Barclays Premier League 2018/19: Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

Chelsea eventually faced their first defeat of the season as they went through one-third of the league. The 3-1 scoreline in the away fixture is a clear reflection of Chelseas worst defensive performance and also unidimensional build-up against Tottenham. Even after conceding an early goal against an indirect freekick didnt bring any improvement in Chelseas approach neither defensively nor offensively. There wasnt any change in strategy in the second half either. Chelsea was all open against Spurs like a toothless team.

Tottenham pressed at the front foot

The home team aggressively pushed Chelseas backline leaving no space for the build-up from the back. While Jorginho also constantly remain marked by Alli, the playmaking and distribution options of Chelsea were foregone.

Spurs were also able to concentrate their press on Chelseas frontline which tends to concentrate centrally due to Chelseas general tendency to prefer the middle lanes over the widths.

Spurs defended in a 4-4-2 diamond scheme which allowed them to keep intact centrally. This even left spaces in the flanks for Chelsea but the away team couldnt exploit it, which must be due to its tendency to remain centrally intact while attacking.