Chelsea FC And Tottenham In Dire 0-0 Draw

Chelsea FC would try to kick start their Barclays Premier League campaign in earnest, with a result away to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. While Chelsea had shown some level of dominance against their North London neighbours, they actually have only won once in their last nine trips to White Hart Lane.

The biggest pre-game storyline was the omission of Diego Costa from the starting eleven. Eden Hazard would start farthest forward, with Oscar, Pedro and Willian behind him. Branislav Ivanovic and Kurt Zouma would get the nod in defense.

The tone seemed to be set early on. Chelsea allowed the hosts to have possession and looked to strike quickly with their agile lineup of midfielders when they lost the ball.

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This almost came to fruition on a couple of occasions, with Pedro sneaking in behind the Spurs defense.

While the Spaniard was making an impact for one side, Spurs talisman Harry Kane was causing problems for Chelsea on the other. The forward was able to test Asmir Begovic a few times, keeping the Chelsea defense on their toes.

However, for the first real chance it was Kane who would be the deliverer, as he set up Son Heung-Min with a beautiful cross. Begovic, though, made a great reaction save and parried the ball away to keep the game scoreless.

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With nothing to separate the sides at halftime, it would be interesting to see the approach the two managers would take coming out of the break. Surely Tottenham will try to throw numbers forward and go for the three points at home? Would Jose Mourinho instruct his men to go for it and try to nick a goal, or would they continue to try to catch the hosts napping?

Neither side would really test the opposition goalkeeper until the 67th minute, when Hazard struck a volley at Hugo Lloris. Fortunately for Spurs, the Frenchman was switched on, getting down well and sending the ball behind for a corner.

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The second half as a whole was fairly straightforward. The hosts had the lion’s share of possession, while Chelsea defended smartly and attacked the Spurs defense while they had men up the pitch. There were never really any clear chances at goal, and the game fizzled out into a 0-0 draw.

While the contest may not have lived up to its hype, the way the game played out will certainly favor Chelsea. The Blues opted to not play the man who’s supposed to be their most dangerous forward, but still managed to look capable in attack. The defensive resolve that they showed also resembled that of last season’s championship run.

Next: Chelsea FC: Diego Costa Throws Bib At Jose Mourinho

The Blues will look to get back in the win column next weekend against Bournemouth.