Didier Drogba grabbed a goal and an assist in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Eden hazard sent a low shot through goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ after a slick one-two with the Ivoirian, who then doubled the lead with his first chance of the night, thumping home a crisp finish few minutes later.
Loic Remy’s second-half effort wrapped up three points for the Blues, who maintain their six points lead over nearest rivals Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League table.
Jose Mourinho’s men are still unbeaten after fourteen rounds of matches, with next weekend’s trip to Newcastle beckoning.
Jan Vertonghen headed over from close range and Harry Kane smashed a header against the crossbar. Aside both chances, in the opening six minutes at Stamford Bridge, Spurs struggled to impose themselves on a very confident Chelsea side.
Getting back to winning ways was crucial for Jose Mourinho’s men, who were held to a stalemate by Sunderland last Saturday.
Both sides made one change apiece, with Drogba replacing the suspended Diego Costa up front while Tottenham introduced Erik Lamela for Roberto Soldado.
The last time Spurs won at Stamford Bridge, Nigeria had 21 States. Fifteen different managers have arrived at White Hart Lane since then and success at Westside London remains a holy grail.
Nonetheless, there was no denying it was another local derby as Mauricio Pochettino’s men got off to a bright start in the opening ten minutes.
Vertonghen missed a header from close range in the 4th minute. Aaron Lennon found Kane inside the area moments later but the English striker’s header came off the crossbar.
Sooner had Chelsea began keeping ball did Hazard turn in the opener. The Belgian cut in from the left, traded a neat one-two with Drogba before rifling past Lloris from close range on 19 minutes.
Lloris was ruthlessly punished for a poor clearance four minutes later, with Hazard and Oscar combining to open up the visitors’ back-four; the Brazilian teed up Drogba who finished from inside the box.
Chelsea dominated play afterwards and Lloris, despite his earlier flops, proved Spurs’ saving grace. The ‘Lilly Whites’ were left ruing those missed chances at the interval.
Pochettino’s half-time team talk failed to disrupt the hosts’ momentum on restart. Oscar continued to barge into Spurs’ back four with little or no resistance.
Even Drogba’s substitution presented a different problem for Spurs in Remy, who needed only 6 minutes to impress the home crowd.
The French striker turned smartly and shrugged off Vertonghen before slotting the ball into the bottom corner to seal three points.
