Three factors that stood out in the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham
Chelsea drew with Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 in a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge in London on Sunday.
Both teams now have 4 points from two matches.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Reece James scored for Chelsea in the 19th and 77th minutes, respectively, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Kane answered for Tottenham Hotspur in the 68th and 96th minutes, respectively.
On that note, here’s a quick look at three factors that stood out in the match:
Chelsea dominated from the outset and scored early
Chelsea controlled the proceedings from the beginning. They started with their customary 3-4-3 formation, Reece James playing as the third centre-back along with Thiago Silva and Koulibaly. Ruben Loftus-Cheek started as right wing-back and Mark Cucurella as the left-back.
The Blues kept playing quick, short passes all over the pitch and did not allow Tottenham much possession. However, for all their dominance, they could not make much headway into the penalty box, relying instead on a set-piece to score their opening goal.
Cucurella, who continues to impress with deft movement and accurate passing, sent in an inch-perfect corner to Koulibaly, who volleyed home impeccably.
It was the first goal scored by Chelsea’s new signing, who joined the Blues from Napoli this season. The defender registered an assist against Everton last week.
Chelsea had better possession, Tottenham attacked sporadically
Chelsea continued to have more possession as Tottenham struggled to have an impact on the game. N’Golo Kante and Jorginho kept spreading the ball around and Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz kept swapping positions. Mason Mount, who started as the centre-forward, also impressed with his link-up play and work-rate.
On the other hand, Spurs relied on sporadic counter-attacks. Son Heung-Min got a chance to run at the Chelsea goal from a counter-attack, but James committed a tactical foul to stop him. Kane could barely touch the ball and Edouard Mendy had a leisurely first half in the Chelsea goal. The Blues had around 70% possession in the first half and looked the superior team by some distance.
Tottenham equalized twice in the second half to secure a point
Tottenham replaced Ryan Sessegnon with Richarlison as the Brazilian made his competitive debut for Spurs. Chelsea continued to be the dominant team and troubled the Tottenham defense through the inside-right channel as Sterling and Loftus-Cheek combined well.
Loftus-Cheek cut in from the right flank to play the ball to Sterling inside the penalty box, but the latter’s shot flew over the bar. Hojbjerg played a through ball to Kane, whose shot narrowly missed the target. The Danish midfielder then scored the equalizer by scoring with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty box.
Chelsea then replaced Jorginho with Cesar Azpilicueta and switched Loftus-Cheek and James to midfield and right-back’s position, respectively.
Next. Three factors that stood out in Chelsea's win over Everton. dark
A few minutes later, Koulibaly dispossessed a Tottenham player inside their half and played the ball to Kante. Kante played a pass to an onrushing Sterling, who resisted the temptation to shoot himself and played a pass to James instead. The English full-back neatly finished to put Chelsea ahead. However, there was more drama to come as Kane scored an equalizer in the dying minutes of the match to secure a point.