Pedro Scores, Leads Chelsea to 2-0 Win over Harry Kane, Tottenham

Chelsea boosted their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Pedro broke the deadlock after 57 minutes, before a Kieran Trippier own goal seven minutes from time iced the game for the Blues.

Chelsea have kept the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester United in the race to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League, The Blues are three points adrift of fourth but have played a game less than their nearest rivals.

Meanwhile, Tottenham's fading title bid is all but over after wins for Manchester City and Liverpool have left the Lilywhites nine points off the pace.

Chelsea Are Wasting Gonzalo Higuain

Gonzalo Higuain scored 36 Serie A goals on Maurizio Sarri's watch during the 2015/16 season, so you'd think the Chelsea boss would have a better idea about how to use the Argentina international.

Yet the Blues are never going to get the best out of Higuain until they vary the tactics around the prolific Juventus loanee. The process must start with getting players closer to the 31-year-old No. 9.

Higuain was an isolated figure against Spurs, particularly during a drab opening 45 minutes. He was cut off against a well-organised Tottenham defence, with centre-back Toby Alderweireld keeping the experienced striker in his pocket.

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The Blues needed to provide proper support for their new frontman. It should have meant Sarri pushing one of of Pedro or Eden Hazard either up alongside or just off his centre-forward.

Both players can thrive in a more advanced role thanks to their pace and perceptive runs in behind. Such movement would have taken markers away from Higuain and given him extra room to exploit in and around the box.

It would also have helped if Sarri's men were to speed up their passing, particularly the transitions through midfield. Higuain is at his best when reacting to quick pull-backs and deft touches inside the area.

Sadly, neither Jorginho, N'Golo Kante nor Mateo Kovacic specialise in releasing runners quickly. It doesn't help that veteran full-backs Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta have each lost a step on the overlap.

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These factors have left the man Chelsea acquired in the January transfer window to score the goals Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata couldn't to feed off scraps.

His lack of service showed against Spurs, when aside from crashing a terrific shot off the post early on, Higuain was barely a factor.

It meant the Blues were still reliant on individual brilliance from their wide men. Although Pedro provided it 12 minutes after the break, Sarri is still waiting to solve season-long problem through the middle.

Spurs' Squad Depth Not Strong Enough for Major Trophies

Tottenham boast a starting XI arguably good enough to win a title. Yet what a recent injury crisis has taught Spurs is they don't have the strength in depth to help land major trophies.

While Harry Winks is a capable technician at the heart of midfield, the 23-year-old isn't a credible replacement for the dynamic Dele Alli. Meanwhile, Moussa Sissoko's running power can't mask the fact the Frenchman doesn't have the discipline defensively that Eric Dier offers in the holding role.

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You only need compare who Spurs turn to when the numbers are thinned with who teams above them can call into action to know why this squad isn't winning trophies.

If Manchester City have injuries in the middle, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez or Phil Foden simply step in. Similarly, leaders Liverpool are able to keep Naby Keita, Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri in reserve for when a spark is needed.

It's a similar story up front where a recent injury to Kane had the Lilywhites relying on ageing target man Fernando Llorente. Contrast that with north London rivals Arsenal, who can sub Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Alexandre Lacazette, one proven goalscorer for another.

Meanwhile, Manchester United let Marcus Rashford nurse his wounds on the bench while Romelu Lukaku bagged a brace in Wednesday's 3-1 win away to Crystal Palace. He was supported by Alexis Sanchez, who came in for injured duo Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard.

Even Chelsea offered Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino a first-hand glimpse of what he must wish he had in reserve. He was likely envious of Sarri when he saw the Italian swap out a player of Hazard's quality for one as accomplished as Willian.

Not being able to go like for like, or at least close to it, at key positions once the fixtures pile up is why Spurs can't last the distance in the race for trophies.

What's Next?

Chelsea are away to struggling Fulham in a west London derby on Sunday. It will also be derby day for Spurs when they host north London rivals Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.