Chelsea travelled to the Wembley to take on Tottenham Hotspur in the London derby, and the home team ran out 3-1 winners to end Maurizio Sarri’s unbeaten start to the Premier League.
Spurs came off all guns blazing, and they definitely took the Blues by surprise with their high pressing. Chelsea’s defence was all over the place in the first 20 minutes, and Dele Alli scored the opener through a smart-headed flick. Harry Kane added the second in a bizarre goal where David Luiz turned away from the ball, and Kepa Arrizabalaga ended up wrong-footed. It could have been easily more as Spurs’ link up play in the final third was breathtaking.
The second half followed a similar pattern for the most part and Spurs were creating one chance after another, mostly on counter attacks as they decided to sit back a bit after the two-goal lead. Son Heung Min scored a breathtaking goal to put the tie to bed. Olivier Giroud grabbed a consolation late on to make it 3-1.
Here is how Pochettino’s men fared.
Hugo Lloris 6.5
His handling was top notch and dealt with the crosses well.
Serge Aurier 7.5
Many thought that Aurier could have been a weak point in the absence of Kieran Trippier but the Ivory Coast international was robust and solid in his challenges. Provided good crosses while going forward. Most importantly kept Eden Hazard quiet.
Toby Alderweireld 7
Didn’t do much wrong in the game and kept everything in control at the back. A leader’s performance from the Belgian.
Juan Foyth 6
Lucky to get away with a penalty which could have turned the game as Spurs were just 1-0 up at that time. Had some rash moments but stood firm for the most parts.
Ben Davies 6.5
Solid overall performance from the fullback. Nothing too eye-catchy but nothing wrong as well.
Eric Dier 6.5
Played a big part in pressing Chelsea’s midfield and did an excellent job in controlling the game and nicking away the ball.
Moussa Sissoko 8
Slowly the Frenchman is becoming a fan favourite, and he again showed his class with an industrious display in the middle of the park.
Christian Eriksen 8
Was in top form and stepped up in the big game after few timid displays in the last outings. Assisted the opener with a brilliant free kick.
Dele Alli 7
His runs in between the defensive line early on gave a lot of trouble to the Chelsea defence. Scored with a smart header to open the scoring. Linked up play well for the most parts.
Son Heung Min 7.5
Should have scored in the first half after he squandered some great opportunities. Made up for it with a brilliant solo goal in the second half which was also the 50th of his Tottenham career.
Harry Kane 7
Worked extremely hard throughout the game and drew quite a few fouls. Missed an absolute sitter to make the score even more emphatic. Scored from a speculative long-range strike in the first half but that’s what top strikers do. If they don’t speculate, they don’t accumulate.
Substitutes
Erik Lamela N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
Harry Winks N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
