In November, Chelsea defeated Tottenham 4-1, thereby destroying the opponent's hopes of winning the championship. Now, The Blues have another chance to take away Spurs' right to decide in the race to the top 4 of the Premier League.
With 14 players absent due to injury, coach Mauricio Pochettino can only make one change to the starting lineup. On the other side, Spurs also had a few days to rest before.
However, with home advantage, The Blues entered the match full of energy. In the 24th minute, Gallagher took a direct free kick, the ball was hung into the penalty area and Chalobah's header left goalkeeper Vicario helpless.
Tottenham barely created any chances in the first half. Brennan Johnson was the only bright spot as the Welshman's accelerations helped Tottenham create a surprise, but he did not receive much support from his teammates. Son Heung-min did not even touch the ball in the opponent's penalty area for the first 45 minutes.
Returning after the break, Tottenham tried to speed up the match but still could not approach Chelsea's goal. In the 72nd minute, from a direct free kick more than 25 meters away, Cole Palmer passed the ball to Jackson to head past Son and Hojbjerg, doubling the gap for the home team.
With a 0-2 overall defeat, Tottenham are still 7 points behind Aston Villa in the rankings. Hopes of reaching the top 4 are very fragile as they have a series of matches against Liverpool and Manchester City until the end of the season.
Meanwhile, The Blues have a great chance to compete for a place in the European Cup next season. Chelsea are only two points behind 7th-placed Newcastle and three points behind 6th-placed Manchester United. If they win all remaining matches, a ticket to the Europa League is completely feasible.
