Joao Pedro’s smart finish inside the penalty box was enough to earn Chelsea a comfortable 1-0 win over Tottenham in north London on Saturday — and the only regret Enzo Maresca’s side will have is that they didn’t pile on more misery for Spurs.
A convincing performance, led by the tenacity and rigour of Moises Caicedo in midfield, saw Chelsea dismantle Thomas Frank’s side with ease and leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the satisfaction of climbing level on points with their London rivals in the Premier League table.
Meanwhile, it was a torrid afternoon for Tottenham, who were booed off the pitch by their own fans after a disjointed and lacklustre display on home soil.
Daily Mail Sport‘s KIERAN GILL kept a watchful eye over the London derby and took note of how Enzo Maresca tactically managed to outfox Frank — and stump Tottenham’s threat from set-pieces.
NEW WAY TO DEFEND LONG THROWS?
While limiting Tottenham to an xG worth only 0.05, Chelsea unveiled a brand new way of dealing with those pesky long throw-ins that have seen them concede goals in the Premier League this season, including in the previous weekend’s loss to Sunderland.
Enzo Maresca had told us at his pre-Spurs press conference that they had been working on how to defend such situations, and it was in the first half when they had the chance to debut it.
Enzo Maresca (right) got the better of Thomas Frank (left) as Chelsea won 1-0 against Spurs
Robert Sanchez was exceptional at collecting from Kevin Danso’s dangerous long throws
The Spaniard would then immediately look to hit Tottenham on the break, causing havoc
Spurs won a throw-in level with the Blues’ box and Kevin Danso ran over to grab the ball and wind up his arms for the rocket. Just as he was preparing to launch it long, three Chelsea players suddenly sprinted away from their own area and to the halfway line.
They were Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho and with them, they took three Tottenham players, leaving the box a little less congested than it previously was.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had been told to show bravery in this match and while he hardly had a save to make, he was exemplary in claiming those balls into the box.
Danso chucked it in, Sanchez caught it, and immediately initiated a counter-attack as Enzo Fernandez led the charge, with Gusto, Joao Pedro and Garnacho already ahead of him.
It happened again in the second half when Spurs had a throw-in by the Blues’ box. Danso was readying his run-up when the same three players – Gusto, Joao Pedro and Garnacho – sprinted forwards for the halfway line. Chelsea cleared the danger on that occasion, too.
Wolves scored from a long throw during their Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea in midweek, remember, and they will be the next visitors to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. We will need to see if the Blues stick with this new unusual strategy.
GOALKEEPERS ‘FAKING’ INJURIES UP FOR DEBATE AGAIN
Goalkeepers do not need to go off the field when treated for an injury. The time in which they are being given that magic spray allows team-mates an opportunity to regroup if they wish to do so. They can even go over to the technical area to speak with their manager if they wish.
With that in mind, let’s discuss what happened after Spurs lost Lucas Bergvall to concussion.
Guglielmo Vicario dropped down injured for unknown reasons while Frank chatted to the team
Spurs’ substitute goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was not sent to warm-up during Frank’s chat
That seventh-minute substitution was a problem. It upset Spurs’ game plan. Chelsea were on top.
This may not have been picked up by the television cameras, but I noticed from the press box how Guglielmo Vicario was called over to the touchline while the play was at the other end of the pitch. Not long after this, Vicario dropped down injured, for reasons unknown.
Maybe he needed legitimate medical attention. We do not know.
What we do know is Thomas Frank used this sudden break to call over his entire team for a chat.
What we do know is Tottenham’s substitute goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was not sent to warm-up while Vicario was being treated for whatever was wrong with him.
What we do know is Chelsea’s coaches and players were not happy.
They were not the only ones suspecting something curious was occurring. It made a fair few inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, myself included, wonder whether this was another case of a goalkeeper feigning injury so that his colleagues could use the time to receive a team talk. Again, we do not know whether this was the case here.
But I spoke to someone who works for Chelsea afterwards and he had a helpful suggestion for football’s lawmakers – simply make it so that players cannot go over to their coaching staff when a goalkeeper injury occurs. It’s a good idea, and would stop such scenarios swimming in scrutiny.
Lucas Bergvall was not happy to be forced to leave the field after his concussion checks
Head injuries are no joke and a player’s welfare should take priority over all other matters
SPURS PLAYERS DON’T LISTEN TO AUTHORITY
Bergvall was not happy to be forced to leave the field after his concussion checks, but good on Tottenham’s club doctor Tamim Khanbhai for telling him what’s what, even while his player was giving him the odd push as he tried to help him.
I get the frustration, but head injuries are no joke, and I would sooner see a player’s welfare take priority over everything else.
Spurs’ players could do with listening to authority. Bergvall, though perhaps not in the right frame of mind, protested here and the sight of Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven snubbing Frank after full-time was not a good look.
It was a striking image, the one of Frank looking back at them in disbelief, even if he was kind to Spence and Van de Ven when asked on it by us afterwards.
JAMES SHOWING PROPER CAPTAINCY
It was a year ago this week that Maresca, without much encouragement, had a pop at Reece James. It was during a huddle on a Conference League away day, before a 4-1 win over Panathinaikos, that the Blues boss said he ‘expected more’ leadership from his captain.
James showed how far he has come here. This was a proper skipper’s performance.
When the half-time whistle went, James called all of his team-mates over to join him. At first, I thought he was going to do a huddle there and then on the pitch.
Rather, he did not want them walking down the tunnel individually. He wanted them walking in as one, and all 11 players exited via the tunnel as a collective.
Reece James put in a proper captain’s performance and is showing how far he has come
By the end, James was celebrating every tackle, every block, every clearance with gusto. It was only right that he was front and centre in front of the away end as they celebrated yet another win versus Spurs. He was Chelsea’s best player after Moises Caicedo.
IS CAICEDO THE BEST GOING IN THE GAME?
Speaking of Caicedo, there’s been a debate on social media of late: basically, who is the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League?
Some say it is Declan Rice. Others reckon Rodri. Chelsea would not swap either of those for Caicedo. Maresca was asked for his opinion, and said he would put Caicedo and Rodri at the top.
TERRIBLE DRIVER, TERRIFIC DEFENDER
Opinion alert: Wesley Fofana is an idiot behind the wheel. You only need to watch that footage of him driving dangerously in his Lamborghini on the hard shoulder of the A3 Esher bypass in Hook, Hampshire to think so. He now has 47 points on his driving licence which, in Premier League terms, would be enough for him to survive relegation to the Championship.
Now that we have that off our chest, we can compliment Fofana on the football, because he and Trevoh Chalobah were titanic as a defensive duo in front of Sanchez here.
