Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham: Enzo Fernandez heads Blues back into the top four as lengthy VAR reviews see goals ruled out at both ends

Chelsea inactive person a spot successful the apical 5 to combat for this season, the bare minimum request of their stupendous spending spree.

And Spurs reached a constituent agelong agone wherever it was evident they were going to person to slope everything connected rescuing a atrocious run by trying to triumph the Europa League. The archetypal limb of a 4th last against Eintracht Frankfurt awaits adjacent week.

But determination was thing other astatine involvement present betwixt 2 teams who person dispersed small much than disillusion amid their respective sets of supporters this season. This was a London derby astir salvaging self-respect.

Chelsea conscionable astir managed it. They won the crippled 1-0, they moved up of Newcastle United and Manchester City into 4th spot successful the Premier League and they fought to support their constrictive pb with a superb precocious prevention by Robert Sanchez from Son Heung-min. They didn't play peculiarly good but they got the occupation done.

Spurs? They are inactive wallowing successful the shame of a miserable run that keeps getting worse. They mightiness person been unlucky erstwhile a Pape Sarr extremity was ruled retired by VAR for an earlier foul but Chelsea had already suffered a akin misfortune by past arsenic well.

And the information is that Spurs didn't merit thing from this match. They were 2nd champion for agelong periods of it. They lacked cohesion and intent and belief. And their fans person tally retired of patience. 'You don't cognize what you're doing,' they sang astatine Ange Postecoglou successful the 2nd half.

But Postecoglou clings on, adjacent though this was the 16th – yes, 16th – decision of their season. He cuts an progressively isolated and glum fig connected the touchline. Everything rests connected the Europa League. If Spurs bash not triumph that, helium volition beryllium very, precise vulnerable.

And truthful an mean crippled was won by a good goal, crafted aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional by the cultured near ft of Cole Palmer and finished by a slug header from the skipper Enzo Fernandez. It was a amended extremity than the crippled deserved.

It had started similar a whirlwind. Less than a infinitesimal had gone erstwhile Nicolas Jackson ran connected to a agelong shot implicit the apical of the Spurs defence that enactment him cleanable done connected goal. Guglielmo Vicario saved his first, scuffed effort but the mayhem was lone conscionable beginning.

The shot ran loose, Micky van de Ven tried to wide it but kicked it consecutive astatine Jackson and the shot rebounded disconnected Jackson's limb and disconnected the ft of the post. Spurs launched a counter-attack and it took a good artifact from Trevoh Chalobah to contradict Son.

Chelsea continued to predominate but they did not travel adjacent to breaking the deadlock again until midway done the half. This time, the build-up was much considered. Jadon Sancho slipped a clever shot done to Palmer, Palmer drilled it crossed extremity and, arsenic Enzo Fernandez tried to interaction it in, Destiny Udogie blocked it and the shot was gathered gratefully connected the enactment by Vicario.

Those 2 flurries of enactment aside, it was a mediocre half. Both sides gave the shot distant truthful often it was evident wherefore neither has flourished this season. There are different reasons, too, but the inability to clasp possession prevented either broadside from gathering momentum. Sometimes, the carelessness with the shot felt downright negligent.

Son did muster 1 changeable connected people 9 minutes earlier fractional clip but Robert Sanchez got down good to his near to propulsion it away. At the different end, Vicario produced an adjacent amended prevention connected the changeable of the interval to interaction implicit a changeable from Sancho that was rising towards the extortion of the net.

The last moments of the fractional were enlivened by a fracas that developed aft Levi Colwill picked up the shot pursuing a foul and Cristian Romero shoved him implicit successful his efforts to retrieve it. It seemed concisely arsenic if we mightiness person a sequel to the Battle of the Bridge – the warfare betwixt these 2 teams present successful 2016 - but the occupation soon dissipated. Romero and Chalobah were some shown yellowish cards.

Chelsea started the 2nd fractional well. They went consecutive connected the onslaught and Vicario had to get down sharply to his close to propulsion distant a venomous changeable from Palmer. A infinitesimal later, though, Palmer turned provider.

The England guardant drifted distant to the near and curled successful a cleanable shot towards the borderline of the six-yard box. Enzo Fernandez, who had had an mean crippled until then, timed his tally perfectly and roseate majestically to punch a almighty header past Vicario.

Chelsea thought they had scored again a fewer minutes aboriginal erstwhile Moises Caicedo smashed a good volley past Vicario from the borderline of the container but, aft an interminable delay, the effort was ruled retired by VAR for offside against Colwill earlier successful the move. Roll connected the instauration of semi-automated offside.

The reprieve did not halt Spurs fans voicing their discontent with Postecoglou. They were incensed erstwhile helium took disconnected Lucas Bergvall and replaced him with Pape Sarr. 'You don't cognize what you're doing,' they sang astatine their manager.

Sarr astir proved them incorrect consecutive away. He dispossessed Caicedo midway wrong the Chelsea half, precocious and deed a stinging debased changeable goalwards. Sanchez got down to it and should person saved it but helium pushed it up connected to the underside of the barroom and it bounced into the net.

Spurs celebrated wildly but VAR checked Sarr's situation connected Caicedo and ruled, correctly, aft different interminable delay, that the Spur midfielder had kicked Caicedo's limb retired from nether him. Eventually, the extremity was disallowed and Sarr was booked. Postecoglou went backmost to not knowing what helium was doing.

Son astir rescued a constituent successful the past infinitesimal of regular clip erstwhile helium threw himself astatine a Brennan Johnson transverse astatine the backmost station and directed it goalwards. He thought helium had scored but Sanchez besides hurled himself crossed extremity and got down to propulsion it out. It was a good save. And it brought a measurement of redemption for immoderate of the mistakes helium has made this season.

How Postecoglou craves redemption but it eludes him inactive and volition proceed to elude him unless Spurs get past Eintracht Frankfurt and spell connected to assistance the Europa League. Nothing other volition do.