Two of Chelsea’s least-used players had the best performances against Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues kept it simple and played to everyone’s strengths, which are obvious keys to the win.
Frank Lampard, against the odds, outwitted Jose Mourinho twice. Chelsea did the double over Tottenham Hotspur. The sidelined warriors rose to the occasion to shoot Chelsea four points clear of Tottenham. Here’s how they fared.
Willy Caballero, Goalkeeper: 7
Willy Caballero did his job effectively. Making saves when called upon, he was calm whenever Chelsea tried to play out from the back. More impressive was how he cleared the ball up-field occasionally, especially when Chelsea was under pressure from Spurs.
He looked like he was about to get a clean sheet until he conceded an own goal. Could he have done better on Antonio Rudiger’s unfortunate deflection? Probably. However, when the ball changes direction that fast, any position you’ve taken becomes inadequate and you’re counting on David De Gea-type reflexes for a save.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Right centerback: 6.5
Cesar Azpilicueta was his usual stubborn self. Andreas Christensen had to save him on more than one occasion.
Like any good center-back performance, you didn’t really notice he was there. He did not commit any howlers nor get overly exposed by his opposite number. However, he did not do anything spectacular either. He was involved in the confusion that led to the own goal, but that was closer to the end of the match and Azpilicueta had done OK until then.
Andreas Christensen, Centerback: 7.5
Christensen was Chelsea’s best centerback on the day, He was impressive in his passing, his pressing and his tackling, along with everything else. Christensen was also more aggressive, taking on players like Japhet Tanganga, which was refreshing to see.
Perhaps what was most impressive about Christensen was his tackling. He shared the lead with four tackles, along with two interceptions and three clearances. He covered for his fellow centerbacks and knew just when to step in to cut out the danger. He snuffed out Spurs’ attacking moves and hopes on more than one occasion with excellent tackling and ball winning skills.
Antonio Rudiger, Left centerback: 6
Rudiger played decently until the own goal. He and the other center-backs did enough to make sure that Spurs never really looked like getting back into the game. He linked up well with his wingback, Marcos Alonso. His passing was good and he did not waste more time than he needed to on the ball.
There was that one time in the opening five minutes where he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was being closed down by Lucas Moura, which was silly on Rudiger’s part because the whole point of playing out from the back is to invite pressure.
The own goal is more of Azpilicueta’s fault than his. He was just in the wrong place by being in the right place.