First League
It was hard not having feelings for Graham Potter. The Chelsea head coach has dealt with death threats and abuse. At the end of that defeat, he was taunted by Tottenham’s adoring fans, who told Potter his sacking was imminent after Harry Kane sealed the points for Antonio Conte’s side.
It was another drab, lifeless attacking effort from Chelsea, who are kept out of the bottom half on goal difference alone. They created little and had no response after Tottenham, who have a firm grip on fourth place, took the lead through the towering Oliver Skipp. Kane’s 18th goal of the season followed and Chelsea’s season certainly hinges on their ability to beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16.
The initial feeling that Spurs were doing their best to rebuild Potter’s relationship with Chelsea’s fans would prove misplaced. It was the usual template for the hosts: seven outfield players are behind, Harry Kane provided most of the creativity and the limitations of the approach were soon revealed. A lack of concentration would have sent Spurs following the game and they were flirting with danger as early as the second minute when Chelsea engineered their first attack of note and Raheem Sterling claimed a penalty after being challenged by Skipp.
Timing and Luck: There is more to Graham Potter’s quest than lack of passion
However, Spurs knew that Chelsea, who have scored 23 goals in 24 league games, were uncomfortable with a low block. Resolving this lack of bite remains Potter’s greatest challenge. He would see flashes early and after surprising Spurs with Hakim Ziyech as an added right-back, he could be encouraged by the flexibility of his team’s movement.
The question, however, was whether Chelsea would push through such a deep defence. This required a level of inventiveness they have seldom shown lately, and save for the moment when Enzo Fernández nearly picked out João Félix with a beautiful chip, the opening period passed where Fraser Forster had to do little but make a decent one Pushing shot away from Sterling.
Not that the Spurs were much better. With Ben Davies at left-back, they lacked drive and appeared to be depending on Kane for inspiration. At times, the striker did everything alone. Kane was both playmaker and finisher, dropping deep and looking for opportunities to free Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski, and he almost broke through in the 17th minute when he duped Reece James with a skillful nutmeg before Thiago Silva came over to turn could shoot to defeat the striker in front of him.
Defending against Silva was brilliant, but it came at a cost. The 38-year-old strained himself while challenging Kane and while trying to keep fighting, he would soon give way to Wesley Fofana.
Graham Potter shows his frustration as Chelsea are beaten. Photo Credit: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images
Without their defensive leader, Chelsea had to dig deep. Spurs started to push harder and almost took the lead when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s deflected shot hit the woodwork. Finally committed, the crowd roared at Spurs. Chelsea felt her composure slipping. Fernández, usually so cool on the ball, chastised himself for hitting a pass for a throw. Ben Chilwell was penalized for a foul throw. James rolled a simple pass under his foot.
At the same time, both teams became irritated as Attwell used some fastidious referees. It would reach a ridiculous grade just before halftime. After a scuffle sparked by Ziyech fouling Richarlison, an absurd VAR confusion at least gave fans something to talk about. Kai Havertz and Emerson Royal were booked and then, after endless waiting, Attwell was told there was one more thing he had to check.
Ziyech would certainly leave after punching Royal in the face. Attwell listened, showed a red card, and then decided he needed to check the screen. Amazingly, Ziyech’s decision was downgraded to yellow. Spurs couldn’t believe it.
But the concern for Chelsea is that Spurs tend to improve after half-time. So it has proven itself. There was an instant opening as Kulusevski found space, pulled Chilwell over and flipped a pass through Royal, whose shot was spilled by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea should have survived. But with Arrizabalaga unable to catch the ball, Fernández decided to clean up and clear. Now Skipp’s moment came. He wanted it more than Félix. He shoved the striker aside, advanced and hammered in an ascending shot off the underside of the bar from 20 yards out.
There was little chance of Chelsea forcing an equaliser, even with Mason Mount and Denis Zakaria to give them more drive. A flick from Félix created a chance for Havertz, who was ineffective up front, but Forster was quickly out to choke. Spurs was defiant. Their back three held and the points would be theirs with eight minutes to go. Son Heung-min came off the bench for a corner, Eric Dier rose above Mount and Kane, alone at the far post, completed the shot.
Chelsea was done. Potter reacted late, introducing Mykhailo Mudryk and even giving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a brief runout. But while Todd Boehly watched, nothing worked.
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