Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea: Joao Pedro strike sinks rivals to fire Blues into top four | OneFootball

Chelsea came out 1-0 winners on their visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to a strike by Joao Pedro.

Enzo Maresca opted to start Reece James in a midfield role, alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo as the Blues looked to dominate possession.

Thomas Frank's Spurs, on the other hand, deployed four central midfielders as it was clear the match would be won in the middle of the pitch.

It was the Blues who came out on top, adding to their impressive record against Tottenham as Joao Pedro netted the only goal of the game.

The Brazilian, who was trusted to lead the line, put his side ahead on the 34th minute following some fantastic work from Moises Caicedo.

The win sees Chelsea return to the top four, level on points with Spurs as they got back to winning ways.

Rodrigo Bentancur was lucky to avoid a red card during the match. | IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Chelsea dominated possession in the early stages, with Thomas Frank's side set up to hit the Blues on the break.

Joao Pedro was gifted a golden opportunity to put his side ahead after a Tottenham clearance hit Alejandro Garnacho before falling to the Brazilian.

Unfortunately for the Blues, Guglielmo Vicario did well to close down the angle and deny Joao Pedro from close range, keeping the score level.

Enzo Maresca's side made their take the lead in the first half, Joao Pedro making up for his previous miss after a brilliant passage of pressing.

Micky Van de Ven was forced into an error as Moises Caicedo took the ball away from the defender before passing along goal to Joao Pedro, who made no mistake this time to give Chelsea the lead before half-time.

The hosts were lucky to go into half-time with all 11 players on the pitch after Rodrigo Bentancur caught Reece James high on his ankle.

Jarred Gillett showed the Uruguayan a yellow card before a lengthy VAR check, which sided with the referee despite complaints from Chelsea's players.

Former West Ham forward Mohamed Kudus saw a low shot saved by Robert Sanchez as Chelsea went into the half-time break ahead.

Chelsea returned to the top four with a win over their London rivals. | IMAGO / IPS

It was more of the same in the second half, with Joao Pedro doing well to force Kevin Danso into a mistake just 10 minutes after the restart. The Brazilian found Pedro Neto, who shot straight at Vicario.

Enzo Fernandez was the latest subject of drama, with Gillett maintaining his consistency by handing the Argentine a yellow card for a high challenge on Joao Palhinha.

With the Blues looking to extend their lead, Neto saw a strike denied on the 74th minute before captain Reece James saw a strike fly over the crossbar.

Substitute Jamie Gittens was given a brilliant opportunity to seal the three points in the 93rd minute, but the substitute fired over from close range.

Moments later, Joao Pedro could have put the game to bed, but his shot from eight yards out was saved by Vicario.

Maresca's men showed defensive discipline as they came out victorious over their London rivals, rising to fourth in the Premier League table with the win.