sport news EIGHT THINGS WE LEARNED from the pre-season draw between Chelsea and Tottenham 

sport news EIGHT THINGS WE LEARNED from the pre-season draw between Chelsea and Tottenham 
sport news EIGHT THINGS WE LEARNED from the pre-season draw between Chelsea and Tottenham 

Chelsea and Tottenham shared the spoils in their pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge as the away side pegged them back to earn a 2-2 draw. 

Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura were both on target to cancel out Hakim Ziyech's double, despite the Blues looking like they might run away with it in west London

While it was only a pre-season clash, there were plenty of talking points and things to look out for with Thomas Tuchel looking to turn his Champions League winners into Premier League title contenders, while Nuno Espirito Santo continues to whip his new side into shape ahead of the season opener. 

Sportsmail takes a look at eight things we learned as the two Premier League rivals went head to head.

Chelsea and Tottenham shared the spoils in their pre-season friendly as they drew 2-2

Chelsea and Tottenham shared the spoils in their pre-season friendly as they drew 2-2 

Kante pivotal to title hopes

Did somebody tell N'Golo Kante this was a friendly tonight? It seems the Frenchman doesn't care what game he's playing in - he leaves the pitch with an empty tank regardless. The midfielder was absolutely everywhere.

He played a crucial role in their Champions League triumph and he's set to be pivotal when it comes to Chelsea going for another Premier League crown. 

We know how big Kante is when it comes to breaking up play but here he was also one of the chief creative forces - making huge tackles but immediately pushing forward to get attacks going. 

Ngolo Kante ran the show as he covered ground and created chances at the other end and will play a huge role in Chelsea's title chances

Ngolo Kante ran the show as he covered ground and created chances at the other end and will play a huge role in Chelsea's title chances

That was most evident in Chelsea's opener as he got down low to win the ball of Lucas Moura on the half way line, before skipping towards Tottenham's box and giving the ball to Ziyech for his long-range strike. 

Kante has proven that he almost guarantees success for whichever team he plays for and as long as he stays fit Chelsea should be right up there challenging for their first title since 2018. 

Has Hugo been ousted?

No Hugo Lloris on Nuno's teamsheet once again and the signs are ominous for the long-serving France captain. 

Lloris is back in training after his Euro 2020 campaign with Les Bleus but hasn't started any of Tottenham's three pre-season matches, with Joe Hart, Alfie Whiteman and now new signing Pierluigi Gollini all deployed in between the sticks. 

The veteran shot-stopper was on the bench for the 3-1 win over MK Dons last time out, with Whiteman in goal instead, but Lloris wasn't even in the matchday squad for the game against Chelsea as Gollini was handed his debut.  

Hugo Lloris faces an uncertain future at Spurs after being left out of the game at the Bridge

Hugo Lloris faces an uncertain future at Spurs after being left out of the game at the Bridge

New signing Pierluigi Gollini was the man in between the sticks and looks to be first choice

New signing Pierluigi Gollini was the man in between the sticks and looks to be first choice

The last thing you want is for a new signing to be handed a chance against a big club - even if it is a friendly. It doesn't exactly signal huge respect to an experienced player who is closing in on a decade at the club. 

To be fair to Gollini - who is on loan from Atalanta - he made a handful of impressive stops to keep the score modest, saving from Werner and Ziyech, and allowing Spurs to recover before hauling themselves level later on.

Nuno will have to make a huge decision if he opts for Gollini in the pre-season opener against Man City, but with just one more warm-up match to come against Arsenal, it seems unlikely he would suddenly hand Lloris the gloves. 

Time for Ziyech to step into the spotlight

Ziyech's Chelsea career has been severely disrupted by injuries - he was out from last pre-season to October with a knee problem then was ruled out again in December with a hip issue. 

He never really bounced back after linking up with the squad again despite the fact he still managed six goals from 39 appearances in all competitions. Now is the chance for him to kick off from the get-go after he shone so brightly against Spurs. 

Ziyech played just behind Werner and looked comfortably in the central area despite having the ability to play on either flank. This is where Chelsea are likely to get the most joy out of him, although he'll be battling for that position with Mason Mount. 

Hakim Ziyech was brilliant on the night with two goals to stake his place for a first team spot

Hakim Ziyech was brilliant on the night with two goals to stake his place for a first team spot

Injuries have hampered his Chelsea career but he can go on to become a key player now

Injuries have hampered his Chelsea career but he can go on to become a key player now

For Thomas Tuchel, this is a good problem to have and he'll be looking to switch the pair around and get them linking up together fluently. Ziyech arrived from Ajax with a huge reputation and a £37m price tag but this can be a soft reboot for him after his brace at Stamford Bridge. 

He's shown his boss how important he can be for the team, now he just needs the chance to showcase it when it really matters. 

Is there life after Kane? 

Well, there might be. 

We've seen Son Heung-min step up so many times after Harry Kane has picked up an injury during the season and the burden was on him here to lead the line with the club's talisman going AWOL this summer. 

The South Korean has pledged his future to the club by signing a new deal and could be the man to fill the void through the middle should Kane get his big-money move to Manchester City. 

The Spurs forwards coped well up front without Harry Kane as he continues to push for a move

The Spurs forwards coped well up front without Harry Kane as he continues to push for a move

Should Kane get his move to City, Nuno Espirito Santo must wisely reinvest the huge sum

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