Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Chelsea: Hits and flops as Blues emerge victorious in London derby | Premier League 2021-22
A brilliant second-half display from Chelsea earned them a well-deserved 0-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their Premier League clash on Saturday. Goals from Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, and Antonio Rudiger sealed the three points for the Blues, who now sit atop the league table.
Derby day dominance from @ChelseaFC 🔵
#TOTCHE https://t.co/P56qifRen5
The first half played out as an exciting end-to-end affair, with both teams having promising chances that they failed to convert. Spurs enjoyed more possession and had better chances, with Chelsea occasionally looking threatening on the break.
The visitors attacked the second half with renewed vigour and took the lead four minutes in through Silva’s dominant header. They went two for the good soon after as Kante’s deflected effort from range hit the post and trickled agonizingly past Hugo Lloris.
And, having passed up several opportunities to extend their lead, Chelsea finally got their third in injury time. Rudiger swept home Timo Werner’s cut-back to cap off an excellent performance from Thomas Tuchel’s men.
On that note, here are five hits and flops from the game.
#1 Hit: Thiago Silva
The veteran defender turned in an exceptional performance, making his mark at both ends of the pitch. Not only did he lead by example in defense, but he also made an important offensive contribution when he headed in Chelsea’s opener.
Thiago Silva's game by numbers vs. Spurs:
100% aerial duels won
100% shot accuracy
7 ball recoveries
6 clearances
5 duels won
5 touches in the opp. box
4 aerial duels won
3 interceptions
2 shots
1 goal scored
0 fouls committed
0 goals conceded
O Monstro does it again. 😤 https://t.co/0RUml1yiZl
Silva used every bit of his considerable experience on the pitch, showcasing exemplary positioning and reading of the game. He was always in the right place at the right time to make vital interceptions, with his goal capping off a superb all-round display.
#2 Flop: Harry Kane
Kane’s hunt for his first Premier League goal of the season went on as he had a disappointing outing against Chelsea. Goal-scoring opportunities were few and far between for the Spurs striker, who struggled to make a real impact in proceedings.
4 - Harry Kane has failed to score in his first four Premier League appearances of a season for the first time since 2015-16, with the England striker attempting just four shots in this current campaign. Ghosting. https://t.co/VBJLFcNnCR
Kane’s propensity to drop deep to dictate play meant that he was often too far back to get involved in his side’s forays forward. As such, while Spurs created several chances, their premier goal-scorer was never on hand to take advantage of them.