Chelsea FC closed the gap on Tottenham Hotspur with a 1-0 win in the London derby. The Blues were the more determined team, and even though Joao Pedro missed a few chances, the 24-year-old striker was still the match winner.
Before kick-off in the evening game, Arsenal were already threatening to pull away at the top of the Premier League. Spurs, in third place, were eight points behind after the Gunners’ 2-0 win at Burnley in the afternoon. In the London derby against Chelsea, Thomas Frank’s team, which had been knocked out of the League Cup during the week after a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, wanted to stay in contention at the top and reduce the gap to the leaders.
However, the coach had to make adjustments after just a few minutes when Bergvall took a ball to the head and was unable to continue. Former Leipzig player Xavi replaced him in the seventh minute.
The Blues, who returned to their tried-and-tested lineup after their 4-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup, got off to a better start. Joao Pedro was flanked up front by Garnacho and Pedro Neto. After the striker had failed to beat Vicario following a good block by Garnacho (20′), the 24-year-old took advantage of his next opportunity shortly afterwards. Once again, it was preceded by a ball win, or more precisely, two. Caicedo first won the ball against Spence and then shortly afterwards against van de Ven, with Joao Pedro coolly slotting home the cross (34′). The half-time lead could have been even higher, but Vicario prevented Joao Pedro from scoring his second with a reflex save (43′). The Spurs were hardly visible in the visitors’ half, apart from two shots from Kudus (32′, 45’+6) and a nasty foul by Bentancur, for which he only received a yellow card (45’+3).
Chelsea continue to dominate – Vicario keeps it open for a long time
After the break, the Blues were more determined than the home side, but without launching an all-out attack. The visitors chose their attacks carefully, with Pedro Neto testing Vicario again (56′). Tottenham, on the other hand, continued to struggle to create any danger in the final third. Kolo Muani, who had been preferred to Richarlison, remained virtually invisible. The battles between the two penalty areas continued to be fierce. Chelsea’s double chance from Pedro Neto—once again Vicario stood in the way—and James (over the bar, 74′) heralded the final quarter of an hour. Even then, Spurs failed to seriously threaten the Blues’ goal. Frank’s substitutions—including Xavi being taken off again—came to nothing. In fact, the North Londoners had Vicario to thank for the fact that the score remained 0-1. The keeper made a strong save against Joao Pedro in stoppage time (90+4), after substitute Gittens had shot over the bar with a clear chance in front of goal (90+3).
Chelsea are closing the gap on their rivals in the table, but the gap to their other city rivals Arsenal is now eight points for both teams. Tottenham continue their Champions League campaign on Tuesday (9 p.m.) with their next home game against FC Copenhagen. Chelsea also play in the Champions League on Wednesday (6:45 p.m.) away against Qarabag.
