Tottenham Smash but Fail to Grab in Nil-Nil Chelsea Draw

Tottenham Hotspur used a similar game plan as the one that took them to a 2-0 win over City and kept the clean sheet but could not score in a 0-0 draw with Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur produced a true masterclass last week versus Manchester City. This week the defense did an equally effective job, but Spurs failed to find the net so left Stamford Bridge with a point. That point moves Tottenham to first place over Liverpool on goal difference and leaves Spurs unbeaten run in the Premier League at nine. So how did Tottenham leave with a point?

Defensive Discipline from Spurs

With Toby Alderweireld out and Joe Rodon making his first start in the Premier League for Spurs, one of the questions heading into the match was how the Welshman would do against top competition. Based on his first game, the answer is fine as Rodon hardly put a foot out defensively. Rodon and Eric Dier did an excellent job of maintaining there position defensively never allowing Chelsea to get on top of the ball in the center of the box.

In the first half Rodon looked to step in front of Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner to intercept the ball. Rodon was also highly effective in the air, winning several headers in and around midfield and in the box.  If anyone thought Spurs would lose a step defensively with Toby Alderweireld out, that did not seem to be the case against the joint most potent offense in the league in Chelsea.

In the second half Spurs sat deeper seemingly playing for the draw giving Dier and Rodon a bit more to do. The center backs battled Tammy Abraham in the box on several teasing crossing from both sides of the pitch. Ultimately, the backs did enough each time to put Abraham off and protect Hugo Lloris as Abraham failed to get anything on target.

Lloris did have to make a couple saves in the second half. With just under 10 minutes to go Mason Mount found some space and shot from distance. The shot may have taken a deflection off Pierre Højbjerg but Lloris got down well and palmed the ball wide of the post. This was on Chelsea’s first shot on target since the 2-minute mark of the match.

Chelsea did get one more chance as substitute Olivier Giroud was played in by Joe Rodon. On seemingly his only mistake of the day, Rodon’s header back to Hugo Lloris did not have enough power and Giroud stepped-in to pounce. Fortunately for Spurs, Giroud seemed to be stuck between two minds as Hugo Lloris came out to cut the angle. Giroud neither powered the ball past Lloris nor chipped it over him as Hugo snagged the tame effort and denied his fellow countryman a chance to take all three points.