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Chelsea fans were in awe of what Thomas Tuchel did after the referee's final whistle during the comprehensive 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the Premier League. And following the win over Spurs, Tuchel's act of embracing goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has garnered praise from Chelsea fans.
Tuchel, who took over from Frank Lampard in January, has been nothing short of sensational at Chelsea. After guiding the Blues to their second Champions League trophy in May, the German has now enjoyed a stellar start to the ongoing Premier League campaign.
However, it was far from smooth sailing for Chelsea in the first half against Spurs on Sunday. The visitors were on the backfoot and were "sloppy," according to Tuchel himself.
Despite the early concerns, Chelsea produced a scintillating display in the second forty-five and were deserved winners in the end. Thiago Silva opened the scoring for the Blues before both N'Golo Kante, who came on as a substitute after the interval, and Antonio Rudiger completed the rout.
The traveling Chelsea fans were understandably vocal and made themselves heard at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Following the win, Chelsea climbed to the summit of the Premier League table.
Shortly after the win, Chelsea fans were quick to notice how Tuchel reacted to the result. The manager walked towards Kepa Arrizabalaga and embraced the Chelsea custodian with a hug after he kept a cleansheet in the crucial Premier League derby. Notably, Tuchel was forced to call upon Kepa due to an injury sustained by first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Although the Spaniard has fallen down the pecking order, he has been treated so well that he remains in the right frame of mind to fill in whenever required. This particular treatment from Tuchel has been highlighted by Chelsea fans after their Premier League triumph over Spurs.
While retweeting a video of Tuchel embracing Kepa with a hug, one fan referred to it as "Elite man management."
Another Chelsea fan tweeted:
"He's elevated everyone at the football club. What a manager."
There were plenty of other reactions, too, from the Chelsea faithful:
Tuchel has added defensive stability to Premier League giants Chelsea
While Chelsea boast some fine talent going forward, it is their defensive stability that has stood out under Tuchel. The Blues have now kept more cleansheets (15) than goals conceded (14) in the Premier League under the German manager.
Notably, Chelsea have yet to concede from open play in their five Premier League games this season. Considering how Tuchel has made a massive impact in such a short span of time, Chelsea fans will be hopeful of their team scaling further heights this season.
The Blues face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City next Saturday, but are back in action as early as Wednesday in the League Cup against Aston Villa.
