Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Talking Points as Spurs come back from behind to draw | Club friendlies 2021
Chelsea failed to protect their two-goal lead against Tottenham Hotspur in the Mind Series, finishing their pre-season with a 2-2 draw.
Two stunning goals from Hakim Ziyech had the Blues in the driver's seat at the 50th minute mark. But a fortuitous strike from Lucas Moura and a Steven Bergwijn goal - both of which were cheaply conceded by the hosts - led to a draw at the end of 90 minutes.
Chelsea were cruising in the first-half, with most of their first-team players such as Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and N'Golo Kante back in the fold. They were also rewarded with a couple of special goals for their endeavor and poise in the middle. Spurs, on the other hand, were looking for answers in what is to be the start of a rebuild under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
They did recover, capping off the chances Chelsea gifted them. On that note, we list the major talking points from the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
#1 Chelsea cruise to a comfortable first-half lead
Right from the get-go, Chelsea looked to threaten while going forward. They pinned Spurs back constantly and enjoyed one-way traffic as Ziyech flung a shot low and fast beyond Spurs' new recruit Pierluigi Gollini.
It was all Kante's work, however, after the midfielder sensed danger and won the ball back before laying a wonderful pass to Ziyech. The latter, not pressed by any of the Tottenham players, took his time to place the shot into the bottom corner.
Ziyech scored again in the second-half as well to give Chelsea some breathing space. But what was more concerning for Spurs was that the Moroccan always managed to find space to whip the ball with his wand of a left foot.
Marcos Alonso's header tested the Tottenham goalkeeper as well, and so did Timo Werner. The German, in fact, scored a smooth goal by rounding Gollini off, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
#2 Spurs' Alli and Skipp couldn't provide cover
Nuno, unlike himself, opted for a flat 4-3-3 formation against Chelsea. A slew of forays into their box from Chelsea must surely have upset the team's rhythm. While much of it was through excellent win-backs from the likes of Kante and Chelsea's centre-halves, it was more tactical if viewed under the microscope.
Chelsea administered space in those little pockets in front of the Tottenham back four, especially through Ziyech and Havertz. Werner proved too quick and sharp for Eric Dier and co., while the Chelsea midfielders had the leverage to pick their passes with time and space.
Alli and Skipp, two midfielders who may not have the best of tactical awareness defensively, left pores for Chelsea to exploit. The Blues did exactly that, playing at a high tempo and realizing they should have had more than just a solitary goal at the break.