Tottenham 0-3 Chelsea: The key battles which decided the game in North London

Defenders Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger scored either side of a deflected N’Golo Kante goal to give Chelsea a 3-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League.

Tottenham had lost four of the last five meetings between the two sides coming into this one, and news of club legend Jimmy Greaves passing away hours before the game would have disrupted preparations, even if only slightly.

Thomas Tuchel’s men have now won four of the first five league games, with the only draw coming at Anfield against Liverpool where they played the entire second half a man down.

LondonWorld.com breaks down the key battles which decided the encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Kane v Silva

Thiago Silva has been a remarkable piece of business for Chelsea.

His experience has been key to the success of this team, he will celebrate his 37th birthday on Wednesday, but the former PSG man is showing no signs of slowing down.

Three-time Golden Boot winner Harry Kane came into this one yet to score this season and was one of the most criticised players when Tottenham lost against Crystal Palace last weekend.

He needs to find his goal scoring form if he is to retain the Golden boot he won last season, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku added to the competition Mo Salah already provides.

Verdict

Silva won the battle between himself and Kane.

The Brazil defender kept things simple and intercepted the balls with the calm and ease that his playing career has accumulated down the years.

His well taken header to give Chelsea the lead is evidence of his quality and the form in which he is at the moment.

Lloris v Kepa

Kepa Arrizabalaga was a late call to replace first choice Edouard Mendy who took a knock against Zenit and has failed to recover in time for this one.

The Spain international goalkeeper is gradually building his confidence after a rather difficult period under Frank Lampard that led to the arrival of Mendy.

This was his first league game of the season.

Hugo Lloris has been a dependable pair of hands for Tottenham since he joined from Lyon in 2012, the three goals he conceded at Palace were his first of the season.

His leadership and experience has been immeasurable since he moved to North London.

Verdict

You can’t fault Lloris for any of the goals he conceded today but Kepa kept a clean sheet which is proof of his growing form and confidence in this well drilled Chelsea team. This performance will do him a world of good.

Dier v Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku came into this one full of confidence after scoring a brilliant goal that gave Chelsea the win against Zenit in the UEFA Champions League.

He has been an inspired signing since joining in the summer.

Dier meanwhile came into this one having recovered from the knock that kept him out of the UEFA Europa Conference game against Rennes in France on Thursday.

The former Sporting Lisbon man is one of the leaders of this team.

Verdict

Perhaps the only downside to the Chelsea victory is that talisman Romelu  Lukaku did not get on the score sheet, but he was as influential as always.

Throwing himself around, winning headers and fighting for every single ball.

Dier had a decent game and might feel unlucky for his role in the second Chelsea goal, but Lukaku once again proved a handful with his all-energy-never-ending performance.

Ndombele v Jorginho

Ndombele has barely had a look in since the start of the season, but a combination of injuries and players having to self isolate has given him a way back into this team.

The former Lyon midfielder’s quality has never been in doubt but it will be interesting to see what kind of season he has now that he’s been given a fresh start by Nuno Espirito Santo.

Jorginho has been the heart beat of this Chelsea team, with his unique passing range and press resistance.

The Italian is easily the most in-form central midfielder in Europe at the minutes.

Verdict

Ndombele produced arguably his best performance in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt with his first half display, but Jorginho is on another level at the minute.

The Euro 2020 winner is on a different wavelength with positional intelligence and ability to find a pass even under pressure priceless to this Chelsea side.