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Chelsea have beaten London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the Premier League.
Joao Pedro got the opening goal in the 34th minute, finishing nicely after a pair of brilliant tackles from Moises Caicedo in midfield.
There were plenty more chances for the visitors against a dreadful Tottenham team, but they only needed one goal to beat Thomas Frank's men.
The result moves Chelsea into fourth, level on points with Spurs.
GO FURTHER
Tottenham 0 Chelsea 1 – Can Spurs solve their attacking bluntness? How impressive was Moises Caicedo?
That must have felt good for Enzo Maresca after an inconsistent start to the season in the Premier League. He was asked by Sky Sports after the match if that was the perfect performance.
💬 “Yeah, it was a good performance for sure. To come to this stadium against this team when they look very, very good, you need this kind of performance to win.
“You have to be brave on the ball and off the ball. We won, we are very happy for us and the fans, and we move on.”
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Joao Pedro brought an end to his mini goal drought this evening and, despite missing another couple of big chances, turned in a really strong performance leading the line. Here is what he had to say to Sky Sports after the match.
💬 “I needed this goal because I hadn't scored for a long time and the team expects that from me. I scored today, so I'm very happy. I always want to help the team with goals and assists, but firstly I need to play well. If I play well then goals will come.
“The most important thing is always to win games, so I've been chill about the goals.”
This stadium still doesn't quite feel like home for Tottenham.
Their record at home over the last 12 months is abysmal; they have won just three of their last 19 Premier League home games, losing 12 of them!
And that is the third time they have been beaten at home in a London derby, and that is their longest such run since April 2004.
I've mentioned xG and shots, so let's take a look at the full statistics from the game just to highlight Chelsea's dominance. Look away now, Tottenham fans!
Just three shots for Tottenham, totalling a dismal 0.05 xG — their lowest xG total on record in the Premier League (since 2012-13).
For reference, that is the 504th league game they have played since the start of that 2012-13 season.
It also feels worth noting that Spurs had more yellow cards in the game (four) than shots…
I mentioned before kick-off that this has been a fixture dominated by Chelsea and that victory means they have now beaten Tottenham five times in a row in the Premier League.
It is their sixth win from seven at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — more than any other visiting team.
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Calling that scoreline flattering from a Tottenham perspective is a huge understatement.
They were absolutely awful and, on another day, would have lost by four or five more goals. Joao Pedro probably should have had a hat-trick, Pedro Neto was denied thrice by Vicario and Gittens missed a massive chance at the end.
Joao Pedro and Neto had eight shots between them — Tottenham had just three as a team.
A rotten, rotten performance from Thomas Frank's side.
The only silver lining for Spurs is that Vicario was brilliant…
That was a tough watch — zero creativity from Spurs.
The Chelsea players are enjoying themselves celebrating in front of the away fans. Maresca has joined them and pushed James over to take the accolades.
Maresca also checked on Estevao, who appears to have a bloody nose but also has a big smile on his face so it does not look serious.
FT Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
Yep, as expected, Tottenham don't get anywhere near their opponents' goal in stoppage time so it is another win in this fixture for Chelsea.
And how they have deserved it!
They could — and probably should — have scored four or five goals this evening, but they only needed one. Joao Pedro was the man who got it while Moises Caicedo was excellent in midfield once again.
Boos from the Tottenham fans at full time…
90+5' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
I think Robert Sanchez has caught every corner today. Kudus and Porro kept wasting free kicks by passing short and losing it.
So what are set-piece Spurs without set pieces?
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90+4' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
The Tottenham fans are fuming! They had the chance to aim for the penalty area with a free kick just inside the Chelsea half but instead opted to pass it short — and then they lost the ball.
That presented Chelsea with the chance to wrap up the win but Gittens, when he should have scored, fired a long, long way over the crossbar. And then a similarly good chance fell the way of Joao Pedro, but he was denied by Vicario for a third time.
90+1' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
A cheer of encouragement from the home fans as the fourth official's electronic board indicates that there will be six more minutes. But even that cheer was half-hearted.
While there is time on the clock, Tottenham have hope but I really can't see them coming anywhere near an equaliser here.
89' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
You would probably expect a home team in this situation to applying some real pressure in the search for an equaliser. But Chelsea don't look under any duress whatsoever.
Tottenham have had just three shots all night, totalling a meagre 0.05 xG. They will need to show something that they have not shown at all so far this evening if they want to rescue a late point.
85' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
A bit of a shame that we'll only get five minutes — plus stoppage time — to watch Estevao this evening, but it's better than nothing.
The noise in the away end rises a little as the 18-year-old Brazilian makes his way onto the pitch in place of Neto.
82' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
The Spurs momentum that Mark mentioned has well and truly dissipated now.
Chelsea are doing a very good job of closing out this victory; they are keeping the ball away from the Tottenham press and are drawing plenty of fouls when their opponents get close.
Spurs have created precious little all evening and, at the moment, it is hard to see that changing too much. That would, of course, likely change were Chelsea to get another late red card…
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79' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea have pressed well today and won the ball high up on multiple occasions. Of course, it was key to their goal, but they have pounced on the loose passing from Spurs all evening.
77' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
Before those changes, Spurs had been gaining territorial dominance but without a great deal of clear-cut chances to show for it. They need to make the most of their momentum or else this game might fizzle out.
76' Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
Another yellow card and that one was completely unavoidable.
Perhaps annoyed with his lack of influence on the game, Kudus leaves one on Cucurella a second or two after the Spaniard had released the ball. Petulance like that isn't going to help Spurs claw their way back into the match.
Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia is on for the visitors having replaced Gusto — that change will surely see James move back to right-back.
Tottenham vs Chelsea live updates: Premier League game team news, predictions and more – The New York Times
