Tottenham ended Chelsea’s 13-game unbeaten run at the White Hart Lane on Wednesday night, as a Dele Alli brace – his 3rd in as many games downed the Blues.
Spurs were the better side of both London teams, and they always came closer to making something happen, with Eriksen spurning a great chance as Tottenham searched for the opener. They wouldn’t find one until the very end of the first period, and it was the Denmark international who made it happen.
Eriksen located an unmarked Alli with a fine cross just outside the right edge of the box, and the England international continued his fine form in front of goal, nodding in the ball to the far left of Chelsea’s goal.
The visitors came out of the blocks immediately after the restart but were soon down to one more goal after Eriksen and Alli combined again in a similar manner to the opener to put in the 2nd strike from just the hosts’ 2nd effort on target.
The victory ensured Tottenham won a 5th consecutive league game this season, and it took them to 3rd position on the log – level on points with Manchester City with only goal difference separating them.
A look is taken at how Pochettino’s charges performed in what was their best game so far this season:
Lloris
Played well with the ball on his feet to contribute to the buildup from the back and also saved a fine Costa effort to keep a clean sheet.
Rating: 10/10
Dier
Played in the right of a 3-man defense and did his job to a tee, giving Costa and Hazard no much space to cause trouble.
Rating: 8/10
Alderweireld
Tottenham’s best defender proved his worth, keeping Costa and Hazard in check and playing a crucial role in the middle of the 3-man defence.
Rating: 9/10
Vertonghen
Pedro’s runs constantly met a brick wall in the Belgian centre back.
The defender also helped contribute to the attack with some fine bursts earlier in the 2nd half that caused problems for Chelsea.
Rating: 8/10
Walker
Was tireless going forward though he didn’t create many chances for Kane.
Did really well in a right wing-back role and made mince meat of Alonso.
Rating: 8/10
Dembele
Dictated the pace of the game and caused all sorts of trouble for Chelsea’s midfield with his power and skills.
Rating: 9/10
Wanyama
Not even a yellow card could stop the Kenyan from being a thorn in the flesh to Chelsea, with Hazard’s influence always waning while Kante was good as useless.
Rating: 8/10
Rose
Got the better of Moses and proved to be a more experienced defender of the wing-backs, always pushing the Nigerian further deep and looking to play in killer crosses into Chelsea’s box.
Rating: 9/10
Alli
His 3rd brace in 3 consecutive games.
2 shots (on target), 2 goals.
Take a bow Bamidele Alli!
Rating: 10/10
Eriksen
Destroyed Chelsea’s unbeaten run with 2 key passes that proved very crucial while his set pieces always made the Blues backline uneasy.
Rating: 10/10
Kane
Was generally unable to make anything happen despite his impressive record in London derbies, but that wasn’t needed as other men did the job.
Rating: 7/10
SUBSTITUTES
Winks
Came on for the last 15 minutes.
Rating: Not Available
Sissoko
Came on with the result wrapped up.
Rating: Not Available
Son
Very late sub.
Rating: Not Available