Tottenham ease past Chelsea to put Graham Potter in more trouble

Tottenham proved to be too good for Chelsea in the London derby as they registered a well-deserved 2-0 victory over the Blues at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

Oliver Skipp put the hosts in front at the start of the second half and Harry Kane made sure of the points with a fine finish late on.

Chelsea came into this game on the back of seven straight Premier League games without a win. There was pressure mounting on manager, Graham Potter to respond to some of his critics with a positive result here.

Chelsea began the game looking determined to put recent results behind them with Joao Felix in particular looking lively. 

The Portugal international, along with Raheem Sterling, provided the biggest tests for Fraser Forster in the Spurs goal, yet the goalkeeper was equal to both efforts.

Tottenham, meanwhile, were without Antonio Conte in the dugout for a fourth successive match as he recovers from surgery. In all three games assistant manager Cristian Stellini has taken charge of, Spurs are yet to even drop points. 

The hosts almost took the lead when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg hit the post via Wesley Fofana’s deflection and the tide of the game began to turn. Fofana was introduced just minutes earlier for veteran defender Thiago Silva who picked up an injury.

Chelsea were momentarily down to ten men when Hakim Ziyech was sent off for pushing Emerson Royal in the face.

 However, although referee Stuart Atwell initially brandished a red card, he reduced it to a yellow following a visit to the pitchside monitor.

The second half began in electric fashion for the hosts as Oliver Skipp gave Spurs the lead with a thunderous half-volley to send the home support wild.

Chelsea offered nothing by way of a meaningful response and after several failed attempts to breach the Tottenham backline, the home side made sure of the three points thanks to England captain Harry Kane.

The victory continues the recent strong run of form for Spurs while Chelsea remain in all kinds of trouble and stuck in mid-table.