If Chelsea’s first two victories this month had amounted to a sort of suffocation, with the nature of their dominance slowly crushing Tottenham with a vice-like grip, the third act of this one-sided derby felt rather more spectacularly fatal. Yes, the goal itself that broke the deadlock was one of those truly breathtaking moments: a stunning Hakim Ziyech shot that gathered certainty as it curled towards the top corner. But the manner of this 2-0 victory, and the vast gap between these two close rivals, has felt as though it has only become more stretched with recent familiarity.
There will be some Tottenham supporters who rightly feel aggrieved after Harry Kane had a goal controversially disallowed in the first half for a faint push on Thiago Silva, but this was the type of performance that embodied Antonio Conte’s frustrations and will only fuel his irritation over a lack of reinforcements.
