Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance61,613.
Report and free match highlights as Tottenham cruise to 2-0 win over London rivals Chelsea; Oliver Skipp crashed home opening goal shortly after half-time before Harry Kane sealed win with close-range finish; Graham Potter has now overseen just two wins in 15 games in all competitions
Monday 27 February 2023 06:33, UK
Oliver Skipp's second-half stunner set Tottenham on their way to a 2-0 win over Chelsea - the first time they have beaten their rivals at their new stadium - and heaped yet more pressure on Blues boss Graham Potter.
Chelsea had beaten their rivals in all three previous Premier League meetings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without conceding a goal but rarely threatened - producing an expected goals total of just 0.41 - to continue that record as they produced another hugely underwhelming display.
The west Londoners have now won just once in their last 11 matches in all competitions - scoring just four goals in that time - while they have failed to record a victory in any away match since October 16.
Chelsea's hopes of ending that run looked to have been severely damaged when Hakim Ziyech was sent off in first-half stoppage time for a push into Emerson Royal's face, but the winger then had the red card rescinded by referee Stuart Attwell after he reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.
But the visitors could not capitalise on that reprieve and they were behind moments into the second half when Skipp thumped the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga to score his first Tottenham goal, before the hosts sealed a crucial victory for their top-four hopes when Harry Kane turned home a corner at the far post eight minutes before full-time.
Incredibly, Chelsea are closer to the bottom three than the top four with Potter's side 10 points above the relegation zone, while they are now 14 points behind fourth-placed Spurs.
The message coming from Chelsea after last weekend’s embarrassing home defeat to bottom-club Southampton was that Todd Boehly and his fellow owners retained faith in Potter.
But after yet another turgid display - this time against a club many Blues supporters consider to be their primary rival - it is hard to see how that support cannot be severely tested in the coming days.
Potter has now won just nine of his 26 matches as Chelsea boss since being recruited from Brighton in September, and their defeat in north London means his side are on their longest run without an away win in the Premier League in 22 years.
The Blues were handed an early blow when Raheem Sterling’s appeal for a penalty after a challenge from Skipp fell on deaf ears, and Spurs nearly took the lead when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s shot from the edge of the area was deflected onto the post by Wesley Fofana.
Ziyech was then at the centre of a lengthy and confusing sequence of events, with the Morocco winger dismissed by Attwell following several minutes of deliberating among the officials before the referee then changed his mind after rewatching the incident.
That had been the most dramatic event during a forgettable first half but Skipp ensured the second period would not follow that pattern when he took advantage of Enzo Fernandez’s weak clearance to drill a shot past Kepa - his first goal in 67 games for Spurs.
Chelsea barely even threatened a reply as Spurs comfortably kept their rivals at arm’s length and Kane’s simple finish after being left unmarked in the area capped off an impressive afternoon’s work that leaves the north Londoners in fourth - four points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle.
Chelsea head coach Graham Potter told Sky Sports after the game: "The results are not good enough for Chelsea. I take full responsibility for those results.
"I thought the players gave everything, it's just that the goal changes the complexion of the game and that made it difficult for us.
"If results aren't good enough, which they aren't at the moment, you can't rely on support forever."
When asked in his post-match press conference whether he accepts the owners' support could eventually disappear, Potter responded: "There's always that question, absolutely, and you can't stop the questions, and whilst the results are like they are then I accept it - it's part of the job.
"We were talking before the game about watching the Arsenal All or Nothing [documentary] and two years into Mikel's reign he's close to getting the sack and people are wanting him out and it's a disaster. Obviously now things have changed a little bit but that's just the way it is.
"If you look at Jurgen's (Klopp) situation, they [Liverpool] haven't got the results and all of a sudden people want him out.
"That's just the nature of football and obviously I haven't done enough at this club to have too much good faith and I also accept that as well. My job is to not worry too much about that.
"I understand the question and totally understand where it comes from and just to try to focus on helping the team and supporting the players because I really like these players. They're good lads, they want to do better, they want to win but at the moment we're suffering and that's my responsibility."
Asked whether the team has grown in Antonio Conte's absence, with the head coach in Italy recovering from gallbladder surgery, Spurs assistant manager Cristian Stellini said: "Yes - it's like a teenager that has to become mature.
"The team reacted in this way. They take a lot of responsibility, players that play, players that sometimes are not playing and this is why I'm glad to stay here and keep the chair of Antonio warm."
Tottenham now turn their attentions to the FA Cup, with a trip to Sheffield United on Wednesday; kick-off 7.55pm. Antonio Conte's side then travel to Wolves on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Chelsea's next game is at home to Leeds on Saturday; kick-off 3pm. The Blues will then try to overturn their 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last 16 when the Germans visit Stamford Bridge for the second leg on Tuesday March 7; kick-off 8pm.
