Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea: Pedro's winner sees 3pts for Blues against London rivals

  /  R47

Tottenham missed the chance to go second in the Premier League table as they suffered a deserved 1-0 London derby defeat to Chelsea, with Joao Pedro on target.


Match Report

Joao Pedro steered home from close range after Moises Caicedo profited from a mix-up between Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven in the 34th minute, having missed a similar chance just three minutes earlier.

Mohammed Kudus had one shot repelled by Robert Sanchez in first-half stoppage time, but that was Spurs' only attempt on target all game.

Indeed, Chelsea could have won by a more handsome margin if not for a string of saves by Guglielmo Vicario after the interval.

Vicario denied Enzo Fernandez once and Pedro Neto twice as groans of frustration rang around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before Chelsea missed two glorious chances to make the scoreline more convincing in second-half stoppage time.

Jamie Gittens blazed high over the crossbar after a botched free-kick from Spurs, and Joao Pedro was just unable to beat Vicario at his near post moments later.

But Chelsea ultimately did not need a second goal as Spurs were booed off by their supporters at full-time, having failed to win a home Premier League game since matchday one. 

The result leaves the teams third and fourth, respectively, in the table, with Spurs boasting a marginally better goal difference. 

Data Debrief: Spurs' derby blues continue

'Can we play you every week?' might have been the refrain from Chelsea's visiting fans at the full-time whistle.

The Blues have lost just one of their last 18 games against Tottenham in all competitions (14 wins, three draws), winning each of the teams' last five meetings.

Spurs, meanwhile, have lost three consecutive Premier League London derbies on home soil for the first time since April 2004, with the third defeat in that run also coming against Chelsea.

And Thomas Frank's hosts could not say the result was not deserved. They recorded a paltry tally of 0.05 expected goals (xG) throughout the game – their lowest figure on record in a Premier League match since 2012-13 (in 504 games).

And only Wolves – who are rock-bottom with just two points – have made more errors leading to opposition goals (four) than Spurs' three this campaign.  

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

5' Bergvall seems to have a head injury and has gone down off the ball

7' Tottenham forced into an early substitution as Bergvall off and Simons on

8' Match Event for Tottenham vs Chelsea

15' Match Event for Tottenham vs Chelsea

21' Garnacho's just tested Vicario from distance but it was a pretty tame effort

28' Spurs goalkeeper Vicario is down and receiving treatment for a knee problem

32' Porro's clearance rebounds into Pedro's path but his effort straight at Vicario

34' GOAL! Caicedo puts it on plate for Pedro to open scoring! Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea

44' Gusto cuts a cross back for Pedro but his effort tipped over by Vicario

49' Bentancur stops a Chelsea counter with a challenge on James and sees yellow

53' James whips in a great ball for Enzo who heads just over

57' Highlight from Tottenham vs Chelsea

60' Xavi Simons goes into the book for a late challenge on Alejandro Garnacho

69' Enzo goes in the book for a knee-high challenge on Joao Palhinha

75' Vicario saves well from Neto before James sends a curling effort over the bar

Line-ups

Tottenham XI: Palhinha, Vicario, Bentancur, Danso, Muani, Mohammed Kudus, Spence, Porro, Pape Sarr, Van de Ven, Bergvall

Subs: Richarlison, Cristian Romero, Udojie, Brennan Johnson, Dane Scarlett, Xavi Simons, Kinsky, Tel, Odobert

Chelsea XI: Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Robert Sánchez, Pedro Neto, Wesley Fofana, João Pedro, Enzo, Caicedo, Gusto, Garnacho

Subs: Adarabioyo, Jørgensen, Gittens, Lavia, Jorrel Hato, Andrey Santos, Josh Acheampong, Estêvão, Guiu

Related: Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur
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