Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League after defeating London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Thursday night.
Premier League
Result: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Date: 02 May 2024
Venue: Stamford Bridge
The home side made just one change from the draw with Aston Villa as Alfie Gilchrist comes in for Thiago Silva, who is left out of the squad completely, while Spurs coach Ange Postecoglu dropped James Maddison for Brennan Johnson.
The Blues almost got off to the perfect start when Mudryk slipped Nicolas Jackson through on goal and while the Senegalese's strike beat Vicario, Micky van de Ven rushed back to deny a clear goal.
The opening goal fell to the home side on 24 minutes as Conor Gallagher's free-kick found central defender Trevoh Chalobah, who rose above his marker to head home from close range.
Spurs had to wait until the 37th minute for a big chance, which came from a set-piece when Pedro Porro's free-kick found the head of Cristian Romero, who was unable to keep his header on target.
The visitors were a lot more livelier in the second period as they went in search of an equaliser, but they were let down by their decision-making in the final third.
Postecoglu responded with a triple change for the final 30 minutes as Maddison, Pierre Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur replaced Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Richarlison in the attack.
However, it was Chelsea who got the next goal as Palmer's free-kick crashed against the crossbar and bounced back into to play, where Jackson was on hand to head home from close range.
The defeat is a big blow for Spurs, who could have moved level on points with fourth-place Aston Villa while the Blues move up to eighth spot.
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