By Sean Walsh
FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE - Chelsea kept their push for European football alive with a 2-0 win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night.
Spurs' woeful record of one win at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era continued as they fell to a second defeat to former manager Mauricio Pochettino this season.
The Blues only had 11 fit senior players to call upon and filled their bench with academy starlets, but put in a great shift and were totally deserving of the win, all but ending Tottenham's realistic hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
How the game unfolded
Chelsea went close to taking the lead inside five minutes. Pape Matar Sarr gave away possession in midfield and Mykhailo Mudryk was able to play in Nicolas Jackson round the back. His effort trickled through the legs of Guglielmo Vicario and was swept off the line by Micky van de Ven, whose clearance bounced just over the bar off the right foot of Cole Palmer.
Noni Madueke flashed a shot over after Mudryk picked him out with a wonderful cross-field pass midway through the first half as their hosts continued to asset themselves.
Shortly after that chance, Chelsea broke the deadlock. A looping free-kick from Conor Gallagher was headed over Vicario by Trevoh Chalobah, with Tottenham undone by another set piece having left several players in blue free at the back post.
Mudryk went close again after Palmer wriggled his way free from a crowd of Spurs bodies and slipped through the Ukrainian, who this time saw a curling strike sail narrowly wide.
The visitors offered little in the first half but nearly equalised when Cristian Romero headed wide from a teasing Pedro Porro free-kick.
Just before the break, Pape Matar Sarr had a close-range shot blocked behind, but those were the only two chances of note Spurs made in the opening 45 minutes.
Tottenham made a bright start to the second half but nearly went two down when they fell asleep on a Chelsea counter attack, with Palmer skying an effort from the edge of the area.
A swift Spurs breakaway saw Brennan Johnson roll the ball across the face of goal for Emerson Royal, though the Brazilian completely missed the cross and a late offside flag went up regardless.
With just under 20 minutes remaining, Chelsea added their second goal. A free-kick from Palmer rattled back off the underside of the crossbar, and Jackson was on hand to head in the rebound.
Spurs should have pulled one back almost immediately when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's cross found Johnson at the back post, only for the Welshman to completely fluff his lines and stumble into the side-netting.
Ange Postecoglou's men forced some late scrambles in the Chelsea box but the Blues were rarely panicked and held on to secure the win, climbing to eighth place and moving to within three points of a Europa League spot.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Djordje Petrovic - 6/10 - Was alert to sweep up several teasing crosses through his six-yard box. Sometimes angered the home crowd with his penchant to go aimlessly long.
RB: Alfie Gilchrist - 7/10 - Sometimes found the best way to dampen Son was to simply foul him. Nevertheless, the South Korean had little joy over on the left wing up against the Chelsea academy graduate.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah - 8/10 - Kicked off Chelsea's evening with a fine header for the opening goal. Came up big in his own box with a series of clearances.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - 7/10 - Appeared a little clumsy early in the evening but recovered well to put in a fine display.
LB: Marc Cucurella - 8/10 - One of the maligned Spaniard's best performances in Chelsea blue. Shut down Johnson and popped up all over the pitch winning the ball back.
CM: Moises Caicedo - 7/10 - Coming into his own at last. Cleaned up well and knew how to be efficient with the ball at his feet.
CM: Conor Gallagher - 7/10 - Undoubtedly has helped Caicedo settle in midfield with his relentless style and natural leadership. Heavily linked with Tottenham and showed exactly why tonight.
RW: Noni Madueke - 6/10 - Wasn't afraid to take on makeshift left-back Emerson though his final ball was often lacking.
AM: Cole Palmer - 6/10 - A quieter night for the mercurial Palmer, who still managed to be involved with a goal, slamming a free-kick off the upright before Jackson converted the rebound.
LW: Mykhailo Mudryk - 7/10 - Gave Porro nightmares down his flank to get the game started. Still a raw talent but there was much to like about this performance, even showcasing some cross-field passing.
CF: Nicolas Jackson - 7/10 - Riled up by Romero on occasion but it didn't matter in the end. Just the four goals scored against Tottenham alone this season.
Substitutes
SUB: Cesare Casadei (75' for Mudryk) - 6/10
SUB: Josh Acheampong (85' for Gilchrist) - N/A
SUB: Jimi Tauriainen (90' for Jackson) - N/A
Subs not used: Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Tyrique George, Kiano Dyer, Zak Sturge, Leo Castledine, Deivid Washington
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino - 7/10 - Despite having only 11 senior players to choose from, Pochettino got one hell of an effort out of his depleted young side. Another win against Tottenham should go some way to endearing him to the Chelsea faithful.
Tottenham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 5/10 - Couldn't do much about either goal. Quick off his line to deny Jackson when he steamed in behind Spurs' high line.
RB: Pedro Porro - 4/10 - Performed well for much of the season but Porro's wing-back instincts were on display in a bad way here. Chase Mudryk's shadow for a long while and his delivery was rarely good enough.
CB: Cristian Romero - 6/10 - Tottenham's most progressive passer and biggest goal threat. That's not really ideal from a Spurs perspective.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 6/10 - Refused to lose in a race with Jackson or Mudryk. Clearance off the line in the opening stages proved futile in the end.
LB: Emerson Royal - 4/10 - Absolutely not suited to tucking into midfield when Tottenham are in possession and was given the runaround by Madueke.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 5/10 - Found it hard to make an impact in the first half and only really showed signs of life just before his withdrawal in the second.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 5/10 - Much sharper defensively than in recent months, though was of little use trying to progress the ball into attacking areas.
RW: Brennan Johnson - 5/10 - Ran hard and never gave up but got absolutely nothing out of his battles with Cucurella.
AM: Dejan Kulusevski - 5/10 - Deserving of another start after a fine performance in Sunday's north London derby but was off the standard this time around.
LW: Son Heung-min - 4/10 - Ineffective both out wide and through the middle. Indecision on whether to challenge Jackson's header led to Spurs conceding a weak second goal.
CF: Richarlison - 5/10 - Tussled with Badiashile but seldom got much out of Chelsea's sturdy defence before being substituted.
Substitutes
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur (63' for Richarlison) - 5/10
SUB: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (63' for Bissouma) - 4/10
SUB: James Maddison (63' for Sarr) - 5/10
SUB: Bryan Gil (78' for Johnson) - 5/10
SUB: Giovani Lo Celso (86' for Emerson) - N/A
Subs not used: Brandon Austin (GK), Radu Dragusin, Oliver Skipp, Mikey Moore
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 4/10 - Tottenham lacked personality and accountability, which visibly frustrated Postecoglou and he has to sort out.
Player of the match - Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: Player ratings as Pochettino completes double over Spurs.
