Spurs blitz the Blues
Written By: Robert Halter
Tottenham Hotspur met Chelsea in a London derby at Wembley Stadium in late November. In the second minute from a Christian Eriksen corner, a header by Eric Dier flew over. In another Spurs move, Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son cleared the way for Serge Aurier, who found the outside netting. Then from an over the top delivery by Ben Davies, the ball was just out the reach of Alli. It swiftly followed with a delivery from Aurier and a cushioned header by Harry Kane which was caught by Kepa Arrizabalaga in the fourth minute. The Blues first response was a minute later, from an in swinging cross by Willian, and a snap shot by Alvaro Morata, which drifted over the upright. In the seventh minute, after David Luiz appended Kane, a free kick by Eriksen, was met by Alli with a goal bound header, which flew past Arrizabalaga, into the top left corner. In the tenth minute, Spurs could have scored again, when Son combined with Eriksen, who lobbed the ball over to Son, who blasted his strike over the top. Another chance fell Son’s way, after Alli put him through on goal as Marcos Alonso fell to the floor, but a close range stop with Arrizabalaga’s legs blocked Son’s strike, in the thirteenth minute. But on sixteen minutes, Spurs struck again, when Eriksen found Kane outside the area, who fired the ball past Luiz, into the bottom left corner, as a lemon footed Arrizabalaga stood stranded on the goal line. Erisken turned provider once again, when his delivery was headed by an unmarked Kane, into the clutches of Arrizablaga. In the twentieth minute, the Blues pressed forward form a Eden Hazard pass to Willian, who drilled the ball past the far left post. On twenty five minutes, Jorginho’s pass, was crossed over by Cesar Azpilicueta, and connected to first time by Morata, as Hugo Lloris produced a point blank save, before the flag was raised for offside. On the half hour mark, Davies took a short corner with Eriksen, whose cross was shot by Toby Alderweireld’s right peg, and it was kept out from the agility of Arrizablaga, before Juan Foyth, put the ball over. Then in the next minute, Son chased down a long ball by Davies, before striking narrowly over. In the thirty sixth minute, Davies and Son linked up play for Kane, whose strike went past the frame of the goal. The Blues reacted from a chest down by Morata, and a well struck effort from Hazard, which was parried away at full stretch by Lloris. Before the break, Eriksen teed the ball up for Son, whose strike was clawed away by Arrizabalaga. Then from a cross by Aurier, it was met with a header by Alli, which was caught under the upright from Arrizabalaga. In the fiftieth minute, after Foyth dragged down Morata, a free kick by Willian, was headed on from Alonso, and struck over by Mateo Kovacic. The Blues pressed again as Alonso and N’Golo Kante supplied Willian whose strike deflected off Davies for a corner, that Willian took and Alderweireld headed over. But Spurs went further ahead when Alli’s long pass, allowed Son to drift past Jorginho and Luiz, before unleashing a left footed strike into the bottom left corner. The Blues soon took off Morata for Pedro and Kovacic for Ross Barkley. On sixty three minutes, a cross from Barkley, went over the top of Alonso and Kante. Five minutes later, Son and Moussa Sissoko laid the ball on a plate for Kane, who rammed the ball too high. Then Kane combined with Alli, who curled the ball narrowly above the upright, two minutes later. The Blues later switched Willian with Olivier Giroud, before Spurs replaced Son with Erik Lamela. In the eighty third minute, Kane picked up a pass from Dier, before his strike was smothered by Arrizabalaga. But the Blues got a consolation goal when Azpilicueta’s cross was headed down by Giroud, into the bottom right corner. The Lilywhites then changed Alli with Harry Winks. The Blues rallied late when Barkley’s delivery was riffled over from Pedro. At the end Barkley’s pull back to Alonso was struck over the crossbar as Spurs finished 3-1 winners over Chelsea to leap above them in the table.