Tottenham ease past toothless Chelsea to pile pressure on Graham Potter

It was hard not to feel for Graham Potter. Chelsea’s head coach has dealt with death threats and abuse. By the end of this defeat he was on the receiving end of mockery from Tottenham’s crowing fans, who told Potter that his sacking was on the way after Harry Kane had sealed the points for Antonio Conte’s side.

This was another drab, lifeless attacking display from Chelsea, who are being kept out of the bottom half of the table on goal difference alone. They created little and had no reply once Tottenham, who have a grip on fourth place, had taken the lead through the outstanding Oliver Skipp. Kane’s 18th goal of the season followed and Chelsea’s season surely now rests on whether they can beat Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The initial sense that Spurs were doing their level best to rebuild Potter’s relationship with Chelsea’s fans would prove misplaced. It was the usual template from the hosts: seven outfield players hanging back, Harry Kane responsible for most of the creativity, and the limitations to the approach soon stood out. One lapse of concentration would have left Spurs chasing the game and they flirted with danger as early as the second minute, anxiety flaring when Chelsea constructed their first attack of note and Raheem Sterling appealed for a penalty after falling under a challenge from Skipp.

Yet Spurs knew that Chelsea, who have scored 23 goals in 24 league games, are uncomfortable against a low block. Solving that lack of bite remains Potter’s most daunting challenge. He would see flashes early on and, having surprised Spurs by using Hakim Ziyech as an auxiliary right wing-back, could take encouragement from the flexibility of his team’s movement.

The question, though, was