Chelsea dominate Spurs in London derby

Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger were on target as Chelsea eased past Tottenham with a 3-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. 

The Action: In a very dull first-half, there was very little to report with both teams very compact in defence, and disciplined in what they had to do tactically.

In the second period, Thomas Tuchel brought N’Golo Kante into the game and the Blues' attitude completely changed. Four minutes after the re-start, Thiago Silva headed past Hugo Lloris from Marcos Alonso's corner to put the visitors ahead. 

The French midfielder himself doubled the lead, his 25-yard strike taking a massive deflection off Eric Dier and nestling in the bottom corner.

Rudiger made it 3-0 in stoppage time with a well-taken low finish from Timo Werner's cross to complete the win.

Spurs lacked imagination in the final third and were unable to muster a response to Chelsea's second-half performance, even the return of Son Heung-min from injury failing to spark their attack. 

Big Picture: The result means Chelsea move joint top with Liverpool and Manchester United with Spurs four points further back in seventh.

The Blues will now focus on their home Carabao Cup clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday prior to their mouth-watering league clash with Man City on Saturday. 

Nuno Espirito Santo's men visit Wolves in the League Cup before travelling to Arsenal for the north London derby on Sunday.

Man of the match: N’Golo Kante. Thiago Silva put in an outstanding display, topped with a goal,  but there's no denying that the entrance of World Cup winner Kante turned the tide.

The security he provides in the middle of the park, the speed with which he recovers the ball and his incessant pressing high up the pitch all made a real difference. A player who makes the lives of those around him easier!

A deflected long-range strike completed a fine afternoon for the midfield dynamo.

xG: Tottenham (0.79) 0-3 (2.50) Chelsea

Stat of the Day: Harry Kane has failed to score in his first four Premier League appearances of a season for the first time since 2015/16

⚽ | T. Silva 49'
⚽ | Kante 57'
⚽ | Rudiger 90+2'

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 19, 2021