Fansided

Tottenham snap Chelsea’s 13-game winning streak

By Michael Harshbarger

Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) controls the ball in the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick
Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) controls the ball in the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tottenham defeated Chelsea 2-0 today at White Hart Lane, ending Chelsea’s 13-game winning streak.

Chelsea finally failed to win. In fact, they lost as two Dele Alli headers saw Tottenham notch a huge victory at home against the Premier League leaders.

Antonio Conte’s side had looked nigh unbeatable for most of the season, racking up 13 league wins in a row. Of course, finishing out the rest of the season without dropping any more points was highly unlikely, but Chelsea’s recent play had been so dominating that it was a shock to see them on the losing side.

Tottenham is in the midst of their own fantastic streak, winning five league games on the bounce. Their victory today sees them move up to third in the league table, level on points with fourth-place Manchester City but ahead on goal difference. Spurs are now two points behind second-place Liverpool and seven behind the leaders. Chelsea is now only five points clear at the top.

Christian Eriksen provided both assists with the goals coming on either side of half time. The first came in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half. Eriksen whipped in a cross from the right wing. Alli found himself all alone just outside the six-yard box and guided his header into the top right corner, just out of reach of a diving Thiabaut Courtois.

Alli’s second came in the 54th minute, and it was fairly similar to his first. Eriksen again sent in a cross from just outside the box. This time, Alli drifted toward the back post and headed home from closer range. Courtois was just as hopeless to save this one as the first.

Just as Chelsea seemed on the verge of running away with the Premier League, Tottenham put in a performance that has thrown them into the title chase. Spurs were able to bottle up a Chelsea attack, one that had sliced through opponents, with tenacious defending.

Next: Best Soccer Rivalries of All-Time

Don’t expect Conte to go away from his favored 3-4-3 formation – which has looked unstoppable for months – but this result revealed a chink in the Chelsea armor to the rest of the league.

Home/Premier League