of Eden Hazard and Pedro, who love drifting inward to support the league’s top scorer Diego Costa. Danny Rose and Kyle Walker ensured both the attackers constantly retreated into their own half and denied them time on the ball to turn possession fruitful. While the three-man wall, comprising Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier, used all their experience to outfox Costa. The resolute squad excelled with their manager’s gameplay and comfortably vaulted over the finish line with brilliance from both departments.
Last season, Pochettino’s men were title contenders yet slipped away on the final lap. This time, with a medley of young talents and leaders that embody his style of play, no team look more complete and versatile than the Lilywhites. With 5 wins on the bounce, they could go on with their own streak.
The Spurs players took the social media to share their euphoria:
Unbelievable win and atmosphere! @Dele_Alli on 🔥 #COYS pic.twitter.com/mfDg5V7i0O
— Harry Kane (@HKane) January 4, 2017
What a night 🙌 #COYS pic.twitter.com/EgE2Fn5jKb
— Jan Vertonghen (@JanVertonghen) January 4, 2017
👏👏👏 #COYS pic.twitter.com/2cjmblyV0x
— Mousa Dembélé (@mousadembele) January 4, 2017
No words needed… 💙#COYS pic.twitter.com/sNC8vb5wtJ
— Toby Alderweireld (@AlderweireldTob) January 4, 2017
Great Team performance and massive thank you to the fans for their support #COYS pic.twitter.com/V7mHUhbXrL
— Victor Wanyama (@VictorWanyama) January 4, 2017
Special night ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/O12BeGy7bp
— Kyle Walker (@kylewalker2) January 4, 2017
Great Team performance and massive thank you to the fans for their support #COYS pic.twitter.com/V7mHUhbXrL
— Victor Wanyama (@VictorWanyama) January 4, 2017
And here is what the manager said in the post-match interview:
http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2017/01/tweets-photos-spurs-players-react-beating-chelsea/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20offthepost%2FTLAa%20(Off%20The%20Post)
http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2017/01/video-spurs-boss-mauricio-pochettino-discusses-victory-chelsea/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20offthepost%2FTLAa%20(Off%20The%20Post)
