Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match
Chelsea held Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Monday, handing Leicester City their first Premier League title in the process.
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son gave the visitors a two-goal lead during a feisty first half, but Gary Cahill pulled a goal back early in the second. During a frantic finale, Eden Hazard scored his first goal at Stamford Bridge in almost a year, a strike that handed Leicester and former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri the title.
With the result, Spurs can no longer catch the Foxes, who will host Everton next week and will be able to celebrate their title in front of their own fans.
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As shared by Spurs’ official Twitter account, Son replaced the suspended Dele Alli in the starting XI:
Hazard started on the bench for Chelsea, with Pedro receiving a spot in the starting XI.
Cahill headed the first chance of the match just wide, outjumping Toby Alderweireld during a corner kick, but the opening stages of the contest were headlined more by rash challenges and minor incidents than chances.
Alderweireld took out Cesc Fabregas, and Moussa Dembele did the same to John Obi Mikel—something the home fans didn’t appreciate.
Stamford Bridge screamed for a penalty when Kyle Walker appeared to shove Nemanja Matic in the back as he was about to connect with a cross, but the official didn't bite.
The Blues were the better side early, and Spurs had to resort to plenty of hard tackles to keep the hosts at bay, per Squawka Football:
Most of the danger came from set pieces, with Fabregas firing over a first-time shot wide of Hugo Lloris’ goal after a corner. The chance was followed by even more handbags, as Walker appeared to kick out at Pedro after a duel, but the official again didn’t produce a card.
Christian Eriksen missed the target with a volley after the Blues failed to clear a corner, before Fabregas fired the best chance of the match until then just wide. Diego Costa did well to find his Spanish team-mate, but Fabregas couldn’t keep his low shot on target.
ESPN FC’s Miguel Delaney couldn’t help but take a shot at last year’s champions, who were in great form early:
Son should have done better after great work from Erik Lamela, taking too long on the ball before firing a good chance wide, before Kane tried his luck with an ambitious free-kick from some 40 yards out.
Spurs grew into the match as the half wore on, and past the half-hour mark, the visitors were in control. Their efforts were rewarded after 35 minutes, as Lamela picked out Kane with a great through ball, and the Premier League’s top scorer rounded Asmir Begovic before finishing.
As shared by the Premier League’s official Twitter account, the goal set a new personal mark for Kane:
Costa didn't take the setback well and immediately got into a shoving match with Jan Vertonghen, who lost his focus in the aftermath and almost allowed Fabregas to pull the Blues level.
On the other side of the pitch, Son should have made it 2-0 after a blocked shot fell kindly to him, but the Korean couldn't put any real power behind his toe-poke.
He made up for it shortly after, however, as Eriksen found his team-mate with another great through ball, and this time, Son didn't miss. Sport Witness thought the second goal wouldn't go down well in Leicester:
Yet another row broke out just before half-time, with just about every player on the pitch joining the fray. Even Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino got involved, as he tried to break up a fight. Rob Harris of the Associated Press shared this shot of the incident:
Hazard made his way onto the pitch to start the second half, but the first chance of the half fell to the visitors, as Begovic easily saved a header from Kane.
The stopper had to deny the youngster again a few minutes later, producing a nice reflex save after a well-worked attack had sent him through on goal. On the other side of the pitch, Hazard turned to find some space before testing Lloris.
Son nearly added a second goal to his tally with a curling strike, just missing the far post, before Willian fired a corner right into the feet of Cahill, who pulled his team back within a goal with a hard strike.
Per Sky Sports News HQ, Chelsea fans weren't the only people happy with that goal:
Spurs knew they couldn't afford to start playing defensive football and concede another goal, and Pochettino urged his troops to move forward again in search of a third goal. But Chelsea were hitting their stride at this point, and Willian should have done better after a smart turn from Costa, firing his shot straight at Lloris.
Tottenham tried to combat the threat with possession-based football, keeping the ball away from the hosts, but the Blues continued to find chances, with Branislav Ivanovic pushing a header wide. Hazard also went close, firing a low shot inches wide of the post.
Begovic produced an excellent save to deny Eriksen, and Ivanovic blocked the rebound, but Chelsea pushed just as hard for a goal, and the final 10 minutes of the match played out at a frantic pace. Ryan Mason just couldn't reach Lane's cross, with any contact whatsoever likely guaranteeing a win for Spurs, before Hazard broke the hearts of the visitors.
The Belgian curled a lovely strike into the top corner for his first goal at Stamford Bridge in a long time:
The goal signaled the start of yet another series of incidents, with both teams targeting players from the other side, but it only aided Chelsea in their quest to keep Spurs from scoring. Walker even left the pitch with a bloody nose at one point, as the match descended into chaos.
The numerous incidents led to six minutes of stoppage time to the despair of Leicester fans, but Chelsea would hang on and end the title race.
Spurs will host Southampton in Week 37, while Chelsea will visit Sunderland.
Post-Match Reaction
Per Delaney, Pochettino insisted on congratulating Leicester on their title before he began his presser:
He also thought his team's overly aggressive approach was a result of their emotions, but refused to go any deeper.
Per reporter Carrie Brown, Hiddink said Leicester manager Ranieri called him after the final whistle, thanking the Blues for the result.
