Tottenham cranked up the pressure on Graham Potter as Oliver Skipp’s first goal for the club and Harry Kane’s late strike secured a 2-0 win over Chelsea in Sunday’s Premier League contest.
Potter’s position has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following a flurry of form, and it looks set to intensify after another miserable defeat at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.
The Blues failed to take advantage of the reprieve shortly before half-time when Hakim Ziyech’s red card was overturned following a VAR review, with Skipp starting immediately after the restart.
Kane added a second in the 82nd minute to move Spurs four points clear of Newcastle United, although the Magpies have two games in hand. Chelsea remain in 10th place – a whopping 14 points off the Champions League qualification places.
Chelsea’s plans were dealt a blow in the 19th minute when Thiago Silva was forced off after picking up an injury when he brought down Harry Kane inside the penalty area.
Spurs came agonizingly close to taking the lead shortly before the half-hour when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s effort from the edge of the area hit the back of the post.
Chelsea briefly thought they had been reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time when Ziyech was shown a red card for striking Emerson Royal in the face, but his punishment was reduced to a caution by referee Stuart Attwell after an on-pitch review.
Spurs started the second half in electric fashion, grabbing the opener 19 seconds after the restart thanks to Skipp’s thunderous strike from 20 yards that crashed off the underside of the crossbar.
Kane then secured victory in the final ten minutes with a simple finish at the back post from a corner.
Tottenham player ratings
GK: Fraser Forster – 7/10 – A surprisingly calming influence at the back.
CB: Cristian Romero – 8/10 – Gobbled up everything Chelsea threw at him.
CB: Eric Dier – 8/10 – Similarly untroubled for the most part. Grabbed an assist for Kane.
CB: Clement Lenglet – 7/10 – Looked shaky at times but was largely fine.
RM: Emerson Royal – 7/10 – Covered every blade of grass from wing-back. Still a little hesitant in the final third and his crossing wasn’t great.
CM: Oliver Skipp – 9/10 – Threw himself into every challenge and usually came out on top. The hero of the day with one hell of a strike.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7/10 – An excellent partner in midfield for Skipp, sweeping up loose balls and often switching play.
LM: Ben Davies – 6/10 – Got himself into plenty of attacking positions though wasn’t always picked out.
RF: Dejan Kulusevski – 6/10 – Much sharper and stronger than in recent weeks though still missing that spark in the final third.
LF: Richarlison – 6/10 – Rough around the edges but his pressing and work rate caused problems for Chelsea.
CF: Harry Kane – 9/10 – Marked tightly by Fofana which forced him to come deeper. Rewarded for his all-round performance with a goal.
Substitutes
Son Heung-min (79′ for Kulusevski) – 7/10
Pedro Porro (89′ for Richarlison) – N/A
Manager
Cristian Stellini – 8/10 – Tottenham managed the game like a big club should.
Chelsea player ratings
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 5/10 – Booed by home fans for time wasting in the first half. Got a hand on Skipp’s strike.
RB: Reece James – 5/10 – Pinned Richarlison down at oine end but was kept quiet by him at the other as well.
CB: Thiago Silva – N/A – Fortunate to have escaped punishment for striking Romero with his elbow. Withdrawn with a knee injury early in the first half.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly – 6/10 – Made a few stretching tackles. Not his fault Chelsea fell apart.
LB: Ben Chilwell – 5/10 – Barged around at will by Kulusevski.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 5/10 – Failed to establish his authority in the middle of the park.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 6/10 – Clearly has technical excellence but it was only evident in spurts.
RM: Hakim Ziyech – 4/10 – Man-marked Davies off the ball but didn’t provide a lot on it.
AM: Joao Felix – 5/10 – Like Fernandez is so clearly talented but his game needs refining. Lost the run of Skipp for the opener.
LM: Raheem Sterling – 4/10 – A threat early on but was taken out of the game soon after by Emerson and Romero.
CF: Kai Havertz – 4/10 – Lacked any sort of presence up front.
Substitutes
Wesley Fofana (19′ for Silva) – 6/10 – Like Koulibaly was largely fine and not at fault for either goal.
Denis Zakaria (62′ for Ziyech) – 4/10
Mason Mount (62′ for Loftus-Cheek) – 4/10
Mykhailo Mudryk (83′ for Sterling) – N/A
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (83′ for Felix) – N/A
Manager
Graham Potter – 2/10 – Another week, another loss, this time at a place where Chelsea were previously invincible. The clock is ticking.
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