Tuchel, Chelsea make Tottenham sing the Blues 0-3 in the Premier League

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Kai Havertz of Chelsea battles for possession with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Kai Havertz of Chelsea battles for possession with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021, in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

After beating themselves a week ago, it was the tactics of Tomas Tuchel that turned the tide in Chelsea’s favor on the day. The result was that for the second straight week, Tottenham capitulated in the second half, falling to defeat 0-3.

Tottenham started the game brightly, giving justice to the late, legend Jimmy Greaves MBE who passed away in the morning hours before kickoff. Spurs had a more progressive lineup from Nuno Santo than many expected, showing a good response to a timid lineup a week ago, which included the return of Giovani Lo Celso and Heung-Min Son.

Just as important as the players were the approach, where Spurs tried to get on the ball and were aggressive defensively off it. The pressure and aggression from Tottenham put Spurs in command and gave the team the better part of play in the first half. However, it was the in-match tactical changes at half-time that did Spurs in.

Tottenham dominated the middle of the park early

In the first half, Tottenham was simply first to the ball on the majority of occasions as Pierre Hojbjerg served as the deepest midfielder and was johnny on the spot often in the first 45-minutes.

Tottenham was aggressive all over the pitch, defending tight to their marks with Cristian Romero – who started at center-half with Eric Dier – as often found in the attacking half picking up Kai Havertz or Mason Mount.

Spurs were doing well recovering the ball and looked to attack Chelsea as quickly as possible in return. Managing the majority of possession (52%) and six shots without allowing Chelsea a shot on target, Tottenham had the better of the play.

However, most of that strong work was in the first 30-minutes of the match when the energy was high and players felt fresh. As the game wore on, the lack of game-time for some as well as having played just a few nights ago for others started to catch up with the Lilywhites and the game was up for grabs.