Chelsea vs Tottenham: A Step-by-Step Review of the Premier League Encounter

Please note that these are live notes.

The players make their way out of the tunnel on Saturday to a cheerful reception from the home and away fans at the Bridge.

With both teams are aiming to stake a claim to a top-four finish, this should be an exciting encounter. Chelsea, though, do have a historical edge against Tottenham as Spurs have not won at Stamford Bridge since 1990.

Team News

Chelsea have made five changes to the side that lost to Manchester City in midweek, with Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa, Daniel Sturridge and John Terry coming in for Fernando Torres, John Obi Mikel, Raul Meireles , David Luiz and the injured Branislav Ivanovic.

For Tottenham, they make three changes of their own. Emmanuel Adebayor, Sandro and William Gallas return to the starting XI, with Louis Saha, Niko Kranjcar and the injured Ledley King missing out.

Referee Martin Atkinson blows his whistle and gets this London derby underway.

3:00 Spurs have been enjoying the lion's share of possession so far.

5:00 Daniel Sturridge with a cross from the left. Drogba gets on the end of it and flicks it to Lampard, but Gallas cuts it out for a corner.

7:00 Kyle Walker with a surge forward on the right flank. The Tottenham right-back dribbles past Ashley Cole and attempts a cross. Cole, however, recovers in time to make a block for a Spurs corner.

9:00 No signs of a breakthrough yet. It's too early, though, and neither of the two managers looks concerned.

11:00 A long ball by John Terry into the Tottenham penalty area finds Didier Drogba. The Ivorian controls the ball but is robbed of possession by Younes Kaboul.

13:00 Benoit Assou-Ekotto attempts shielding Frank Lampard’s over-hit pass for a goal kick, but Ramires does well to get to the ball and cross it into the six-yard box. Scott Parker heads it out for a corner.   

16:00 Tottenham have been largely ineffective on the attack so far. Maybe Harry Redknapp should be thinking of a change in strategy as his team seems to be out of sorts. Chelsea defenders have barely had anything to do so far.

21:00 Gareth Bale, who has had a torrid time on the left flank, has switched to the right. Luka Modric follows suit and switches from the right to the left wing.

25:00 A mediocre encounter so far, with limited attacking players’ involvement. Most of the action is unfolding at the centre of the pitch.

27:00 Rafael van der Vaart gets on the end of an Assou-Ekotto cross but heads his effort wide. His appeals for a corner kick are waved away by the referee.

28:00 Chelsea have a penalty shot after Lampard appeared to have been tripped by former Blues defender William Gallas. Referee Atkinson is not interested.

30:00 Juan Mata with a fantastic cross into the Spurs' box. Assou-Ekotto erroneously diverts the ball on to Drogba’s path, but Kaboul bails his teammate with a well-timed intervention, blocking the ball for a corner.

31:00 Gareth Bale escapes Ashley Cole’s attention but goes for goal from 30 yards. The Welshman’s effort is high and wide.

33:00 Sloppy defending from Jose Bosingwa, allowing Emmanuel Adebayor to easily run past the Chelsea right-back. The Togolese cuts into the penalty area and crosses the ball, but the pass is behind Van der Vaart and it runs out for a goal-kick. A nervy moment for Chelsea.

37:00 A clever through-ball from Lampard finds the over-lapping Ashley Cole, who crosses the ball into the Spurs' box. Rafael van der Vaart inadvertently diverts the ball onto Brad Friedel and the American holds.

42:00 Gareth Bale with his trademark run from midfield, going past Terry but, again, attempts a long-range effort which goes embarrassingly off target.

43:00 Despite having played for almost the entire first half, the match has seen very minimal goalmouth action. Neither Petr Cech nor Brad Friedel has been called to action so far.

45:00 Gareth Bale outruns Jose Bosingwa and passes the ball to Luka Modric who is on the by-line just inside the Chelsea box. The Croatian cuts the ball back to Van der Vaart (who is free on goal from six yards out), but the Dutchman instead connects with his weaker right foot. His effort is blocked by Ashley Cole. The rebound falls back to Van der Vaart and, again, Cole blocks it with a goal-line clearance. The ball falls to Adebayor, who heads narrowly over the bar.

Half time

46:00 Match action resumes with in the second half. Neither side made any substitutions during the break.

47:00 Kyle Walker attempts a cross, but his effort is blocked by Cole for a corner, which is taken by Modric. Terry, however, heads it clear with authority.

50:00 Luka Modric charges forward on the left flank and is illegally brought down by Essien, who is booked. The first yellow card of the match.

51:00 Didier Drogba heads a long ball onto Daniel Sturridge, who has a clear sight of goal. The England man goes for goal, but his effort is wide.

56:00 The Blues, who are in need of a win to close the gap on Spurs, have yet to register a shot on target. Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo looks concerned, and rightly so.

58:00 Tottenham dominating possession at the moment. Chelsea on the back foot.

59:00 The ineffective Bosingwa is substituted. In the Portuguese’s place comes David Luiz.

65:00 Assou-Ekotto is shown a yellow card for a malicious tackle on Ramires.

66:00 Michael Essien is charging forward but is carelessly stopped by Sandro. The Brazilian is yellow-carded for his troubles.

68:00 Fernando Torres is warming up on the sidelines. With the Blues in need of extra firepower in attack, The former Liverpool star might be called upon in the next few minutes.

72:00 Juan Mata hits the post with a 25-yard free-kick. Friedel was well-beaten, the 40 year-old shot-stopper didn’t move an inch.

75:00 Michael Essien is off. Fernando Torres is on. A tactical change by Di Matteo, who is desperate for a goal. Spurs, too, make changes; with van der Vaart and Sandro taken off and Jake Livermore and Louis Saha joining the action.

78:00 Ashley Cole whips a long ball into the Spurs penalty area. Didier Drogba gets on the end of it, but his control is better than the finish, which is tame and easy for Friedel.

79:00 Luka Modric’s through pass sends Adebayor clear on goal, escaping the offside trap. The Spurs striker dribbles past Petr Cech, but Gary Cahill recovers in time to block the goal-bound effort.

80:00 Adebayor rattles the woodwork with a header.

86:00 Frank Lampard with an audacious 30-yard shot. Brad Friedel is equal to the task.

89:00 The fatigued Sturridge is taken off. Salomon Kalou is the replacement.

90:00 The fourth official’s board is up, signaling four minutes of added-on time.

90+3:00 Ramires brings down Jake Livermore who was closing in on goal. A free kick is awarded. Gareth Bale delivers a cross into the Chelsea penalty area, but it is cleared by Gary Cahill.

90+4:00 Referee Martin Atkinson blows his whistle for full time.

Both managers share a post-match handshake, with Harry Redknapp clearly the happier boss. Disappointment for Roberto Di Matteo and Chelsea, whose chances of finishing in the top four look increasingly slim.

Final score: Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham.