Last updated: 1st September 2008
Bent: Pounced for equaliser
Tottenham Hotspur claimed a first point of the season to end Chelsea's 100 per cent start to the campaign after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Juliano Belletti's goal had given the hosts a deserved lead, only for Spurs' dogged determination to be rewarded with Darren Bent's equaliser.
The Blues dominated the first half with Frank Lampard's clever chip pushed over by Heurelho Gomes before Nicolas Anelka wasted a gilt-edged opportunity.
But Chelsea took the lead in fortunate circumstances on 27 minutes when Bent failed to clear Deco's corner and the ball ricocheted off Belletti and beyond Gomes.
There was an element of good luck about Spurs' equaliser on the stroke of half-time when the ball broke kindly into Bent's path and he finished coolly past Petr Cech.
Spurs, minus Dimitar Berbatov, largely kept Chelsea at arm's length in the second half as neither keeper was seriously tested.
Amid the furious start, Lampard forced an early save from Gomes after latching onto a Joe Cole flick. Lampard's chip was floated perfectly to dip under Gomes' crossbar but the Brazilian goalkeeper was able to get back and tip it over.
Deco, who picked up an early booking, drilled in a corner that caused confusion midway through the half and Anelka's shot was blocked bravely by Ledley King when the ball broke.
Belletti, thriving in his new role as the midfield anchor man, then sent Anelka through with a lofted pass and the France striker blasted over.
Chelsea were getting closer, with Michael Essien then rattling Gomes' crossbar with a swerving drive from 25 yards before the hosts' pressure paid off with the opener from the resulting corner.
Deco swung in the set-piece, Bent took a swing and missed, and the ball hit Belletti before flying past the helpless Gomes.
It was his first goal since netting in the same fixture last season - he usually deals in long-range efforts but this one was scrappy.
Looking good value for their lead, Chelsea conceded on the stroke of half-time. Lampard had challenged Luka Modric and the ball ran to Bent, who slotted under Cech.
The leveller was totally against the run of play, and the omens were not good for Spurs at the start of the second period as they lost the ball straight from kick-off.
Ashley Cole was raiding down the left on Scolari's instruction, and Lampard sent him through to fire across the face of the goal.
Ramos' response was to take off Giovani dos Santos and unleash the pace of Aaron Lennon on the right flank. Tom Huddlestone was also brought on to beef up the midfield, with Chris Gunter coming off.
Jermaine Jenas moved to right-back as Spurs sat back looking for their point, eventually holding out despite a frantic finish.
| Chelsea | Team Statistics | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1 | Goals | 1 |
| 1 | 1st Half Goals | 1 |
| 2 | Shots on Target | 1 |
| 10 | Shots off Target | 0 |
| 4 | Blocked Shots | 4 |
| 5 | Corners | 8 |
| 10 | Fouls | 13 |
| 2 | Offsides | 2 |
| 3 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 83.7 | Passing Success | 79.6 |
| 15 | Tackles | 23 |
| 73.3 | Tackles Success | 69.6 |
| 60.1 | Possession | 39.9 |
| 50.2 | Territorial Advantage | 49.8 |
| Player | Rating | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Woodgate | 7.8 | Tottenham |
| Heurelho Gomes | 7.8 | Tottenham |
| Ledley King | 7.1 | Tottenham |
| Gareth Bale | 7.1 | Tottenham |
| Darren Bent | 6.7 | Tottenham |
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Liverpool |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs West Ham |
| Tuesday 18th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Portsmouth |
| 19:45 | Burnley vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Tottenham |
| 19:45 | Sunderland vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Wigan vs Wolverhampton |
| Wednesday 19th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Liverpool vs Stoke |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Everton |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle | |
| Blackburn 0 - 0 West Brom | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Sunderland 2 - 3 Chelsea | |
| Fulham 0 - 2 Everton | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 Stoke | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Wigan 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Liverpool 3 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Monday 18th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 3 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Sunday 17th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| West Brom 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 0 - 1 Fulham | |
| Bolton 1 - 1 Hull | |
| Stoke 2 - 0 Wigan | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Everton 3 - 1 West Ham | |
| Man Utd 0 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Birmingham City | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Burnley | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Everton | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Fulham | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Hull City | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Stoke City | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Wigan Athletic | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 |