Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 hits and flops as Blues clinch London derby | Premier League 2022-23

Chelsea and Spurs play out another thrilling draw
Chelsea and Spurs play out another thrilling draw

Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw at the death by Tottenham Hotspur in a heated London derby at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday.

Harry Kane struck for the visitors in the 96th minute to snatch a point for Spurs, who trailed twice in the match.

Kalidou Koulibaly opened the scoring for the Blues in the 19th minute before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg restored parity after the hour mark.

Reece James then appeared to have won it for Thomas Tuchel's side in the 77th minute but Kane spoiled the party with a header deep in stoppage time.

Chelsea could've won the game with a little more cutting edge as Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz were both guilty of missing crucial chances in the second half.

The match also saw the two managers, Tuchel and Antonio Conte, spar not once, but twice, with both seeing red after the full-time whistle.

Here are the hits and flops from the match:


Hit: Reece James (Chelsea)

The defender hit all the right notes
The defender hit all the right notes

Having enjoyed a breakout season last time out, Reece James continued from where he left off and turned in an eye-catching performance.

Everything good coming from the hosts stemmed through the full-back, who made electric runs down the flank and some excellent crosses.

He struck Chelsea's second goal of the game with an emphatic finish to cap off a superb attacking performance.

In the defense, James had his moments of ups and downs, even going into the books in the first half for bringing down Son Heung-min. But he performed admirably to keep the Korean wizard under check.


Flop: Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Swede was well below his best
The Swede was well below his best

He started the season brightly, scoring in Tottenham's first game of the season last weekend, but Dejan Kulusevski had a stinker here.

With Spurs struggling to give him service, Kulusevski was virtually invisible in the opening stanza, making the fewest touches of any visiting player.

He was also dispossessed in the buildup to James' goal and conceded an unnecessary foul to Mason Mount in a dangerous position.

Kulusevski didn't make a single effort at goal throughout 90 minutes of action and completed only seven passes. Not his best day at work.

Hit: Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea)

A memorable home debut for the summer arrival
A memorable home debut for the summer arrival

Kalidou Koulibaly couldn't have asked for a better home debut! The defender was on fire at Stamford Bridge, putting his side ahead with a fearsome strike while delivering a masterclass in defense.

He broke the deadlock for the Blues in the 19th minute with an audacious volley from range to bag his first goal for the club in style.

Defensively, he combined vision with physicality to muscle the ball away from Spurs and nip the danger in the bud as Koulibaly frustrated the visitors.

The Senegalese finished the game with five tackles, seven ground duels won, and 93% pass completion rate. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep out Kane's late equalizer.


Flop: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

An unimpressive performance from Son
An unimpressive performance from Son

It's not often that you see Son Heung-min being labeled a 'flop', but he genuinely had a poor game against Chelsea, unable to work his usual magic on the field.

James had his number in the first half, limiting his impact. Still, Son had one good chance to score after the break which was smothered by Edouard Mendy.

It was Son's only shot on target in the match and he was sloppy in possession a few times, with Raheem Sterling dispossessing him twice. The winger was put out of his misery with 10 minutes left to play.


Hit: Mason Mount (Chelsea)

Mount was fine as ever
Mount was fine as ever

Mason Mount drew another blank in front of goal but had a great match overall, being heavily involved in his team's attacking phases. He also laid out some excellent crosses.

He always broke free of Tottenham's central midfielders and got forward quite often, while Chelsea came close to scoring a few times from his corner kicks.

The Englishman was strong on the ball and won 11 of his 20 ground duels. His tackles were timed to perfection too as Mount had a great all-round game.

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