Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Blues strengthen Europa League bid, Spurs sink deeper into relegation trouble | OneFootball

Chelsea strengthened their prospects of qualifying for the Europa League with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

The Blues have won the Europa League both times they participated in the competition, making it a familiar hunting ground for them.

If Chelsea secure a place in Europe’s second-tier tournament again, they’ll undoubtedly be favourites to add a third trophy to their cabinet next season.

The victory over Spurs ended Chelsea’s seven-match winless streak in the Premier League, a run that began with a narrow defeat to Newcastle United in mid-March.

Chelsea also extended their winning home streak against Spurs to three games on the bounce, while stretching their unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge to eight matches.

Coming up against a Tottenham side battling relegation was always going to be tricky for Chelsea, but their phenomenal record against their London counterparts prevailed.

The Blues started on the back foot, with Jorrel Hato’s loose backpass nearly wrong-footing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Chelsea nearly went behind again when Mathys Tel hit the post with a header from close range. But it didn’t take too long for the Blues to find their feet.

Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky made a smart save to deny Cole Palmer but could do nothing about Enzo Fernandez’s piledriver, which handed Chelsea a crucial lead.

Chelsea kept their foot on the gas after taking the lead as Liam Delap spurned a decent chance from close range before Fernandez hit the crossbar from a stunning free-kick.

Tottenham struggled to respond, with only a wild effort from Tel offering any threat before half-time.

Despite starting the second half looking for a leveller, Chelsea scored the next goal as Fernandez turned provider, setting up Andrey Santos for a tap-in in the 67th minute.

Richarlison gave Spurs a lifeline seven minutes later, slotting home from a clever backheel from Pape Matar Sarr. But they didn’t do enough to find an equaliser late on.

The 2-1 victory moves Chelsea up to eighth in the table, just one point behind Brighton & Hove Albion.

Beating Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the final fixture could sneak Chelsea into the Europa League, but only if Brighton fail to beat Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.