Chelsea are back in action on Boxing Day, but there are still plenty of things to savor and reflect upon from their win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Jose Mourinho is still sulking and Chelsea fans are still celebrating their early Christmas gift from the Blues. Here are a few things we’re still taking account of a couple days after the biggest win of the season.
1. Facing the “big six?” Three at the back
Frank Lampard managed to surprise Jose Mourinho completely with a different system. Mourinho’s side lined up in a classic 4-2-3-1 formation with Dele Alli playing in the No.10 role just behind Harry Kane. Lampard fielded a rather conservative XI featuring a back three.
After three straight league defeats, Lampard’s tactics and team selection had been criticized and he responded by picking an unexpected XI and shape. He deployed Cesar Azpilicueta as the right wingback and Marcos Alonso, after an eight game absence, as the left wingback.
Considering Chelsea’s recent struggles in defense, this system was the perfect solution, as it provided the Blues with five proper defenders forming the backline off the ball. While in the attacking phase, it gave an extra outlet with both wingbacks, especially Marcos Alonso, maintaining an advanced position.
With Mason Mount and Willian at the top, Chelsea adopted a narrower approach as both their wingers moved around the striker, Tammy Abraham, and pressed ferociously.
2. Mason Mount thrives in a free role
If not for Willian’s heroics, Mason Mount would have been the best player on the pitch yesterday. He was functioning narrower than a winger and was covering a lot of space in the process. As the game went on, Mount was playing almost as a No.10 as he was constantly picking up the ball and running forward with intent.
In the first half, Spurs gave Mount a lot of space to drop deep and make imposing runs. As Mount initiated attacks, the Spurs backline failed to apply any pressure at all. Many times during the match, Mount would hold up the ball for a second or two to allow Tammy Abraham and Willian to make a run.
In the second half, Mourinho’s side played positively and began to take control of the game. Here, Mount contributed to the midfield as he often initiated counter-attacks, releasing the pressure Spurs built up.
3. VAR finally making the right decisions
Ever since the VAR’s introduction in the Premier League, it has faced nothing but criticism. VAR has awarded many controversial decisions and has often made the referee look silly. There have been incidents where VAR has ruled someone offside by an armpit or a toe.
At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, VAR was involved in two of the most important moments of the game. At the end of the first half, Tottenham keeper Paulo Gazzaniga rushed towards Marcos Alonso to clear the ball. He missed the ball completely and instead ran straight into Alonso.
Somehow, Anthony Taylor initially awarded a foul in Tottenham’s favor and indicated a free-kick for Spurs. However, VAR went on to review the challenge and awarded Chelsea a penalty and Gazzaniga was shown a yellow card. Willian went on to score the penalty to send the Blues 2-0 up by halftime. If VAR hadn’t intervened, the referee would have made the huge mistake of awarding the foul to Tottenham.
The second moment came when Son was shown a red card after a VAR review. From open play, Son fell to the ground and kicked up towards Antonio Rudiger. You can argue that Rudiger was quite theatrical following the kick, however, one cannot deny that Son kicked him on purpose.
The VAR was accurate and necessary here again as it ensured that Son received a red card for an intentional and completely unacceptable foul.