Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham three lessons learnt: Tempers flare

As usual, it was a dramatic state of affairs in a heated London Derby between Chelsea and Tottenham. The Blues were by far the better side, dominating the tempo of the play, pressing Spurs and creating more chances throughout the match. In the end though, the best team doesn’t always win, especially when the referee closes his eyes while watching VAR. Nevertheless, despite Anthony Taylor’s many gifts to Spurs, Chelsea played a fantastic game of football and the club may have found long-term solutions to a few of its problems.

Here are three lessons we learnt in the 2-2 draw in west London:

1. Raheem Sterling is already a better striker than Romelu Lukaku

In one corner, there stands a striker with experience in both the Premier League and Serie A, measuring 6-foot-3 and weighting 227 pounds. It’s the mighty Romelu Lukaku. In the other, a winger half his size who has already done more in two game than Lukaku throughout an entire season: Raheem Sterling. While this heavyweight bout may seem to favor the former, it is actually the latter who wins out in the end.

Sterling did almost everything right against Tottenham, thus proving this point. The only thing missing from was a goal, but he made up for that with an assist.

Sterling played as a perfect “false nine” role (let’s be honest, he played everywhere along the front line, as Tuchel intends) in the London Derby. The English attacker was dynamic and he blended well with the likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount up top. He played wide when needed and congested the center of the attack as required, as well. But, even more impressively, he played with his back toward goal and held defenders back on numerous occasions. Now, these seem like standard requirements of someone in his role: Sterling excelled in all of them. This allowed for a fluent interplay inside the box, and therefore, chances were created for the Blues.

Another important attribute of Sterling’s is his ability to press Spurs’ defense. Tottenham left a lot of space open between the defense and the midfield against Chelsea. This was the perfect opportunity to press and force mistakes. In which case, Sterling did, in conjunction with the other attackers and wingbacks. His presence was massive both on and off the ball. Moving forward, this has to be Sterling’s position. Suffice it to say, as well, Lukaku won’t be missed by fans.