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Spurs and Chelsea played out a nil nil draw that saw both teams desperate not to lose so that they didn’t really go for the win, no matter what Fat Frank thinks about his team’s performance.
A week ago Jose played a masterclass against pep to get a big victory over City, it looked like the same plan against Chelsea for the top of the table clash – winner went top, though Spurs only needed the point they got.
The difference was while, like City, Chelsea had most of the ball, not as much as City but enough, they had far fewer shots, with Hugo having very little to do that extended him. One world class save really. While the other way the home side were desperate not to lose so weren’t so open at the back as City.
And with that Spurs were clinical twice against City, while here they were just off with the final ball.
Jose sat on what he had and didn’t make a change until just after the hour – like having Poch in charge – and it was the usual one, Lo Celso for Ndombele. The latter had run rings round the Chelsea midfield, with some lovely twist, turns and dribbles but it never led to a final product from anyone. They needed Lo Celso but it should have been for Bergwijn who bizarrely managed to stay on until near the end when he was replaced by Davies. There was a sign how Jose viewed things. Moura’s introduction for Son, a little later, was purely a time wasting exercise, with Son being on the far side of the pitch.
Most of the game was played in front of Spurs. The few times they got through they fluffed their chance. But otherwise the new central pairing of Dier and Rodon did well. The new kid had a couple of dodgy moments, well he wouldn’t be a Spurs defender without those, and got lucky that while they gifted chances they didn’t ultimately cost his team. More game time should see those errors eradicated, give him a bit of leeway on his first Premier League start. I can’t see Davinson featuring any time soon, especially with Tanganga being fit – though he didn’t make the bench.
Pundits saying that they didn’t see Kane, well yes he had fewer touches than Hugo but still more than Chelseas’s strikers, Abrahams and Werner. nobody had as many as the Chelsea back four.
In the end it was a point, the point required to regain the league top spot, a clean sheet, Jose finally stopped losing to Lampard, either team had probably their best chance to win it in the dying minutes but it’s not going to be a game that lives long in the memory.