Chelsea boosted their hopes of a top-four finish and Champions League qualification with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues took the lead midway through the first half when Trevor Chalobah headed home Conor Gallagher’s free-kick. Tottenham improved after the break but fell further behind when Nicolas Jackson scored after Cole Palmer’s strike came back off the bar.
The win moves Chelsea above West Ham into eighth place, two points behind seventh-place Newcastle and just three behind Manchester United in sixth with four matches to go. Tottenham’s defeat leaves them in fifth place, four points behind Chelsea and seven points adrift of Manchester City in fourth. Here are five talking points from the match:
Chalobah has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround to save his Chelsea career in the past couple of months. The former Ipswich loanee had not featured for Mauricio Pochettino up until February, but he has since started six of their last nine league matches to become a vital member of the side.
Postecoglou has often kept calm on the touchline this season, but even he lost his temper after witnessing a dismal first half performance from his side. Tottenham were second best in every department during the opening period and went into the break one goal behind. Palmer has been getting used to scoring at Stamford Bridge of late. In fact, the 21-year-old had found the back of the net in his last seven Premier League appearances at home dating back to a victory over Brighton in early December. However, that impressive streak came to an end against Spurs.
After struggling for form and directly contributing to just three goals in his last 12 appearances since recovering from injury, James Maddison was left out of the starting XI against Chelsea. It’s the first time Maddison had been named on the bench for a Premier League game since his move to Tottenham.
After picking up just one point from their last two matches, Chelsea got their European bid back on track. Victory for the Blues moves them above West Ham into eighth, two points adrift of seventh-place Newcastle and just three behind Manchester United in sixth with four matches to go.
