Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Top 5 Lessons Learned

Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea forgot that they were five points behind Tottenham Hotspur. 

Harry Redknapp and Spurs came in expecting a point and left Stamford Bridge patting themselves on the back. 

Having played for Chelsea, surely Di Matteo knew that Spurs had never beaten the Blues at Stamford Bridge since the inception of the Premier League. 

Here are the top five lessons learned from this 0-0 draw. 

5. Boring, Boring Football

When Roberto Di Matteo said Chelsea could not afford to lose Tottenham Hotspur, I didn't expect him to park the bus in front of goals. 

After 15 minutes, Chelsea had yet to shoot on goal. 

Spurs could afford to draw, but Di Matteo should have thrown caution to the wind. 

The slow, monotonous and cautious start brought back nauseous memories of André Villas-Boas' reign. 

What led to Chelsea's victory against Napoli? 

Di Matteo's men bum-rushed Napoli so hard that the Italian team crumbled under the pressure. 

Today's game started so boringly that there were muted appeals for a penalty when William Gallas tripped Frank Lampard. 

Di Matteo needs to pray that Spurs either collapse or Robin van Persie breaks down, because Chelsea supporters will need to get accustomed to Europa League football next season. 

4. Scott Parker's Selflessness

Scott Parker is a player every team wants on their team. What he does on the field is often unappreciated. 

Covering Kyle Walker when he was out of position, making a vital defensive clearance, taking a free kick to the face and just constantly pressuring Juan Mata. 

Parker intercepted the ball five times, made three tackles and blocked two shots. 

3. Chelsea Need to Sign a Right-Back in the Summer

The best thing to happen to José Bosingwa was Tottenham Hotspur's defensive approach to the game. 

So you'd think that Bosingwa wouldn't be exposed, right? Wrong. 

Benoît Assou-Ekotto managed to send in three crosses whilst Bosingwa watched on. 

How about Bosingwa giving away possession and then getting beat not once but twice by Emmanuel Adebayor. 

That play alone summed up Bosingwa's season. 

Thankfully, Roberto Di Matteo replaced the Portuguese defender with 30 minutes left to play. 

Unfortunately, the replacement, David Luiz, was just as suspect at the back. 

2. Will Michael Essien Ever Recapture His Old Form?

Michael Essien used to enforce in the midfield; nowadays, he's a passenger. 

Winning back possession used to be second nature to him, yet he's only averaging 1.3 tackles per game and 0.3 interceptions per game this season. 

1. No Faith in Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres had turned his season around with a wonderful performance against Leicester City. 

He scored twice, provided two assists and would have scored more if not for Daniel Sturridge's selfishness. 

Yes, Torres didn't score against Manchester City, but neither did Didier Drogba. 

Why drop Torres for such an important game against Tottenham Hotspur? 

What's it going to do to his confidence? 

When he came on as a sub, I was shocked that he was playing on the right. When Salomon Kalou came on, Torres was moved to the left. 

Chelsea spent £50 million on a forward, not a makeshift winger. 

Please read Top 5 Things Pelé Does Not Want You to Know. 

Statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.