Chelsea vs Tottenham LIVE: Premier League result, score and reaction as Nicolas Jackson goal seals win
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino handed his former team a damaging defeat as the Blues improved their own hopes of qualifying for Europe
Tottenham’s Champions League hopes were dealt a damaging blow as they fell to a 2-0 Premier League defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were left trailing fourth-placed Aston Villa by seven points and now have just a single game in hand, as goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson saw Mauricio Pochettino emerge victorious against his former club to enhance his team’s own chances of qualifying for Europe.
This was far from Spurs at their fluid, swashbuckling best, and rarely did they put serious pressure on a Chelsea backline that had already posted the club’s worst league defensive record in more than 30 years.
Report: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
As the saying goes, fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Ange Postecoglou insisted Tottenham had “far more important issues” than defending set-pieces before a second London derby in five days, but a potential problem for the Spurs manager is now growing into a crisis after this defeat to Chelsea.
Read the full report below:
Chelsea punish Tottenham to leave Ange Postecoglou with his first Spurs crisis
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino completed the double over his former team as Spurs’ top-four hopes were dealt a blow
FT: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
Jamie Redknapp on Spurs midfield: “Midfield was a real engine room at the start of the season. I looked and thought this midfield looked as good as anything in the Premier League.
“Right now he has changed it today and players aren’t playing at the same level as they were earlier in the season, and if you want to compete you have to be performing every single week.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham player ratings: Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella shine in vital derby win for Blues
Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson scored either side of the break to keep Chelsea hot on the tail of the European spots in the Premier League, with a 2-0 derby win over Tottenham.
It was a tough evening for Ange Postecoglou as his side faced familiar set-piece and VAR nightmares, after two goals from corners against Arsenal on Sunday were followed up by Chalobah heading in from a free-kick and Jackson reacting quickest from Palmer’s rebounded shot.
Chelsea vs Spurs player ratings: Jackson scores and shines in vital win
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino secured a double over his former side to boost Blues’ European hopes
Pochettino: “You have to suffer."
What an evening for Pochettino, and he will hope that the signs of his Chelsea team are starting to appear even if there will be tough times to as well.
When speaking to the BBC, he said: “The first half was fantastic. Then you have to contain and suffer. Tottenham have quality players. Not too much to say, all credit to the players.
“So happy and so pleased. So happy for our players.
“We are in a good place, we have amazing professionals working on set-pieces. The team really showed in the way we wanted to build this way to play.”
Micky van de Ven speaking to Sky Sports:
“It will be difficult. I don’t want to look up to the Champions League after this game, it was not a good performance from us and it is important we play a good game on Sunday.
“First half we didn’t try to play. We didn’t push forward when we come out. We tried to play in the second half but there was not that confidence today.
“We have to take a look back a this game and bounce back better at the weekend.”
Postecoglou: “I thought their goal was a foul."
Chalobah opened the scoring with a header, but after a long VAR check it ruled that Marc Cucurella didn’t foul Brennan Johnson in the build-up to Postecoglou’s disagreement.
The Australian said to Sky Sports: “I still think their goal is a foul but no one cares about that and we didn’t deserve anything more than that.
“It wasn’t about conceding the goal it was about our approach and we are just nowhere near good enough and we are nowhere near positive to where we need to be. That is on me.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t interested, I said it wasn’t my priority but that is okay, if people want to think that what we are missing is set pieces that is fine, I will do my job.”
Ange Postecoglou “We lost some conviction and belief."
It was a disheartening day for Spurs, and the slump in form continues for the north London club, right at the wrong moment in the season.
Postecoglou said to Sky Sports: “We have lost some conviction and belief in our football that is for sure, just in the midfield but again that on me.
“We didn’t play well, do you want me to roll you a dossier on where we went wrong?
“I have to have a look at myself in all of this and see how I have more than an impact.
“When we put in a performance like we did in the first half it obviously means my message isn’t getting through, so that is for me to address.”
Chelsea secure their first win in three games thanks to goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson, while severely denting Tottenham’s top four hopes.
These two wildly inconsistent teams were always going to throw-up an entertaining fixture, but it was a far too common problem for Ange Postecoglou was the difference between them and their fierce London rivals.
Two set-piece goals on either side of the break gave Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino a Premier League double over his former side. Trevoh Chalobah punished Spurs’ sloppy defending by lofting a header over Vicario, while unmarked. Spurs tried to battle back into the game after the break, but as much as they could keep the ball they struggled to do anything with it, and Jackson reacted quickest to Cole Palmer’s free-kick that hit the crossbar, to double the lead.
It was a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea that has seen their European chances massively increase as they move up to eighth, while Tottenham have now lost three games in a row and are losing pace with fourth-placed Aston Villa.
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