A Dele Alli double handed Tottenham Hotspur their first victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since 1990. Christian Eriksen was also on the scoresheet as Spurs bagged all three points on Easter Sunday.
Alvaro Morata’s header in the 30th minute gave Chelsea the lead but Eriksen’s piledriver from long range levelled things up before half-time. After the break, it turned out to be a Dele Alli show.
Alli superbly controlled a long cross from Eric Dier and slotted the ball past Willy Caballero. The England international then made it 3-1 by tapping home a loose ball on what was his 100th Premier League appearance.
“It’s great – it’s always nice to win so I’m feeling good. We weren’t concentrating on (the poor record at Stamford Bridge) going into the game. Every game is different, we knew if we performed well we’ve got quality players and we could win the game.
“It wasn’t easy – obviously to go 1-0 down, we had to pick ourselves up from that and that strike from Chris just before half-time gave us real belief going into the second half,” Alli told tottenhamhotspur.com.
Eriksen scored a wonder goal that drew level Spurs and Alli lauded it as a “great strike”.
“It was crucial – it was a great strike. I don’t think anyone was surprised that he put it in the top corner and it was a great result in the end. Of course it’s always nice to score, I’m happy to score two but I would have the same happiness if I didn’t score and we won anyway,” Alli added.
Alli’s quickfire brace in the second half turned the game on its head, handing Spurs an all-important three points in the race for a top-four finish this season.
When asked about the two goals, Alli explained:
“Chris was angry at Sonny because he didn’t give him the assist and I was angry at Sonny because he didn’t square it, but he’s in unbelievable form and nine times out of 10 he hits the back of the net there, so I don’t blame him that he went for goal and I was happy to get the rebound and score.”
A rare mistake from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris helped Morata put Chelsea in front. However, our overall defensive display was top-notch, with centre-backs Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez immense and rock-solid at the back.
“You never feel too comfortable when you’re playing against a top side like this so we had to stay focused and switched on at the back.
“The back players defended really well throughout the whole game, obviously we were disappointed to concede the first goal but we defended very well. We were comfortable but we had to stay focused,” Alli lauded our team’s defensive display at the Bridge on Sunday.
On making his 100th Premier League appearance, the midfielder added:
“It’s flown by! I’m nearly 22 now – later this month – so it’s been a good 100 appearances.”
The win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday provides Spurs with the cushion of 8 points over Chelsea. The victory will surely boost our morale and it supplies us with the extra buzz needed during the business end of the season.
If we show the spirit and determination to play with the same vigour, we are bound to get positive results. Achieving a top-four finish and winning the FA Cup remain Mauricio Pochettino’s priorities this season and let’s hope we do it.
