Tottenham Hotspur conceded the Premier League title to Leicester City after Chelsea held their London rivals to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Monday night. Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min scored for Spurs in the first-half before a second-half comeback saw Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard score to nick a point. The result leaves Tottenham Hotspur seven points behind the Foxes with only two games to play.
Squads
Chelsea: Begovic, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Matic, Willian, Fabregas, Pedro, Costa.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose, Dier, Dembele, Lamela, Eriksen, Son, Kane
Chelsea captain John Terry started his first game after last appearing against West Ham in March and partnered Gary Cahill in defence. But the biggest surprise was the absence of Eden Hazard from the starting lineup for the Blues. Pedro and Willian started either side of Cesc Fabregas in a 4-2-3-1 formation as Diego Costa led the line.
“He has come back from a long period of absence and has struggled and fought back,” Guus Hiddink said. “He will probably get his time but I am being careful with him.”
Tottenham score twice before half-time
Although it was Chelsea who started strong in a scrappy affair in the first ten minutes, it was Danny Rose who threatened to score in the 11th minute. A Danny Rose long-range left-footed rocket whizzed past the top corner. Although Asmir Begovic looked unconcerned, the shot was pretty close to give the home fans a fright.
Cesc Fabregas came close for Chelsea at the other end when a sweeping move saw Costa find his compatriot on the edge of the box. The Spanish midfielder tried to surprise Hugo Lloris with a quick shot but it went wide of the post.
But just after the half-hour mark, Spurs took the lead with a finely crafted goal. Erik Lamela received the ball from Christian Eriksen in midfield and slipped in a through-ball in spite of being surrounded by Chelsea players. The ball bisected Terry and Azpilicueta to find Harry Kane one-on-one with Begovic. The English striker simply rounded the Bosnian goalkeeper and tapped it into an empty net to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
Chelsea were frustrated time and again and even Diego Costa was reduced to pleading his innocence when he was flagged offside. He was also involved in an altercation with Jan Vertonghen as the Belgian defender pulled his shirt and got a yellow card for his troubles.
However, Spurs quickly doubled their lead through Son Heung-min. Terry was pulled out of position allowing Eriksen to release the Korean forward into the channel with a pass that saw Son take one touch before firing it past the onrushing Begovic to make it 2-0.
The half ended on a sour note as Willian and Rose had a go at each other near the touchline following a foul. Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino rushed on to the pitch to separate the two as a small brawl broke out. Costa and Dembele were also involved and the Belgian was seen trying to gouge Costa’s eye – a matter for the FA Disciplinary panel to look into.
Half-Time: Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham
Chelsea fight back in second half as Spurs get reckless
Before this game, Chelsea had never lost to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Determined to keep that record intact, Hiddink made a half-time substitution and the ineffective Pedro was hooked off for Hazard.
With the Spurs players fired up, it also proved to be a weakness. Their reckless attitude on the pitch saw Lamela booked for a rash and needless challenge on Fabregas.
Although Kane looked to be creating chances and taking shots himself, they were unable to get a third goal to improve on their 2-0 lead. And the lead was soon halved by the home side on the hour mark.
A corner kick saw Willian deliver the ball into the box and some poor defending saw the ball drop to Gary Cahill. The English defender quickly latched on to the loose ball near the penalty spot and fired it home past Lloris whose half-hearted reaction to prevent a goal was simply too late.
Pochettino then looked to shut shop and protect the lead as Son came off for Ryan Mason to add an extra man to the midfield. But Chelsea continued to pile on the pressure to make it a nerve-wracking final quarter of the game for the Lilywhites.
Eden Hazard makes an impact
Hazard proved to be a nuisance in the Spurs box and showed what had been missing from his repertoire this season. On one instance, the Belgian forward took on Eriksen as he dribbled past him and won that personal battle as the Danish midfielder brought him down to earn a yellow card.
On another instance, Hazard was unmarked on the left side of the box and whipped in a low cross across goal that should have been put away. Diego Costa was seen charging in to get on the end of the cross but it had a little too much pace on it for him to reach it with his foot.
Chelsea then thrust a dagger into Spurs’ hearts in the 84th minute with a sublime goal that saw fans at both Stamford Bridge and Leicester erupt. Costa spotted Eden Hazard making a run into the box and laid the ball off for the 25-year-old to take it first time and curl it past Lloris into the top corner.
With six minutes added on after the 90 minutes, the Chelsea fans chanted in “There's only one Ranieri” in unison – a tribute to their former boss who has led Leicester City to a title that will be talked about for ages. As the final minutes ticked, the Spurs players wore a dejected look, knowing full well they had blown it with two games to go.
As the final whistle blew, the Stamford Bridge crowd cheered while the city of Leicester rejoiced as their club became only the sixth club to win the Premier League title!
