Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Game

Didier Drogba rolled back the years to score once and provide an assist as Chelsea ran out 3-0 winners against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. With the win, the Blues maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League.    

After a good start from the visitors, Drogba set up Eden Hazard for Chelsea's opener before the Ivorian scored himself minutes later.

Substitute Loic Remy then sewed things up for the hosts in the second half with a fine finish and condemned Spurs to a convincing defeat. 

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Tottenham started brightly as they looked to claim an early goal, with Jan Vertonghen and Harry Kane both squandering chances, the latter hitting the crossbar with a header from an Aaron Lennon cross.

However, the Blues were able to weather the storm. They were clinical in taking the lead in the 19th minute as Drogba and Hazard exchanged passes in the penalty area before the Belgian drove past Hugo Lloris for the opener.

Tottenham were very much still in the match, but just three minutes later, Chelsea's lead was doubled. A poor clearance from Lloris went to Hazard, who fed Oscar. The Brazilian then released Drogba to finish well and make it 2-0.

As The Guardian's Daniel Taylor noted, Mauricio Pochettino's men were largely at fault for allowing Chelsea in with such ease, and all after having started so well:

To their credit, the visitors were able to claim some momentum back before the half-time whistle. However, they could not grab a goal back and Chelsea defended their 2-0 deficit to the break.

Jose Mourinho made a change for the second half as Kurt Zouma came on in place of Gary Cahill at centre-back, the Englishman having picked up a knock in the opening 45, per ESPN FC:

Spurs had more of the ball after the break, but Chelsea were clearly comfortable to sit on their lead and make their opponents do the work as they maintained their two-goal cushion.

The hosts had a couple of opportunities on the break, including Cesc Fabregas releasing Drogba well only for the Ivorian to shoot straight at Lloris.

Indeed, it was Tottenham pushing forward that eventually led to the knockout blow when Remy—on as a replacement for Drogba—was found on the edge of Spurs' high defensive line in the 73rd minute. The Frenchman then outmuscled Vertonghen and finished with aplomb. 

Football writer Miguel Delaney noted a lack of steel in Spurs' defence, which could well prove an issue in the future against the top sides:

It was a clinical performance from the Blues, who maintain their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League over Manchester City—who themselves beat Sunderland on Wednesday.

The Blues also extended their unbeaten run in this season's league campaign to 14 matches. The possibility of an entire season without a loss seems all the more likely as Mourinho's men continue to impress.

Selected Player Grades

Didier Drogba: A

Chelsea's Ivorian striker clearly still has what it takes to terrorise defences at the top level. With Diego Costa suspended, Drogba made just his second league start of the season and set up the Blues' opener before scoring the second.

As sports reporter Ian Abrahams highlights, the 36-year-old historically performs well against Spurs and he wasted little time in piling the pain on the north London side:

Mourinho is a lucky man to have Drogba at his disposal and, although age is clearly catching up with the former Galatasaray man—who came off after 66 minutes—Wednesday saw a vintage performance from a Chelsea legend.

Oscar: A-

Oscar continued his fine season on Wednesday, as his movement and distribution caused Spurs all kinds of problems, the Brazilian consistently linking up well with Willian, Hazard and Drogba.

As The Telegraph's Henry Winter notes, Oscar's work rate—along with that of many others—was key to the Blues wrestling back the first-half initiative after Spurs started well:

He could have bagged himself a goal late on to make it 4-0 but dragged his shot wide. Still, it was a top-class performance from Oscar, who continues to be essential for the Blues. 

Hugo Lloris: C+

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Goalkeepers get a fairly raw deal, as their mistakes are so often more damaging than any outfield player's, and Lloris did make some decent saves on Wednesday.

However, his poor clearance was directly responsible for the second—and crucial—goal that gave Chelsea a cushion from which Spurs were never likely to claw back.

While it was his only glaring mistake of the match, it came at a crucial time, and without it, Spurs could have found a way back into the game. 

Post-Match Reaction

Mourinho was clearly delighted with his side's performance on Wednesday as Chelsea took their goal-tally for the league season to 33 from 14 matches and kept their six-point lead intact, via the Premier League:

With Remy and Drogba both scoring he also commented on his side's ability to play to their best without the missing Costa, the Portuguese praising his side's mentality, per Delaney:

As far as Pochettino was concerned, he expressed his disappointment with the loss but insisted there were positives to be taken from the performance, per Delaney and the Associated Press' Rob Harris:

"

Pochettino says "we take some positives" from Spurs losing 3-0 at Chelsea - playing well in first 20 mins

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) December 3, 2014"