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Both sides, Chelsea in particular, had chances to win a drab match, but 0-0 was a fair reflection of the quality and intensity on show; Spurs go back top, on goal difference from Liverpool, while Chelsea stay third
Sun 29 Nov 2020 13.58 EST
First published on Sun 29 Nov 2020 10.30 ESTLive feed
Ach, Papa Bouba Diop has died. Forty-two is no age at all, what a tragedy that is.
Here’s David Hytner’s match report.
‘They didn’t deserve nothing,” he continues, before saying that Mourinho will win the games he needs to win. Roy Keane doesn’t think the league is winnable with the players he has, but Hasselbaink disagrees and thinks Spurs manage games well now, not something he’s ever said of them before.
“He is absolutely delighted,” says Jimmy Floyd. “He loves it.”
Mourinho says that the one thing he takes from the game is that a draw at Chelsea is normally a positive result and to stay top of the league is a positive thing, but the team is not happy. This is a “Complete change of mentality ... of personality,” he self-bastes, pausing to admire his image in the camera lens while adjusting his barnet.
He goes on to say neither team wanted to lose, especially in the last 15-20 minutes, and though his team didn’t create much, neither did Chelsea and his team ought to have scored when they had that 3v2 at the end. He says it was difficult for Rodon but he showed “good personality” and wants to go through the game with him. He mentions two mistakes – the Werner disallowed goal and the Giroud miss – that’s a bit of a rebuke really, because they were two huge oversights that might’ve cost the match – but he says he’s pleased with him.
“Went as I sort of expected,” Lampard tells Sky. He thought it’d be hard to create chances, but that his team made enough to win it. He says Lloris’ save from Mount was “world class” – steady on – but that his strikers should have done better from the crosses they were served. He’s pleased with the discipline of his team though, limiting Kane and Son to very little, and how they dominated in midfield. He goes on to say that sometimes, in tight games like that, you rely on a bit of magic from one of your special players and that wasn’t quite there today. But he won’t say if it’s a point gained or two dropped until the end of the season.
“I’ve been watching on TV and Son and Kane aren’t in the team this afternoon so you can hardly blame them for not attacking,” tweets Tom Kniggot. “Mourinho has his side on tier 3.”
I guess you could say that he had Rodon and Dier in the middle of his defence, but it’s hard to imagine him doing it differently if he had Baresi and Costacurta.
Jimmy Floyd is not happy with Abraham not making those James crosses. I guess if he knows the ball is coming, he can make the right runs, so once the team settles he’ll improve. But I’d still be playing Werner through the middle.
“I think Jose will be the happier with that,” emails Martin Gamage. “Yeah, it was conservative, but he’s moulding the side in his image. I’m quite glad to not be watching it in the flesh mind.”
The thing is, it doesn’t have to be like this. Spurs’ defence needs work, but their midfield is good enough to compete with Chelsea’s and their attack is superior.
Obviously his like I saying was nowhere near this august level. But he’s got time in his favour.
Joe Rodon tells Sky that Stamford Bridge is a “tough place to come” and is happy to have made his debut. He says he got away with two mistakes, then like i say on various occasions. As for his bloody mouth, he says “It’s part of the job and I love it”. Great stuff.
“So, will either of these sides be sneaking out the back door with a grin?” wonders Andy Tuohy.
My guess is that Lampard will be really happy with a clean sheet and Mourinho will be pretty happy with the result. He knows that this season’s league will be won by beating the less good teams twice, more than it’ll be won in the big games.
On which point, I should thank Mary for switching me on to Robert Caro’s brilliant book, the Power Broker – the Europa League group stages have, at long last, yielded something good. I highly commend and recommend it to all y’all.
“Who is the happiest with this draw?” asks Mary Waltz. “Klopp. One of these sides is going to regret not going after the win and missing the title by two points to Liverpool.”
It’s hard to see it going anywhere else isn’t it? I know they’ve got injuries, but they’ve still got goals, the best manager, and the confidence that they can’t be beaten. That’s a lot.
Neither side will mind that too much as both are ahead of where they expected to be. But it’s a missed opportunity for both because both played about as badly as you could conceivably hope if you were playing them.
Full-time: Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
A point takes spurs top, above Liverpool on goal difference; Chelsea stay third.
90+3 min Zouma squares aimlessly ... and Moura runs onto it! Spurs are three on two and Moura finds Lo Celso, who has Kane nearby ... but instead he curves a cunning but useless little effort wide. On the touchline, Mourinho chuckles and chuckles.
90+2 min THERE IS THE CHANCE! Zouma humps a looper forward and Rodon sells Lloris short, nodding directly onto Giroud’s sidefoot! But his finish is tame, easily caught by the keeper - and it was going wide.
90+2 min Another change for Spurs, Mourinho picking the man furthest away from the dug-out – Son – who doesn’t go off on the far side as per the laws, but jugs slowly over. Moura replaces him.
90+1 min There’ll be four added minutes.
90 min Rodon goes up with Big Kai Havertz and wears a flailing arm to the face. There looks to be a bit of claret in his mouth, but he’ll be fine.
89 min Mourinho makes another change, Davies on for Bergwijn. He’s happy with his point.
88 min Have a look! Kovacic bounds from just outside his own box over halfway, so Reguilon yanks him down and is booked.
88 min We’ve barely seen Son and Kane today. If that’s the result of your tactics, they’re the wrong tactics in almost every situation.
87 min Chelsea press for the winner, James lumping a cross to the back post well beyond everyone.
85 min “My ankle takes great offence at your earlier ankle-related words,” says Toon Helsen. “It was similarly twisted by a silly bike accident caused by its owner (me) when I was barely old enough to have a bevvie in the US of A. Ever since, it has not been the same and now, me on the wrong side of 25, fear it may never be its old, fearless self.”
I’m more a tendonitis man myself. For any other sufferers, I heartily recommend steroid injection, recommend acupuncture, and do not recommend blood spinning as anything other than time-killer.
83 min Havertz comes on for Ziyech, who’s had an acrylic afternoon.
82 min Aurier slips a ball in behind for Son, who crosses low, but he can’t pick out a man.
81 min Nice from Mount, dancing across the face of the Spurs box before cracking a low shot that Lloris has to shovel around the post, on the dive.
80 min This hasn’t been very good, has it? Ultimately, both these are works in progress, though I can’t help but wonder how things might’ve gone if Spurs had been brave enough to attack. You can’t restrict the best strike partnership in the league to counters.