3 things spotted in Tottenham Hotspur win over Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur put the past nightmares of Chelsea on hold Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning 2-0. It was a proper London derby that featured several rash challenges and a controversial rescinded red card. It was an impressive performance all around from the Lilywhites, with Spurs picking up three crucial points and a second consecutive clean sheet in the Premier League.

Tottenham’s defense holds strong

The Tottenham backline put in a shift against Chelsea. The starting lineup was unchanged from a week ago, with Ben Davies remaining at left wing-back and Richarlison on the left wing. Cristian Romero had yet again another impressive performance, similar to last week against West Ham.

Romero tallied five tackles and won eleven ground duels. Fellow defender Eric Dier made several vital blocks and challenges and looked like the player we saw during the second half of the 2021/2022 season, making six clearances during the match. Clement Lenglet had a quiet but tidy game, getting forward and moving the ball up the pitch, likewise Romero.

The wing-backs, Emerson Royal and Ben Davies performed solidly. Royal won five aerial duels and fifteen ground duels while making seven tackles in the process. Royal also had a shot on target just seconds after half-time, leading to Oliver Skipp’s first goal for Tottenham Hotspur. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who has stepped in for the injured Hugo Lloris, made two saves and looked comfortable passing the ball out of the back. Forster has now kept three clean sheets in the Premier League this season. Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski, who are wingers, tracked back plenty of times and defended well on the day.