Tottenham Hotspur boosted their Premier League top-four hopes with a 2-0 victory over rivals Chelsea on Sunday to pile more pressure on Blues manager Graham Potter.
Second-half goals from midfielder Oliver Skipp, one minute after the break, and striker Harry Kane, eight minutes from time, earned Spurs a deserved win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The victory opens up a four-point lead on Newcastle United in the last of the Champions League places, albeit they have played two games more.
The result leaves Chelsea languishing in 10th place, 14 points behind Tottenham, and continues a miserable run of form that has now been extended to one win in their past 11 matches in all competitions. It was also a third straight defeat without scoring a goal and the Blues are closer to the relegation zone, with 10 points separating them from 18th-placed Everton, than the top four.
“Overall, we were happy enough with our performance and then the start of the second half has made it really difficult for us," Potter said. "We huffed and puffed without doing enough to score but overall it is a disappointing loss for us."
Having spent more than £500 million ($600m) on players this season and the inevitable challenge of getting a new team to click, there is some sympathy for the position Potter finds himself in. But the lack of progress amid a prolonged downturn in form and little evidence to suggest that the team will soon turn a corner, mean concerns must be growing.
To compound the problems, Thiago Silva, Chelsea's leading central defender who has been consistently excellent this season, went off injured in the 19th minute.
"You can feel the desire of the players to turn results around," Potter said, "but sometimes you go through moments where you have to suffer."
The former Brighton manager spoke this week of the mental toll that run has taken as he has had to deal with abuse from supporters aimed at his family.
Chelsea's new owners have remained steadfast in their support of Potter, although patience must be wearing thin and the Blues chairman and co-owner Todd Boehly was in attendance to watch another toothless display from his club in North London.
Chelsea have scored only one goal in their last six games and never showed any fight for their beleaguered manager after falling behind just seconds into the second half.
Neither side hit their stride in a bad-tempered first period, which the visitors were lucky to finish with 11 men.
After consultation with his assistant, referee Stuart Attwell showed Hakim Ziyech a straight red card for a push into the face of Emerson Royal. However, Attwell then reversed the decision after viewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Chelsea did not take advantage of that let-off as they fell behind just 19 seconds after the break.
Kepa Arrizabalaga saved Emerson Royal's initial effort, but the Spanish goalkeeper should have done better than turning Skipp's shot in off the underside of the bar for his first Spurs goal.
"It was an unbelievable goal [from Skipp] and what a time to get your first," Kane said. "He has been working hard so it was nice to see that one fly in."
Tottenham were again without their manager Antonio Conte as the former Chelsea coach recovers from emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder, but Spurs have a 100 per cent record with his assistant Cristian Stellini in charge.
Kane made sure of his side's first league win over Chelsea in nine attempts – and first at the new stadium – when the England captain swept home Eric Dier's flick on from Son Heung-min's corner eight minutes from time.
"Chelsea have been a difficult opponent for us over the last few years, so it's a really important win to keep us around fourth," Kane said. "Overall I thought we deserved the win."
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Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
