A London derby that’s produced many thrillers down the years got off to an inauspicious start, with the slow tempo perhaps owing to the early concussion withdrawal of Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Play remained trapped in the middle of the park with Chelsea largely dictating things, though their first presentable sight at goal didn’t arrive until the 20-minute mark, when Alejandro Garnacho’s effort was safely deflected into the hands of Guglielmo Vicario.
A much clearer warning would come soon after though, when João Pedro pounced on a loose ball before curling a shot at Vicario.
However, it was third time lucky for Enzo Maresca’s men in the 34th minute, when Moisés Caicedo bullied his way through the Spurs defence, winning a series of challenges – most crucially on Micky Van de Ven – before feeding Pedro for a simple tap-in.
The Blues’ Brazilian forward could’ve had a hat-trick before HT, but saw another dangerous effort thwarted by Vicario after being picked out by Malo Gusto’s cross.
By contrast, Tottenham had to wait until the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time to register their first shot on target, with Mohammed Kudus forcing Robert Sánchez into a smart save.
Overall, Thomas Frank’s men needed vast improvements after the break, but the same pattern of play resumed with Chelsea remaining in the driver’s seat, and it was only the Blues’ wasteful finishing that kept letting Spurs off the hook, with Enzo Fernández and Reece James firing over the bar.
Vicario also twice thwarted powerful efforts from Pedro Neto as the endgame approached, and despite a number of late substitutions, the hosts never looked like threatening an equaliser.
A limp performance that stretched Spurs’ winless PL home run to four matches upheld the already-sour mood around most games played in N17, despite the Lilywhites’ top-four standing – though that itself could be gone come the end of the current round.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s love-affair with this ground continued as they won for the sixth time in seven PL visits, provisionally climbing into the top four as a result.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea)