Didier Drogba showed that he can be a reliable fill-in for Chelsea’s lead striker Diego Costa as he was responsible for two of his team’s goals at Stamford Bridge.
LONDON — Three observations from Chelsea’s dominant 3-0 Premier League win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
1. History repeats itself, in another show of force from Chelsea
It was not just that Chelsea claimed yet another easy win over Tottenham Hotspur in this 3-0 derby victory. It was that they also immediately bounced back from the laboured and disappointing 0-0 draw at Sunderland.
Jose Mourinho had said on the eve of the Sunderland match that, even if Chelsea suffer bad results this season, he cannot see them having bad periods. They are too strong, too strident, and “in too good a moment.”
It was difficult to deny that here, as they brushed Spurs aside once more, to stay six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table. After a surprisingly assured start from the visitors, Chelsea vigorously responded, with much of that thanks to Didier Drogba. He set up Eden Hazard for the first goal, with the Belgian drilling the ball under Hugo Lloris’s arm on 17 minutes, before then driving past the goalkeeper himself on 22 minutes.
Drogba was eventually replaced by Loic Remy in the second half, and he slotted in the third. The only possible negative was that Nemanja Matic picked up his fifth booking of the season, when forced to take down the again-impressive Harry Kane. Matic will now miss Saturday’s trip to Newcastle.
Chelsea, however, still do not really look like missing a beat.
2. Drogba fills in admirably for Costa
“Forget Diego Costa” was Mourinho’s message on the eve of this game, and Drogba made that all too easy.
In fact, the Ivorian reminded everyone of his best days. He set up the first and scored the second in what was another imposing performance. While you wouldn’t exactly say he’s in the best form of his career, given what he’s achieved, it is remarkable that a 36-year-old can still be so sharp and dominant. Any questions people had about Mourinho’s decision to bring him back at this age, or why he continues to start ahead of Loic Remy when Costa is out, have long been banished.
This was another decisive display to go with his goal in the 1-1 against Manchester United. Here, he offered even more. For the first goal, Drogba held off the Spurs defence in typically strong fashion, to return Hazard’s pass for the Belgian to fire past Hugo Lloris. For the second, the striker showed all the devastating precision of his 2006-07 and 2009-10 seasons, as he simply took the goalkeeper out of the equation when put through by Oscar. No one needed to think of Costa.
In fact, if the Spaniard wasn’t in such special form and Drogba’s older legs were able to carry it, there would even be an argument he could push Costa for a place. Right now, there is no need to worry when he is in the team. We are a long way from last season, when Chelsea’s front options seemed so light.
Drogba is still capable of a show of force, even if we are a long way from his best days.
3. Tottenham self-destruct after starting off brightly
For a brief period at the beginning of this game, it seemed like it would be a different trip to Stamford Bridge for Tottenham, and that because the club appeared to be making strides.
In Sunday’s 2-1 win over Everton, the White Hart Lane side had finally given a full illustration of the type of high-intensity pressing football that Mauricio Pochettino would want, and it was if they were merely picking up from there. They tore at Chelsea in the early stages of the game. Kane quickly hit the bar from a header, before then streaking past Gary Cahill to shoot narrowly wide.
If Harry Kane scored early on, Tottenham might have been able to take advantage of an early strong start to get an upset.
It could easily have been 2-0 after no time at all, and it could have been that Mourinho had prepared for a different Tottenham — one that wasn’t so assured or dynamic, as had been the case for most of this season. That would have been understandable given the fact the manager has such a good record in London derbies, and that Spurs haven’t won here since 1990.
Chelsea did seem a little startled by this level of assurance at their ground. Then, Tottenham stopped to catch their breath, and reality re-asserted itself.
Having blazed at the home side for 15 minutes without reward, Spurs sat, apparently setting themselves up again. Chelsea chose that moment to take full advantage. Eden Hazard powered through the defence to make it 1-0 before Drogba struck minutes later for the second. However, this wasn’t down to Chelsea’s wondrous talent alone.
Just as Tottenham were getting to grips with something new, they were undone by flaws that are all too familiar: an ability to utterly self-destruct and gift superior sides the advantage instead of remaining focused.
For the first goal, Aaron Lennon atrociously failed to track Hazard. For the second, the Belgian forward was the recipient of a woeful kickout from Hugo Lloris, that landed straight on the No. 10’s foot. He played it to Oscar, who easily fed Drogba. The third goal would be the most galling of all.
Substitute Loic Remy — whose abilities are based more on pace than power — bullied Jan Vertonghen in pitiful fashion to simply roll the ball into the corner.
Spurs weren’t quite rolled over in the manner of the 4-0 back in March, but this again reiterated just how much work Pochettino still has to do. We’re still only at the very beginning of any grand transformation.