Chelsea dealt a major blow to Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four hopes and boosted their own chances of European qualification with a 2-0 victory over their London rivals at Stamford Bridge.
The hosts took the lead in the first half through Trevoh Chalobah’s towering header from Conor Gallagher’s free-kick, capitalizing on Spurs’ persistent set-piece weaknesses. Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham manager, expressed visible frustration with his team’s poor display in the opening period.
Despite some improvement from Spurs, Chelsea extended their lead in the 72nd minute. Cole Palmer’s free-kick crashed against the crossbar and came back into play, allowing Nicolas Jackson to head the ball into the net.
The victory means Maurizio Pochettino, the Chelsea manager, has completed the double over his former club after Chelsea’s 4-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November. Chelsea now sit just two points behind Newcastle in eighth place.
Tottenham remain seven points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa, with only one game in hand.
Chelsea now face a crucial fixture against West Ham in the Premier League on May 5th, while Tottenham will travel to Liverpool on May 5th for their next league match.
Tottenham were fortunate not to fall behind early on, when Mykhailo Mudryk set up Jackson for a chance that was cleared off the line by Micky van de Ven. As Chelsea continued to dominate, Postecoglou’s frustration grew, culminating in a furious reaction to a free-kick conceded by Emerson Royal that led to Chalobah’s goal.
Chalobah directed his header over Guglielmo Vicario and into the net, but the defender was unmarked, with Marc Cucurella blocking Brennan Johnson. VAR confirmed the goal after a lengthy check.
Postecoglou remained animated on the sidelines, berating his players. However, Spurs improved as the half progressed and could have equalized when Cristian Romero headed wide from close range. Pape Sarr also had a chance but sent his effort just wide.
Spurs pressed Chelsea back at the start of the second half but struggled to create chances. They didn’t manage a shot on target until after the hour-mark, when Pedro Porro’s diagonal effort was parried away by Djordje Petrovic.
Chelsea remained a threat on the break, and it was from another set-piece that they got their second goal. Palmer’s superb free-kick crashed back off the underside of the bar, and Jackson reacted quickest to loop a header into the net.
Johnson spurned an immediate chance to pull a goal back at the other end, and Spurs never looked likely to recover. Postecoglou’s first-half rage had turned into a look of resignation as his side suffered a third consecutive defeat, leaving their top-four hopes hanging in the balance.
