The last time Chelsea gave up an early goal, things quickly got much worse before they got better. The Blues’ resilience against Tottenham is just the latest sign of Antonio Conte’s transformation of this team.
Eleven minutes into the London derby with Arsenal on 24 September, Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring. Half an hour later, Chelsea were down 3-0 and seemingly in a tailspin.
Eleven minutes in the London derby with Tottenham Hotspur on 26 November, Christian Eriksen opened the scoring. Just over half an hour later, the Blues were level and on their way to a win and the top of the Premier League table.
Six and a half Premier League games passed between Arsenal’s third goal and Tottenham’s only goal. In that time Chelsea not only learned – nearly to the point of perfection – a new tactical system. They learned how to play as a title-contending team – confident, resilient, intelligent and supportive.
"[Tottenham] scored a fantastic goal. Then I liked our reaction a lot. It wasn’t easy to react in that way, with Pedro’s fantastic finish. The goal gave us the right confidence. After the first half we spoke and together we found the right solution to try to win the game. – Antonio Conte, Chelsea FC"
Tottenham controlled the run of play for the 20 minutes after Eriksen’s goal. The home side did not muster a single shot in the opening 30 minutes. Tottenham completed 136 passes to Chelsea’s 93, with the visitors approaching 70% possession.
In the second half-hour, the period in which Chelsea scored both their goals, the Blues out-passed Tottenham 129-77 and equalled them with five shots. Chelsea protected their lead with much more defensive play than in previous games in the final 30 minutes. Conte’s substitutions, their willingness to concede possession (Tottenham had 151 passes to Chelsea’s 74 in that spell) and Chelsea’s 15 tackles all showed how effectively Conte can put his twist on parking the bus.
Conte’s men patiently found their way around Tottenham’s counter-strategy in the 10 minutes leading up to Pedro’s goal. The Blues showed no signs of panic, defeatism or unchecked aggression. They held to their game plan, withstood some individual players’ botched moments and ultimately imposed the Chelsea Way on the visitors.
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Chelsea had already shifted the momentum away from Tottenham by the time Pedro scored. Knowing what such a reversal can do to the Spurs, the only question was what effect it would have on the Blues.
Chelsea’s start to the second half showed what they had become. Pedro’s goal did not merely give them a temporary boost. It reminded them of who they are and offered a clean slate coming out from the break.
"I always speak with my players at half-time because it’s right to see the good and bad things we are doing. Sometimes it can happen that the opponent starts better than you but we are talking about Spurs, not a team at the bottom of the table…We must be pleased because this type of game isn’t easy. We are a different team compared to the team which lost at Arsenal and Liverpool. We are another team and I’m pleased about this, I’m pleased for the players."
Chelsea can now add “come from behind against a top-four contender” to their repertoire of ways to win. With Manchester City up next, the Blues may have all the tools necessary to secure their place top of the table.