Chelsea were in control from the start in this one, and went ahead fairly early when Scott Parker fell asleep on a corner. Oscar was there to take advantage, heading the ball home to put Chelsea up 1-0.
Chelsea looked like it was only a matter of time before they extended the lead to 2-0, but Tottenhma struck next on the counter. After Chelsea gave away possession after a corner, Spurs quickly countered and Emanuel Adebayor hit a stunning curler that was always destined for the back of the net.
The goal seemed to stun Chelsea, but they'd recover before the half as Ramires knocked in a fantastic finish to restore the Chelsea lead. Halfway through the game, Chelsea looked likely to come away with at least a point.
They'd start the second half in the same manner that they played most of the first. Chelsea looked dangerous, and far more likely to score the game's 4th goal than their North London opponents. No goals came before the 80th minute though, and when that goal finally came, it was Tottenham who scored it. That would be the end of the scoring, and both sides would finish their game in hand over Arsenal with a point. Here are a few thoughts in the immediate aftermath of this one:
- As has been the pattern of late, Rafa seemed to select an appropriate lineup for the fixture. His rotation of the squad for his first few months here was laughable, but since the Southampton debacle I really think he's done an excellent job in this regard.
- Fernando Torres was just fantastic today, despite not scoring a goal. Maybe it wasn't a kidnapped Edinson Cavani in disguise over the past few weeks wearing the #9 jersey.
- How bad was Gareth Bale today? The form he's been in had me terrified, but he might as well have stayed in North London for all he contributed to the game.
- I loved the lineup run out by Rafa Benitez today, but his substitutions continue to baffle me. What is his obsession with using Yossi Benayoun lately, anyway? Of all the substitutions Rafa could have made with the game 2-2, Yossi for Oscar made about as little sense as any of them.
- While dropping points today is disappointing, it's still probably a very solid result for Chelsea. One win from their final 2 games will now assure them Champions League football next season, while winning both will assure we finish above both Spurs and Arsenal in 3rd. Things could certainly be worse...