Chelsea vs Tottenham: Five things we learned as Olivier Giroud scores on return

Olivier Giroud scores as Blues strengthen grip on fourth place

Olivier Giroud of Chelsea celebrates (Getty Images)

Chelsea bounced back from Monday night’s home defeat to Manchester United with a convincing and deserved 2-1 win over Tottenham.

With the battle for fourth place growing ever-tighter and the pressure on some managers increasing, a positive result here was vital for Frank Lampard‘s side in particular.

It was, therefore, no surprise to see the home team start on the front foot in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off, with the recalled Olivier Giroud making the most of that attacking approach by scoring inside 15 minutes.

The striker buried his shot at the second attempt, after his first effort was saved and Ross Barkley struck the rebound against the post.

A flowing team move resulted in Barkley also teeing up Marcos Alonso to drive home the second just minutes into the second half, with Spurs unable to muster any real kind of response until a late own goal from Antonio Rudiger. Here are five things we learned from Chelsea’s return to winning form at Stamford Bridge, with VAR decisions once again in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

1. Tottenham can’t break Chelsea’s high press

Jose Mourinho‘s approach was evident from early on: sit back, allow Chelsea possession and try to frustrate them, while also hitting direct passes to start counter-attacks from deep.

Unfortunately it was an approach which didn’t come close to succeeding, largely because of an inability to break the home side’s press.

Spurs had errors on the ball in their own half with regularity, while Chelsea’s front five or six hunted in packs to great effect.

Lampard’s side were well-drilled, had a clear belief in the approach they were taking into the game and made it work to their advantage by exerting control over large portions of the game, at least while the scoreline was close.

2. Approaches reflected in wing-backs’ positions

It wasn’t just on-the-ball where the contrasting styles and mentalities were visible, but also in the positioning of certain players.

Both teams went with back three systems, utilising wing-backs to stretch width and supply the attack – at least, in theory.

In practice it was only Chelsea’s who actually achieved that, with Marcos Alonso arguably the game’s stand-out performer and both he and Reece James heavily involved in build-up play.

Their vastly higher starting positions, compared to Japhet Tanganga and Ben Davies, allowed them to frequently break into the box or combine with the front three, while Alonso also scored what ended being the winning goal.

By contrast, neither of the Spurs duo produced a shot, a key pass or an accurate cross between them.

3. Giroud’s timely reminder

Chelsea’s French striker Olivier Giroud (AFP via Getty Images)

After an impressive cameo against Man United on Monday, Olivier Giroud was finally restored to the starting lineup for Chelsea, with fit-again Tammy Abraham on the bench.

Lampard was rewarded by a bright performance full of clever movement, goal threat and good link-up play.

Giroud’s first Premier League goal of the season set the tone for an excellent first hour for the hosts, and when he was subbed off on 70 minutes the home fans gave him deserved acclaim.

He might still return to being a sub once Abraham is back in, but surely he’ll at least play the important squad role he’s clearly capable of, after complaints from the management that the team lacked goals.

4. VAR raises eyebrows...again

Giovani Lo Celso was at the centre of a real debate in the second half, with a foul on Cesar Azpilicueta triggering more concerns over the application of VAR.

His attempted control, or possibly shielding, of the ball resulted in him standing on Azpilicueta’s outstretched leg.

There didn’t look any particular intent to do so, but the fact it came high up on the Chelsea skipper gave rise to a check for serious foul play and a possible red card – which returned a negative call.

Fast forward a few minutes and the news through from the TV commentary was that Stockley Park had admitted the decision was wrong: Lo Celso should have seen red after all. It didn’t do much good for Chelsea in the game, with Spurs scoring a late consolation and pressing for an equaliser, and there was even confusion over whether a suspension could be still handed down after the fact.

Mixed messages, human error and no consistency – just what everybody detests the most about the entire situation.

5. Champions League spots still open...but favour Chelsea once more

Having lost the chance to open ground between themselves and the challengers at the start of the week, Chelsea took a big step away from Spurs today.

The gap between the pair is now four points once more, with 11 games left in the league season.

Consistency will still dictate who achieves the fourth-place finish, but Lampard’s side must take as much heart from their own performance as they can from Spurs’ lack of offensive intent.

The European midweek fixture against Bayern Munich is almost a free hit now, with this one being the most crucial fixture in terms of the entire season. It’s in Chelsea’s hands, and it’s up to them to hold on.