Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as the London derby ends in a stalemate | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Frank Lampard’s 'safe' tactics against the big boys could cost Chelsea

Frank Lampard's Chelsea played things largely safe against Tottenham Hotspur.

There have been plenty of crazy, swashbuckling games in the 2020-21 Premier League, but it’s safe to say that Chelsea's clash with Tottenham Hotspur was not one of them.

While both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will probably be pleased to come away from Stamford Bridge with a point, Frank Lampard’s tactics were questionable against the high-flying visitors.

Chelsea came into the Spurs game on the back of three Premier League wins and as many in Europe, but those victories came against admittedly far weaker sides than Tottenham Hotspur.

The last time the Blues faced one of the Premier League’s ‘big boys’ – Manchester United – the result was a 0-0 stalemate. That game saw Chelsea set up in a more defensive way than they were against Tottenham Hotspur.

While Lampard’s side bossed possession against Spurs, it definitely felt that they were holding back at times for fear of being caught on the counter. There was certainly no hint of the free-flowing, attacking football that Chelsea employed to shred Newcastle United or Sheffield United in recent weeks.

Lampard says he isn't thinking about whether his side or Spurs are title contenders yet and is instead focusing on ourselves as the league is tight at the top with lots of teams around us.#CHETOT

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 29, 2020

It remains to be seen whether this kind of tactic would be Lampard’s go-to one against the bigger sides, or whether it was a gameplan purely designed to shut down the counter-attacks of Tottenham. However, with one of the richest attacks in the Premier League, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed with a showing like this.

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#4 Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur squandered big chances to steal a win

Giovani Lo Celso blew a golden opportunity to win the game for Tottenham Hotspur late on.

While a draw was arguably a fair result, incredibly, both sides had a chance to steal all three points in the dying moments of the game.

Chelsea’s opportunity came first. A long ball over the top was misjudged by debutant Joe Rodon – probably the only mistake the Welshman made in the game – and his attempted header to Hugo Lloris fell woefully short.

Substitute Olivier Giroud was onto the loose ball quickly, but the French striker failed to loft the ball over Lloris and into the net.

Moments later, with the game nearing its end, Tottenham Hotspur had their chance. A loose pass from Kurt Zouma found its way to substitute Lucas Moura, and suddenly, Chelsea were vulnerable. Moura’s pass found Giovani Lo Celso, but the Argentine failed to feed Harry Kane, and the chance went begging.

It was a wild ending to what had been an incredibly tight, cerebral game, but it was a swift reminder that nothing could be taken for granted in the Premier League. As far as goalless draws go, this wasn’t a dull one by any means.

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#5 Tottenham Hotspur’s horrible run of matches hasn’t been so bad to them....yet

Tottenham Hotspur have thus far negotiated a tricky run of matches quite well.

When Tottenham Hotspur climbed to the top of the Premier League table for the first time this season following their 0-1 win over West Brom, it was clear to anyone analysing their fixtures that tougher tests awaited them.

Following that win over the Baggies, Jose Mourinho’s side were scheduled to face Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Leicester City while also needing to negotiate a path into the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Well, that horrible run is now three matches deep, and thus far it hasn’t been too bad for Tottenham Hotspur at all. Spurs beat Manchester City 2-0 last weekend, brushed aside Ludogorets Razgrad on Thursday and picked up a valuable point against Chelsea.

Sure, they still have another six games to negotiate during this tricky run, but realistically, one will have to fancy them to come out on top against LASK on Thursday and then against Arsenal in the North London derby.

If Tottenham Hotspur could then beat Crystal Palace on December 13th, they will have a total of 27 points from 12 games, an impressive run by any stretch of imagination.

"Our dressing room is not happy - and that is a great thing. It shows our dynamic, ambition and confidence."Jose on today's draw.#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/mZ0q6Gq2ap

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 29, 2020

Essentially, if Mourinho’s men manage to come out of this run unscathed, it’ll be hard to doubt their Premier League title credentials. At this point, it has been so far, so good for Tottenham.