Jose parks bus at Bridge
SPURS BOSS GRINDS OUT TOUGH POINT
JOSE MOURINHO turned his great entertainers into grinders to drag Tottenham to the top of the Premier League.
This was a chance for free- scoring Spurs to underline their title credentials, but while they did return to the summit, they didn’t exactly do it in style.
And the only message sent out here was that two of the three top scoring teams in the league may be some way from challenging for Liverpool’s title.
Tottenham never seem to do well here. They have only won once in their last 35 matches at Stamford Bridge and they ended this one trying not to lose.
But victory would have given Spurs their best- ever start to a Premier League season – and after a bright start this will feel like an opportunity lost.
Mourinho’s side had won five in a row in all competitions going into the game but faded quickly.
It’s ironic that the Tottenham boss himself once complained Spurs
“parked the bus” at Stamford Bridge when he was manager of the Blues.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 14 games, with Edouard Mendy managing yet another clean sheet.
Mourinho often springs a surprise in big games and this time it was a first Premier League start for Joe Rodon.
The defender, 23, had only managed 10 minutes of top- flight action since joining Spurs from Swansea last month.
Rodon was one of 10 changes Mourinho made from the side which brushed Ludogorets aside 4- 0 in the
Europa League on Th Thursday night. i ht But they started this one with the same intent, Steven Bergwijn firing a decent chance over and then having a shot blocked by Mateo Kovacic.
Timo Werner had a goal rightly ruled out at the other end for offside, but Mendy was quickly at full stretch to palm away a fierce effort from Serge Aurier.
Chelsea started the second half much better, but Tammy Abraham wasted two great chances to score from beautiful Reece James crosses.
And while Spurs retreated into their shell, the home side struggled to make them pay, with Hugo Lloris enjoying a comfortable afternoon.
Mason Mount changed that by jinking inside and forcing the Frenchman to tip away a blistering shot with a fine diving save. By th then F Frank Lampard had thrown the kitchen sink at it, bringing Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud and Kai Havertz off the bench.
Giroud had a glorious chance to repeat his European heroics, when he fired the Blues through to the Champions League knockout stages with a goal at Rennes.
But after intercepting a terrible header back by Rodon he snatched at the chance and chipped it right into the hands of his countryman Lloris.
Mourinho was hopping mad moments later when another sub, Giovani Lo Celso, fired a great chance at the other end well wide on the counter- attack.
But it would have been unjust for Spurs to nick it after a negative second half in which they rarely threatened.