Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham: Giroud and Alonso score as Blues tighten grip on fourth

Marcos Alonso doubled Chelsea’s lead early in the second half

Chelsea struck a significant blow in the fight for the top four places in the Premier League with a fully deserved victory over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

In a confrontation billed as a battle between Frank Lampard and his old mentor Jose Mourinho, Spurs could have leapfrogged Chelsea with victory but were outplayed and are now adrift by four points.

Lampard made four changes from the team that lost 2-0 at home to Manchester United on Monday and they paid rich dividends as they all made a contribution to only their second win in seven league games.

Olivier Giroud, in for Michy Batshuayi with Tammy Abraham on the bench after injury, fired low past Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris for Chelsea’s opener in the 15th minute after the recalled Ross Barkley hit the post.

And all four of those brought into the team linked up for Chelsea’s second three minutes after the break as Giroud’s flick found Mason Mount, who played in Barkley. He produced a perfectly weighted pass to Marcos Alonso, who did not even break stride before a sweet finish past Lloris.

Spurs’ day could have been even worse as Giovani lo Celso should have been sent off for a dreadful second-half challenge on Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta. The video assistant referee decided against punishment, although officials in Stockley Park later admitted a mistake had been made and he should have been sent off.

Mourinho’s side gave themselves late hope when Erik Lamela’s shot deflected in off Antonio Rudiger but in reality Spurs deserved nothing and Chelsea were worthy winners.

Final Score’s Garth Crooks and Leon Osman react to Giovani Lo Celso’s controversial tackle

Lampard rolls the dice and wins

Lampard knew he had to act after the loss at home to Manchester United on Monday continued an indifferent run of form and he responded with a changed team.

It was a brave move to make four changes in a game with the stakes so high but Giroud fully deserved his place ahead of the struggling Batshuayi. The 33-year-old France striker is still a wily operator and deserved the standing ovation he received when he was substituted late on.

Alonso also got on the scoresheet and the key for Chelsea here was that they actually scored while dominating the game and possession, a knack that has eluded them on so many occasions this season.

Lampard celebrated jubilantly at the final whistle, completing a double over Spurs and Mourinho this season – and he can now plot the future with Chelsea remaining in control of their own destiny in pursuit of a place in next season’s Champions League.

Spurs look so flat

What a difference six days have made to Spurs and manager Jose Mourinho.

Spirits were soaring last Sunday after Son Heung-min’s last-minute winner gave them a 3-2 win at Aston Villa that left them only a point behind Chelsea.

Since then, Son has been ruled out – possibly for the rest of the season – with a broken arm and Spurs are now struggling to survive in the Champions League last 16 after losing at home to RB Leipzig in the first leg.

And here, for the most part, Spurs were flat and uninspired, looking like a team struggling to come to terms with Son’s absence having already lost captain Harry Kane with a long-term hamstring injury.

Mourinho must somehow galvanise a Spurs team that looks a bit sorry for itself. A defeatist attitude and body language is a very bad sign with still so much to play for.

It was a joyless, lifeless display, with the additional shambles of VAR initially clearing Lo Celso for a challenge on Azpilicueta that looked the clearest of red-card offences – only for those examining the incident to later admit a mistake had been made.

Spurs have been dealt serious injury blows – but they must do much better than this.

Man of the match – Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)

Olivier Giroud has been directly involved in 14 goals in his past 14 starts for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 10 and assisting four

‘It is another huge question mark over VAR’ – what they said

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard on Lo Celso’s challenge: “Everybody knew they had made a mistake. We have the monitor and can view it and we were just waiting for the red card, not with any pleasure because it was a tackle that endangered the player.

“It is just not good enough. No more to say. To see it afterwards and saying they made a mistake is not good enough. They had a couple of minutes to look at it and got it wrong.

“It is another huge question mark over VAR. Referees have such a difficult job and VAR was brought in to help them, make the game better and that is just so wrong today. It’s another huge question mark.

“This one didn’t need a monitor. It is a clear human decision – straight to Stockley Park, red card, game goes on but that one was wrong.”

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard says Giovani Lo Celso’s tackle was a ‘clear red card’

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho to MOTD: “I think you are going to be very bored with me, because I think I’m going to be very repetitive. I’m going to say exactly the same words I told against Leipzig.

“I’m very proud of the players – they gave absolutely everything. We don’t have a striker. Our attacking players are not strikers and are in huge levels of fatigue, so very, very difficult for us. No tactical problems, [we were] completely in control of the space, punished by a couple of individual mistakes.

“A defeat is a defeat, but the good thing is, in the last seconds the players were still fighting for a result and that for me is a very important thing.”

“In the last part of the game when Chelsea was scared of the 2-1 we didn’t have that presence, that power, we didn’t have that to do more than what we did.”

Chelsea 2-1 Spurs: Jose Mourinho proud of his ‘fatigued’ players despite defeat

Alonso top scoring defender – the stats

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea are the first team to defeat a side managed by Jose Mourinho both home and away in a single league season.
Chelsea have won three consecutive home games against Spurs in all competitions for the first time since a run of seven between October 1996 and March 2002.
Tottenham have won just one of their past 34 away games against Chelsea in all competitions (D11 L22), a 3-1 win in April 2018.
Chelsea have won more points in Premier League London derby matches than any other team, with the Blues picking up 461 points.
Tottenham have conceded two or more goals in 10 Premier League away games this season – their highest such tally in a single campaign since 2008-09 (11).
Since he joined Chelsea in 2016, Marcos Alonso has more goals (17) and goal involvements (28 – 17 goals, 11 assists) than any other defender in the Premier League, with three of these goals coming against Spurs.
No Premier League side has scored more own goals this season than Chelsea (3 – level with Watford).

What’s next?

Chelsea host Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday (20:00 GMT), before facing Bournemouth away in the Premier League next Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Tottenham are back in Premier League action against Wolves at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday (14:00 GMT).