CONTE TO CURSE HIS JOB GOODBYE
Blues boss doomed as Alli brace hands Spurs first win at Bridge for 28 years
THE longest-running Premier League curse is finally over – and we can kiss goodbye to another Chelsea manager.
It was Tottenham’s first win at Stamford Bridge in 28 league games, a run dating back to February 1990, which was six years before two-goal hero Dele Alli was even born.
But far more damning for Chelsea is they are now eight points behind Tottenham and, with only seven games left, the top four spots look as good as sewn up.
And when the Champions League places look out of reach, that is normally when Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich tends to pull the trigger on his managers.
Antonio Conte has been a dead man walking for weeks, unable to repeat last year’s title heroics, and now the game is well and truly up with only the FA Cup left to play for.
That will not be enough to keep Chelsea happy because being out of the Champions League, not being seen as one of Europe’s elite, is the real acid test and the only question for Conte (below) is whether he even gets until the end of the season.
In contrast, this was a massive win for Mauricio Pochettino because it as good as guarantees Tottenham’s place in the top four and ends the hoodoo against their fierce London rivals.
No team has gone for such a long time in the Premier League era without an away win at a single opponent and you always felt that if there was to be a match winner it had to be Alli.
Dropped by England, his World Cup starting place thrown into doubt by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate, this was a brilliant response by a brilliant player who always plays on the edge.
Alli was clinical for his first, a poacher for his second, and the travelling fans loved it, celebrating a huge day, while Stamford Bridge was half-empty by the final whistle as Chelsea supporters had seen enough.
Midfielder Alli has now been directly involved in 60 goals in 100 Premier League games for Spurs, scoring 36 and assisting 24. He is priceless for the north London side and will surely be irresistible for England at the World Cup. But just as important was Alli’s attitude, determined to prove a point and that typified Tottenham’s never-say-die spirit, even after going behind.
The hosts were much the better team in the first half, Antonio Rudiger drove forward, fed Victor Moses, and his right-wing cross was horribly misjudged by keeper Hugo Lloris. That allowed Alvaro Morata
to head home almost unchallenged after 30 minutes.
But, rather in keeping with their season, the Blues were the architects of their own downfall in first-half injury time. Moses could have easily cleared, but gave the ball to Ben Davies, who combined with Alli to get it to Christian Eriksen.
Eriksen always has an eye for the spectacular, the Denmark midfielder unleashed a sensational 25-yard dipping, swirling, curling shot which sailed over stand-in keeper Willy Caballero and crashed in off the underside of the bar.
From a position of strength and superiority, Chelsea went in downbeat and Tottenham came out for the second half with their tails up. The game had swung in their favour.
Eric Dier’s brilliant 63rd-minute through-ball cut Chelsea’s defence apart, Alli – playing almost as a second striker and on the shoulder of the last man – raced through, controlled it brilliantly and then fired past Caballero. Four minutes later, it was all over. Heung-Min Son went through, Caballero made a brave block and then Alli, showing immense composure, set himself up with a lovely touch before slotting calmly home.
Chelsea threw everything at Tottenham but Pochettino’s men held firm. And the Blues lacked the quality to break them down. The next manager faces a major rebuilding job at the Bridge.
Sky had done a highly entertaining advert for this fixture, showing how many US presidents and Prime Ministers there had been since Tottenham last won at Chelsea.
They had probably lost count of how many Blues managers there had been during that time, especially during the Abramovich era, and now they will have to add Conte’s name to the long list.
What a great shame a club can unravel so quickly after last year’s success. But, yet again, Chelsea’s players have done for their manager.