Chelsea welcomed Tottenham to Stamford Bridge 192 days ago for their second Premier League game of the season.
After beating Everton on the opening weekend of the 2022/23 campaign, the Blues faced Spurs six days later full of confidence. New co-owner Todd Boehly had just spent around £250million on eight new signings going into the season and there were huge expectations from supporters in regards to the new campaign.
Any match against Tottenham is a special encounter but the return of Antonio Conte to Stamford Bridge just added to the narrative. Chelsea got off to the perfect start when Kalidou Koulibaly's emphatic finish put the Blues 1-0 up in west London. It was exactly what Chelsea deserved after applying plenty of early pressure on Spurs from the first whistle, both on and off the ball.
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Thomas Tuchel, whatever he told his players before the game, was carrying out a fantastic game-plan. Tottenham couldn't get out of their own half and Chelsea were dominant in the opening 45 minutes. It was so refreshing to see a Blues side on the front foot and looking dangerous every time they went forward.
However, their inability to convert their chances (yes, who would have thought it?) came back to bite them. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg equalised for Spurs on 68 minutes to stun Stamford Bridge, but that didn't last for too long.
Reece James put Chelsea back ahead around nine minutes after Spurs' equaliser to send the stadium wild. Stamford Bridge was once again a cauldron of noise but Tottenham ensured the points were shared, with Harry Kane scoring a 96th-minute equaliser.
It was a manic game. It had everything a London derby should have and when the full-time whistle was blown, the mayhem continued. Tuchel and Conte shook hands and ended up going face-to-face, both looking furious, and had to be broken up by their colleagues. It summed up what was a mouthwatering encounter.
Chelsea were left really frustrated they didn't get all three points in what was a very dominant performance against their London rivals. It was really impressive and one we haven't witnessed from the Blues, albeit under a new head coach now, over six months on.
Going into Sunday's away match with Tottenham, Chelsea go into the game in absolutely horrendous form. Graham Potter has led his side to just one victory in the last 10 matches in all competitions, with the head coach now under huge pressure, although football.london understands the 47-year-old still has the backing of the club's board.
Potter will undoubtedly be doing his homework on Spurs as we speak and the 2-2 draw with the north Londoners in August will have been watched by the Blues boss. Of course, it's half a year on so circumstances are different but Potter will have seen how on the front foot Chelsea were on the day and if something like that can be repeated at the weekend, then the Blues have a serious chance of getting a result.
However, this game will be in front of an expectant Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the home faithful not seeing their team beat Chelsea in the Premier League in almost five years. For Spurs, that is far too long, but the thought of Chelsea losing to Tottenham is almost unthinkable for Blues supporters. It's become like that because of the recent dominance in this fixture.
Potter is expected to make a host of changes to the side that were beaten by Southampton at the weekend. The Chelsea head coach decided to rest both Thiago Silva and James, but the duo are set to come back into the starting line-up for the Spurs showdown.
The centre-back pairing is an interesting and tough decision for Potter. Silva goes without saying, because as we saw at the weekend, Chelsea properly miss the 38-year-old when he is not present in the team. Silva has recently formed an impressive partnership with Benoit Badiashile, but Wesley Fofana was excellent against Southampton and could return to the side.
Let us know your Chelsea XI to take on Tottenham in the comments section down below!
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