EPL update: Tottenham Hotspur hold Chelsea 1-1 (Part I)
In a nutshell: Chelsea looked set for their first win in seven games when Heurelho Gomes brought down fellow Brazilian Ramires inside the penalty box. Didier Drogba stepped up but his effort was superbly saved
by Gomes as the Spurs settled for a draw.
Didier Drogba had levelled things up after the half-time break with a fierce shot which was too hot for Gomes to hold on to and it popped into the net. Tottenham had opened the scoring through Roman Pavlyuchenko with an excellent
turn and low shot.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with his team’s performance. He told BBC Sport: "We have to be happy because we played well against a strong team away from home. We had the chance to win with the penalty, but our performance
was good and we can look forward with confidence now. This performance was a good place to start."
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp on his side's pulsating draw with Chelsea: “I've watched it again, and it was hand-ball by Didier Drogba in the build-up, but he hit that with real power. Heurelho Gomes would probably save it normally
but he made up for it with the penalty.
"It was exciting, which is what people pay to watch. It was end to end stuff and wide open, both teams did a lot of attacking but the end product wasn't there - the keepers didn't have a lot to save."
The details: Chelsea had the opportunity to go atop the League table if they managed all three points at White Hart Lane, while a win would have put Harry Redknapp's men within three points of leaders Arsenal,
so there was plenty to play for at White Hart Lane.
The big news for Chelsea was that Didier Drogba, who has scored just once in eight league games, dropped to the bench. Frank Lampard was on the bench too, as he recovered from tendon and groin problems that have kept him out since
August. Chelsea welcomed back Ashley Cole and Jon Mikel Obi in place of Jose Bosingwa and Josh McEachran in the other two changes from the team that lost to Marseille in midweek.
Michael Dawson returned to captain Spurs as William Gallas pulled his hamstring in practice. Gallas missed the chance to play against his former club. Alan Hutton was in at right-back while Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon were back
in midfield at the expense of Niko Kranjcar and Jermaine Jenas, who played in Tuesday's 3-3 draw with FC Twente.
Chelsea had the first effort on goal - Nicolas Anelka dragged a hopeful shot wide from about 25 yards out. On the other end, Branislav Ivanovic left John Terry in trouble with a dangerous ball across his own back-line, and his
skipper recovered well under pressure from Roman Pavlyuchenko.
It was very tight in midfield but Michael Essien started with real purpose for Chelsea. He played a couple of corking passes in the first couple of minutes and had a couple of shots from distance too.
In the 19th minute, Roman Pavlyuchenko opened the scoring for the Spurs as Jermain Defoe controlled a long ball and was able to cut in with ease, unchallenged, before feeding Pavlyuchenko inside the box. Again, no tackle was forthcoming,
and the Russian was able to turn and fire past Petr Cech and into the bottom corner. It looked like the same old story for Chelsea.
Gareth Bale fell on the ground like someone had shot him under challenge from Michael Essien. He twisted his leg but it looked like he would be able to continue. Well, slightly better for Chelsea as Ramires curled a low cross from
the right and Salomon Kalou reached the ball first at the near post, but failed to keep his shot down.
Another sniff for Chelsea, and it was Kalou again. He got his head to a Nicolas Anelka cross but Heurelho Gomes was up for it. That early Tottenham goal opened the game up; it was a treat for neutrals – it was all about attacking
for both teams. The game was being played at breathtaking pace. Chelsea had more possession but Tottenham looked very dangerous on the break.
An absolutely crucial tackle by John Terry denied Jermain Defoe, with the Blues skipper putting a foot in to stop the Tottenham striker from running through on goal. Tottenham looked to take the sting out of this game as half-time
approached, and it seemed to be working. Ramires had to resort to a hopeful shot into the box that was easily collected by Heurelho Gomes.
John Terry then launched a Chelsea attack, which ended with a dangerous ball into the box from Salomon Kalou, but none of his teammates got on the end of it. Kalou was having a busy evening, and was unlucky to see his flicked header
drop the wrong side of the post after he got on the end of a Florent Malouda free-kick.
It was Spurs with the advantage at half-time with Pavlyuchenko's strike the difference between the two sides. Tottenham looked slick in attack and solid at the back. Chelsea had plenty of possession, but not enough penetration.
Those glorious early-season performances seemed a long time ago now.
Chelsea's midfield trio of Essien, Ramires and Mikel against the two of Palacios and Modric were able to keep the ball, but Chelsea were lacking up front. Whenever Anelka left the front line to go wide, other players were reluctant
to join the attack in his place.
To be continued.
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