There was just one goal in it at the end, but Tottenham were convincingly beaten 2-1 by Chelsea and, in doing so, lost ground in the race for Champions League qualification. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for the hosts with a delightful finish, then Marcos Alonso made it two with another powerful strike. Erik Lamela's cross deflected in off of Antonio Rudiger to give the visitors late hope, but Spurs could not find an equaliser.
Positives
Tottenham started to play with more freedom after going behind, with several impressive moves in dangerous areas. Occasionally, they were efficient in slowing down the momentum of Chelsea's forward surges by dropping deep and forcing patience.
Negatives
Looking for the counter was a one-dimensional way of approaching the game. In addition to defensive issues and looking sloppy in possession, Spurs were stifled by Chelsea's midfield and did not have a plan B in attack. It goes without saying the injured forwards Harry Kane and Son-Heung-min were huge misses.
Manager rating out of 10
4 -- Jose Mourinho took a risk by choosing not to start Dele Alli, a player who always seems to thrive against Chelsea, and the gamble did not pay off. Tottenham's 3-5-2 formation had no energy or spirit, while Mourinho's substitutions came too late. Indeed, the manager himself looked lethargic and beaten on the touchline.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 6 -- From a shot-stopping point of view, Lloris was able to keep things from getting ugly, but he should have done better than being beaten at his near post by Giroud.
DF Japhet Tanganga, 6 -- The energy, physicality and creativity shown by the makeshift right wing-back will leave many Spurs fans wondering why he did not play in front of the back three.
DF Jan Vertonghen, 4 -- The veteran centre-back was slow to react for the first goal and was not switched on for the second. Overall, a fairly dreadful display.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 5 -- Another who performed poorly, Alderweireld was at fault for both goals due to a lack of pace, timing and positioning. He did not last the 90 minutes.
DF Davinson Sanchez, 5 -- While a few crunching tackles might have made Spurs fans smile, Sanchez needs to time his runs better and stick closer to his man.
DF Ben Davies, 4 -- Struggled immensely against Reece James, from being beaten down the touchline to producing sloppy challenges.
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 4 -- The lowlight of his game was a stamp on Cesar Azpilicueta, for which he should have seen red. VAR redeemed him, only for Stockley Park to later admit he should have been sent off. Finally did see a (yellow) card as full-time approached.
MF Harry Winks, 5 -- Picked up a sloppy yellow card, was outworked in midfield and dived when trying to win a penalty. Not great.
MF Tanguy Ndombele, 5 -- Ndombele broke up Chelsea play several times, but is too erratic on the ball. He also struggled to break into the opposing penalty area.
FW Steven Bergwijn, 5 -- A few nice touches and attempts to link play could not disguise his inability to get at Chelsea. Replaced by Alli.
FW Lucas Moura, 4 -- A well-saved shot in the 10th minute proved to be the highlight of an ineffective display as Lucas struggled under the pressure of being his team's main attacking hope.
Substitutes
MF Erik Lamela, 6 -- While Tottenham's late goal was not awarded to him, Lamela's hard work made it possible and capped a decent cameo.
DF Serge Aurier, NR -- Did not provide the spark needed after coming on, instead playing too many misplaced passes and crosses.
FW Dele Alli, NR -- Could not get into the game and was smothered defensively by Chelsea.