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A goal from Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández helped Chelsea move back to 4th with a 1-0 win against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Neither side had to recover from FA Cup weekend fixtures, after Tottenham exited the competition to now semi-finalists Aston Villa and Chelsea to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The visitors were boosted with the returns of first choice centre-half pairing Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven, whilst James Maddison and Lukas Bergvall returned in midfield alongside Rodrigo Bentancur. Chelsea welcomed back Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson to the starting 11, who started for the first time together since February 3rd when they defeated West Ham 2-1.
The Senegalese striker almost got off to the perfect start after just 55 seconds when he broke in behind the Spurs backline, and after Guglielmo Vicario saved his first effort, a muddle up with Van de Ven saw the ball deflect off the former Villareal striker and off the post. It was a lucky moment for the Dutch centre-half, who should have comfortably dealt with the loose ball.
There were more nervy moments for Spurs in the 9th minute when Vicario tried to pass the ball out from the back, but horribly misplaced his pass which fired off of Pedro Neto, and the ball fortunately bounced back to Van de Ven and a major chance to open the scoring was denied. He made up for his mistake 10 minutes later though, when a sharp square ball from Cole Palmer was played into Enzo Fernandez in the six yard box, but the Italian stopper was down to block and eventually collect his effort.
Jadon Sancho was presented a major chance on the brink of half time after the ball broke for him on the left hand side, but Vicario was there once more to deny the home side the lead. Despite a magnificent save to stop the ball nestling in the top right-hand corner, it was a great chance for the Englishman who should have been converting from such close range. The resulting corner was shortly followed by a mass breakout of pushes and shoves between the two sides, which resulted in Trevoh Chalobah and Christian Romero becoming the first players to enter the book.
The Blues weren’t to be denied for too much longer though, and as the second half got underway they started firmly on the front foot. Cole Palmer collected the ball on the left hand side, and sent a sumptuous ball into the box, where Enzo Fernandez- who scored against Spurs in the reverse fixture in November- rose between Djed Spence and Micky Van de Ven in the 50th minute to head home for his 6th goal of the season.
His midfield partner Moises Caicedo thought he doubled his side’s lead in the 56th minute. The Ecuadorian quickly ran onto a loose Lukas Bergvall header after he attempted to clear the ball after a free kick, but Levi Colwill was ruled offside after a lengthy VAR check and the 23-year-old’s delightful volley was chalked off.
After providing little offensively all game, Wilson Odobert was replaced by Brennan Johnson in the 64th minute in an attempt to freshen things up in attack. Lukas Bergvall also departed the field, with Pape Matar Sarr replacing him. Chelsea made their first change of the evening four minutes after this, with former Tottenham prospect Noni Madueke replacing Jadon Sancho.
Spurs thought they found their equaliser in the 69th minute as Papa Matar Sarr stole the ball off Moises Caicedo in midfield and came baring down on Robert Sanchez’s goal, before sending a powerful effort towards the Spaniard which he could only palm off the crossbar and into the back of the net. However, his blushes were spared as it was ruled Sarr fouled Caicedo at the start of the move. The Senegalese midfielder entered the book shortly after for his protests.
Tensions continued to boil in the final quarter of the game, as Tottenham’s ever-present threat on the counter attack troubled Chelsea. The likes of Marc Cucurella, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer entered the book.
The home side made their second change of the game in the 82nd minute, when captain Reece James came on to offer some solidity and leadership in midfield in place of Nicolas Jackson. The 23-year-old can be happy with his return to the Chelsea frontline, causing plenty of problems for Romero and Van de Ven as he looks to finish the season strongly.
Ange Postecoglou rolled the dice once more in the 88th minute when Pedro Porro and Mathys Tel replaced Micky Van de Ven and James Maddison, and his side almost found the leveller shortly after when Heung-Min Son was found unmarked at the back post, but Robert Sanchez was down low to deny the South Korean winger from point-blank range.
Despite a lofty 12 minutes of added time, the changes of Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall and Tosin for Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer allowed the home side to sit deep with five at the back. Tottenham tried with all their might, but never looked likely to score, with three of their players entering the book before the full-time whistle was blown.
Chelsea move into 4th ahead of Manchester City, while Spurs drop to 14th. Both sides are set to play this Sunday at 2pm, with Enzo Maresca’s men heading to Brentford while Spurs host bottom side Southampton.
