sport news PLAYER RATINGS: Chelsea shine in 2-0 win over Tottenham with one player's ... trends now
Goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday, dealing a blow to Spurs' hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Former academy defender Chalobah headed the ball expertly into the top corner from a Conor Gallagher free kick 35 metres out in the 24th minute.
Senegal's Jackson calmed home nerves against the run of play in the 72nd minute when he was on hand to head home after a free kick from Chelsea top scorer Cole Palmer hit the bar and bounced down.
The three points, taking them to eighth, were vital for the push by Chelsea, under former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino, towards a Europa League place after a disappointing season but left Tottenham seven points adrift of the top four.
Mail Sport's Kieran Gill rated the players.
Djordje Petrovic – 7.5
Should have brought a crossword to keep him occupied as Tottenham gave him hardly anything to do in the first half. Stayed alert in the second half to keep his clean sheet.
Alfie Gilchrist – 8.5
Gilchrist versus Son was essentially the least experienced player on the pitch versus the most experienced, and yet Chelsea’s 20-year-old one of their own handled the occasion superbly.
Trevoh Chalobah – 8.5
Commanding header to give Chelsea a deserved lead – followed by VAR taking way too long to verify it – as Chalobah also showed his defensive nous whenever it was needed on a night of dominance.
Benoit Badiashile – 8.5
After a superb second-half showing at Aston Villa, Badiashile again demonstrated his defensive solidity, as he and Chalobah earned every penny of their clean sheet bonus.
Marc Cucurella – 9
Performance full of positivity as he moved into midfield when Chelsea had the ball, while he did a warrior-like job defensively as Johnson and Co struggled to ever get the better of him. My player of the match.
Moises Caicedo – 8.5
Caicedo has benefitted from having Gallagher – or at least a partner who is fully fit – beside him in midfield and this was another game in which he showed why Chelsea signed him.
Conor Gallagher – 8.5
Chelsea fans organised a grand display for him pre-match and he injected the energy at the heart of this injury-ravaged team. Assisted Chalobah for his headed opener.
Noni Madueke – 8.5
Curled a 20-yarder narrowly over the crossbar – we’ll blame the bobble – amid what was a positive performance down the right. Never shirked his defensive duties in helping Gilchrist, either.
Cole Palmer – 8
Free-kick from 25 yards crashed back off the underside of the crossbar to set up Jackson to head home Chelsea's second on a night when every player worked hard for the team.
Mykhailo Mudryk – 8
Energetic force down the left. When Mudryk is playing as confidently as
