Harry Kane and Heung-min Son fire Spurs into a two-goal lead at the Bridge. Eden Hazard emerges from the bench to trigger a Chelsea comeback as Tottenham’s bid for the Premier League crown ends in chaos.
Supersub Hazard sparks Chelsea revival
Chelsea displayed great spirit to salvage a point against Tottenham and deny their London rivals the title.
Eden Hazard emerged from the bench for the second period as a replacement for Pedro and altered the complexion of the tie, delighting 15,000 new owners with his third goal in two outings. Ahead of a pair of double Gameweek trips to Sunderland and Liverpool, Guus Hiddink explained why he opted to name the Belgian amongst the subs last night:
”Eden has had a difficult season, we can’t neglect that fact, he’s had a lot of injuries. There’s been a lot of frustration and it’s good to see him back. He played 90 minutes at Bournemouth, a less intense game. My plan was to play him there for an hour and then he could be of use in this game. This game was more intense so it was wiser to bring him on later and have him at full speed in the second half. He did very well and we saw, as we have before, what he’s capable of.”
Elsewhere amongst the Chelsea attack, Willian and Diego Costa also picked up the points with an assist apiece. Costa has now produced attacking returns in nine of his 13 appearances under Hiddink and, at a time when Sergio Aguero’s minutes and Harry Kane’s morale are in question, he could be worth considering with a mere 5% ownership for the last two Gameweeks.
In defence, John Terry and Gary Cahill returned to action after stints on the sidelines, allowing Branislav Ivanovic to switch back to his favoured right-back berth after a number of matches at centre-half. Cahill notched his second goal of the campaign, yet we have little faith in a Blues defence that’s mustered a solitary clean sheet in 11 match-ups.
Spurs lose the plot
Tottenham Hotspur’s slim title hopes dissipated as they surrendered a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Kane struck first with his ninth goal in eight outings, before Heung-min Son – who came in for the suspended Dele Alli – doubled the visitors’ advantage nine minutes later. The former’s rich vein of form should deter sales ahead of a home tie against Southampton and trip to Newcastle United, though in light of Spurs’ capitulation, question marks must be asked over their state of mind for the final two fixtures. In saying that, the chance to remain above arch-rivals Arsenal should prove motivation enough for the Lilywhites to finish strongly.
Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen supplied the assists. The former has delivered attacking returns (one goal, three assists) in three of his previous four starts, while the latter hasn’t drawn a blank in seven outings. With Alli out of the picture following his three-match ban, both men represent enticing differentials heading into Spurs’ concluding pair of match-ups, though non-owners will be happy to shop for double Gameweek alternatives instead.
Spurs’ trip across the capital was a fractious affair that descended into anarchy by the dying embers. The North Londoners earned nine yellow cards in all, setting a new Premier League record. Astonishingly, no reds were dished out on the night, yet there’s a strong possibility that the FA will take retrospective action regarding Mousa Dembele’s eye gouge on Diego Costa, potentially ruling him out for the season. Moreover, the governing body might look at Erik Lamela’s apparent stamp on Cesc Fabregas, further diminishing Tottenham’s pool of available players.
On the injury front, Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld were both withdrawn at different points in the second period. It remains to be seen how serious the complaints are, with Ben Davies and Kevin Wimmer primed to earn call-ups in the event that either is sidelined. With a resurgent Southampton attack up next, though, Tottenham’s clean sheet chances look to have taken a turn for the worse, with Alderweireld’s 41% owners perhaps set to cash in if he’s ruled out.
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