Sloppy defense costs AVB’s Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur 2-4 Chelsea FC

By Zain Alvi | 20th October 2012

Chelsea came from behind to win 4-2 at Tottenham Hotspur following a series of second half errors from Spurs defenders William Gallas and Kyle Walker.

It was ironic that the match slipped away from the Spurs late in the second half because it was them who first turned the tables on the Blues at White Hart Lane immediately after the interval.

After Gary Cahill’s powerfully struck goal early in the first half gave a dominant Chelsea side a well-deserved lead, the Spurs struggled to restore parity for the remainder of the period.

However, they bounced back strongly after half-time, with Gallas and Jermain Defoe scoring within seven eventful minutes on the back of some aggressive play-making from Aaron Lennon.

For Defoe, it was the 200th goal in English club football and just when it seemed that it could seal all three points for Andre Villas-Boas’ men, chaos ensued.

Gallas was unable to clear the ball inside the Spurs box in the 66th minute, allowing Juan Mata to tuck in an easy equalizer.

The former Chelsea defender was then at fault again merely three minutes later as Spaniard Mata raced past him to latch on to a beautiful Eden Hazard pass and score the visitors’ go-ahead goal.

With the wind knocked out of Tottenham’s sails, and no Gareth Bale or Moussa Dembele to quickly shift back the momentum, Chelsea controlled the remainder of the fixture, demonstrating the type of character that only champions possess.

For the Spurs, there was one more ugly moment to come, as Walker complacently coughed up the ball deep inside the Tottenham half to surrender possession, which ultimately led to a rare goal for Daniel Sturridge, who was targeted by AVB this summer.

Chelsea’s first win at White Hart Lane since 2005 earned them three valuable points that have now propelled them in a commanding position seven points clear of the chasing pack.

For Villas-Boas, it was another bitter encounter with his former team since his sacking in March this year.