Tottenham Hotspur welcomed Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hoping to bounce back from their defeat against Crystal Palace last week. The hosts started on top in the first half, keeping Chelsea in their half and restricting them to no shots on target. Throughout the first half, the home side was on top but couldn’t take their chances against a stubborn Chelsea defense.
With the second half came a sublime tactical switch from Thomas Tuchel which set up Chelsea for exceptional second-half performance. Goals from Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, and Antonio Rudiger completed a dominant second half from the Blues. As Chelsea continues to prove their title credentials, Tottenham Hotspur should ponder on the fact how did they fade so quickly in the second half.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player fared in their dominant win against their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 7/10
By far the biggest decision in terms of team selection was the start of Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. But he fully proved his worth by making a couple of saves in the first half when the team needed him the most and capped off an impressive performance with a clean sheet away from home. Everything about Kepa Arrizabalaga today ranging from ball distribution to shot-stopping was on point.
Andreas Christensen (Centerback): 7.5/10
Andreas Christensen as always continued to be solid at the back for Chelsea, winning the second most (three) aerial duels in the match. The Danish defender was good on the ball throughout the game, created a couple of decent chances going forward, and even came close to scoring in the first half.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 10/10
For today’s match, no one else but Thiago Silva was the Man of the Match. The Brazilian center-back didn’t put a foot wrong in the game and neutralized the likes of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane. Thiago Silva even opened the scoring for Chelsea which was then followed by a dominant performance.
Antonio Rudiger (Centerback): 8.5/10
Again, as always solid at the back Antonio Rudiger continues to show why he deserves a new contract from the club. The German center back made two crucial interceptions at the back helping the team in keeping a clean sheet. Antonio Rudiger had the best end to the game by scoring the third goal, capping off a dominant win.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right Wingback): 7/10
Cesar Azpilicueta showcased his vast experience especially in the first half when the opposition was on top. Defensively solid, the Spanish defender managed to engineer a couple of scoring chances to the likes of Romelu Lukaku in the second half when Chelsea took control of the game.
Mateo Kovacic (Center Midfield): 7.5/10
Mateo Kovacic had a difficult start to the game and could not showcase his wide range of passing in the first half. But in the second half, the Croatian midfielder showcased his class. The midfielder played forward passes and got stuck in a lot of solid tackles in the game which made life difficult for the opponent players. By the end of the game, Mateo Kovacic had an assist to his name.
Jorginho (Center Midfielder): 7/10
The Italian midfielder was strong both on the ground and in the air throughout the game. Jorginho specializes in passing and was very effective in linking the play well with other players around him. The midfielder took complete control of the game in the second half, helping the team to play on its strengths.
Marcus Alonso (Left Wingback): 8.5/10
Throughout the game, Marcus Alonso caused all sorts of problems to the likes of Emerson Royal down the left flank of the pitch. The Spaniard got an assist to show for all his effort but could have even got a goal to his name if Eric Dier had not cleared the ball from the goal line in the second half. Marcus Alonso was the player with the most interceptions in the match (four).
Mason Mount (Attacking Midfielder): 5/10
Having played so many matches for both club and country since last season, it looks like Mason Mount is showing signs of burning out. The England international struggled massively in the first half and even squandered a good chance to score in the first half. Seeing all of this, he was replaced at halftime.
Kai Havertz (Attacking Midfielder): 6/10
Kai Havertz seems to have had an off day in the office today. The German attacker missed a few good chances to find the back of the net and his passing in the final third too was all over the place. The German international got substituted in the 69th minute for his German compatriot Timo Werner.
Romelu Lukaku (Striker): 7/10
Romelu Lukaku throughout the game held up the ball pretty well and did everything thing right today but score. The Belgian striker was unlucky not to score or even provide an assist once in the second half. But the manager will be delighted with his performance during the game.
N’Golo Kante (Center Midfielder): 8/10
The French maestro produced an outstanding performance in the second half after the tactical change by Thomas Tuchel. Since the start of the second half, N’Golo Kante helped in swinging the game in Chelsea’s favor. However, the midfielder was very fortunate to score his deflected attempt.
Timo Werner (Striker): 6/10
Timo Werner looked very lively since his introduction. Playing upfront with Romelu Lukaku, the German international got into scoring positions a couple of times but couldn’t take any of his chances. Despite all of this, Timo Werner then provided an amazing assist for Antonio Rudiger’s goal.
How would you rate the players in this one? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!