Chelsea have recorded a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday's Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues went into the game with Kepa Arrizabalaga's refusal to be substituted during the EFL Cup final dominating the headlines, but his replacement Willy Caballero had little to do in West London.
Pedro put Chelsea ahead just before the hour mark, and Kieran Trippier put through his own net in the closing stages to ease the pressure on Maurizio Sarri.
Find out how all of the action unfolded in West London courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the match in the Premier League between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons over the past few days, but can Maurizio Sarri inspire his team to victory against one of their biggest rivals? Let's see who features in each starting lineup...
CHELSEA XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Higuain, Hazard
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies; Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Lamela; Son, Kane
As you can see, Kepa Arrizabalaga has been dropped for his refusal to be substituted in the EFL Cup final. Willy Caballero takes his place in goal. The big miss for Spurs is the absence of Jan Vertonghen, who picked up a minor hip injury in training earlier this week.
KICKOFF: Spurs get us underway.
Both teams have made a bright start at Stamford Bridge. Passes are being sprayed about at pace and there is every suggestion that each side are prepared to go on the offensive.
Kovacic played no part in the EFL Cup final, but the Croatian looks lively tonight and has just earned his side a free kick on the edge of the area.
Alonso's set piece is a poor one and Spurs eventually retrieve the ball when the follow-up pass goes out for a throw-in.
OFF THE POST! Chelsea hit the post! Azpilicueta's lofted cross is only cleared into the path of Higuain, who hits a 12-yard volley against Lloris's left-hand post. The goalkeeper did not move.
The Blues are playing some really good football, but Spurs are also prepared to play on the break and it is causing the home side some problems. I can't see this game remaining goalless.
Hazard works the ball to the left where Pedro is waiting, but the Spaniard's eventual cross from the byline goes straight into the hands of Lloris.
The referee has let a few meaty challenges go during the opening 12 minutes, but he is yet to establish what is acceptable and what shouldn't be. Both Son and Alonso have had reason to feel hard done by over the past few minutes.
SHOT! Kovacic has just attempted a scissor kick from the edge of the area after Spurs again only half cleared a cross. It went into the top tier of the stand.
The tempo has started to slow down a touch. Chelsea may have to manage their energy levels this evening given their workload at the weekend.
Chelsea's breather was only a temporary one. They have started to pass the ball about with urgency again, but Spurs are doing an effective job of keeping the hosts away from their goal.
CHANCE! Massive chance for Chelsea. Lloris passes the ball straight to Pedro, who then finds Hazard. However, it was probably the wrong ball and after the Belgian tees up Higuain, the forward curls the ball wide of the far post from around 16 yards out.
Spurs are still seeing plenty of the ball, but we are yet to see the North Londoners poses a constant threat in the final third.
Alonso - who is still getting booed by the home supporters - has just got back to prevent Son from getting a volley away from inside the area. It still won't see the supporters warm to the left-back.
Spurs have had the better of the last few minutes. There are signs that Chelsea have become frustrated with their failure to score and a couple of incidents which have not gone their way.
Hazard has now sent a relatively simple pass straight out of play. The travelling Spurs supporters enjoyed that. The tide is turning in this match.
LATEST! In the other games, Arsenal hold a 2-1 lead over Bournemouth and Liverpool have moved into a 2-0 advantage against Watford. Manchester City and Manchester United remain goalless against West Ham United and Crystal Palace respectively.
Chelsea are really struggling now. Lamela dispossesses Jorginho and a chance is created for Son, who sees a volley well blocked by Luiz.
Now Luiz has had to make a timely challenge to prevent Lamela from getting a shot away from no more than 10 yards out. Chelsea are on the rack here.
Chelsea enjoy a bit more time on the ball in the Spurs half of the pitch, but it is worth noting that only mistakes in the visitors backline have led to chances for Chelsea this evening.
The home side position themselves well to press the Spurs backline, but a needless foul from Pedro eases the pressure on the visitors.
SHOT! Better from the Blues who create a chance for Kante on the edge of the area, but the Frenchman's 25-yard strike is always going over the crossbar.
Alonso is playing like someone who has something to prove this evening, but his eagerness is also leaving space for Spurs down the right. The Spaniard needs to be more disciplined.
OFF THE BAR! What a hit from Winks! The midfielder takes the opportunity to shoot from 25 yards out, and his dipping effort beats Caballero and hits the crossbar!
Spurs are pushing hard for an opener. A low cross is drilled into the six-yard box, but it evades everyone and Chelsea survive. There will be one minute of added-on time.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
The half-time whistle goes at Stamford Bridge and we remain goalless. Chelsea had the better of the opening exchanges, but Spurs ended the first half on top and look the most likely scorers.
LATEST! There are five other Premier League fixtures taking place this evening and you can catch all of the updates by clicking here. Nine goals have been scored so far...
KICKOFF: Chelsea get us back underway. Neither side have made a change.
The home side start very sharply but on two occasions, the Blues cannot get a shot through on goal. Spurs have defended well tonight.
Chelsea spend some time in the corner but it is all too congested for Sarri's men. That has been the story of this game. Spurs are yet to get going since the restart.
Luiz has to make a timely challenge to prevent Lamela from gaining the ball on the edge of the area, but the defender takes a knock to the knee in the process. The referee wasn't having any of it, despite there being contact.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Chelsea have the ball in the back of the net through Higuain, who cleverly dinks the ball over Lloris, but the Argentine made his run too early and was a yard offside.
Spurs finally have some prolonged possession in the Chelsea half of the pitch, but the Blues get eight men back and the visitors eventually lose the ball. Substitutions for both sides may not be too far away.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Pedro)
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Chelsea take the lead! Pedro is played in behind the Spurs defence, but Alderweireld lets the winger cut inside far too easily and the Spaniard takes full advantage by drilling the ball through the legs of Lloris from close range.
SHOT! Spurs attempt to provide an immediate response, but Eriksen's long-range effort goes wide of Caballero's post.
SUBSTITUTION! Chelsea make their first change of the evening and it is Hazard who is coming off. Willian is the man to enter the action.
You have to expect that Spurs will come on strong now. They should also be fresher than their hosts, so it will be interesting to see how Chelsea handle the closing half-hour.
Wow - how good is this from Pedro?! He makes the perfect last-ditch challenge to deny Eriksen, and then twists and turns his way out of trouble on the edge of the area before clearing the ball.
CHANCE! Big chance for Spurs. Davies's cross from the left seems perfect for Kane, but the forward miscues his volley from eight yards with Lamela distracting the England international.
CHANCE! Spurs are starting to knock on the door. An outswinging corner from Eriksen finds Alderweireld, but the defender's header goes wide of the far post after pressure from Alonso.
Chelsea finally get their foot on the ball for the first time since opening the scoring, and it gives them a chance to have a breather. It's needed ahead of what is a huge 21 minutes.
SUBSTITUTION! Spurs make their first alteration as Llorente replaces Lamela.
SHOT! Kante and Higuain both work hard to win the ball back for Chelsea and it leads to an ambitious effort from Pedro, who whips a left-footed curler from 25 yards just over the crossbar.
Spurs hit back with a cross being sent into the middle from the right, but Llorente cannot control the ball despite using his arm.
I'm surprised that Sarri has not made more changes at this stage, but I suppose that most of his options among the replacements are attack-minded. I wouldn't be surprised to see Loftus-Cheek for Pedro at some stage.
SUBSTITUTION! Well I was half right. Loftus-Cheek is being introduced for Kovacic.
Spurs are once again showing signs that they are prepared to commit more men forward. They will inevitably see more of the ball over the closing minutes with Chelsea sitting deeper.
SUBSTITUTION! Spurs make a second switch with Lucas Moura coming on for Son.
Higuain has done well tonight, but the forward is starting to look exhausted. Giroud should not be far away, but Azpilicueta is starting to get cramp.
SHOT! Alderweireld attempts a shot from 25 yard out, but the defender's well-struck effort goes wide of Caballero's near post.
SUBSTITUTION! Chelsea make their final change with Giroud replacing Higuain.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Kieran Trippier own goal)
Chelsea are gifted a second goal by the biggest of howlers from Trippier and Lloris. The right-back is put under pressure to make a backpass at the same time that Lloris is coming out to collect, and the ball is played behind the goalkeeper before rolling into the far corner.
SUBSTITUTION! Spurs make another change as Rose takes the place of Sissoko.
Spurs are attempting to halve the deficit, but Chelsea are doing a good job of running down the clock. This is a massive victory for Sarri. The Italian may well have just saved his job.
There will be three minutes of added-on time.
FULL TIME: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
The full-time whistle goes at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea have recorded a 2-0 win over Spurs to boost their hopes of finishing in fourth place at the end of the season. The pressure also eases on Sarri. Is this the turning point of Chelsea's season? Spurs, meanwhile, are almost certainly out of the Premier League title race.
That will be all from Sports Mole for this match. Thank you for joining us this evening.
If you would like to read our on-the-whistle match report, you can do so by clicking here. Goodbye for now.
Written by
Darren Plant
Darren Plant
