Superb goals from Juliano Belletti and Shaun Wright-Phillips saw Chelsea take the honours against Tottenham.
Belletti and Wright-Phillips on target as Anelka goes close
Superb goals from Juliano Belletti and Shaun Wright-Phillips saw Chelsea take the honours in their London derby against Tottenham.
Blues full-back Belletti was given far too much time and space in the 19th minute as he received the ball just inside the Spurs half before advancing unchecked to lash a 30-yard effort into Radek Cerny's top corner.
And Wright-Phillips, who tormented the Spurs defence all afternoon, drilled home the second in the closing stages after Joe Cole's trickery had created the opportunity on the edge of the box.
Nicolas Anelka, signed for £15million from Bolton on Friday, started the game on the bench but was brought on in the second period and twice came within a whisker of marking his debut with a goal.
The France international was first set up by Wright-Phillips to control, turn and shoot in one fluid movement seconds after his introduction with the ball looking destined for the bottom corner, before Cerny - again preferred to Paul Robinson - produced a superb one-handed save.
And in the very last minute, a deep cross into the Spurs box caused confusion with Anelka pouncing and drilling a shot against the underside of the bar before the ball bounced down and away to safety.
Pressure
Tottenham were hoping to record their first victory at Stamford Bridge in almost 18 years but found themselves under sustained pressure in the opening moments.
Joe Cole sent over a dangerous cross in the 11th minute but unfortunately the ball eluded everyone in the penalty area.
Seconds later Florent Malouda left Pascal Chimbonda in a spin on the edge of the penalty area but his attempted cross to the unmarked Wright-Phillips was just too high.
Tottenham were guilty of giving the ball away too much but Chelsea, despite the creativity of Joe Cole and Belletti on the right flank, failed to make the most of it until the 19th minute when the defender put the home side ahead.
Tottenham midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng was then booked for a challenge that belonged more on a rugby pitch as he brought down a rampaging Joe Cole with both hands.
Lurking
Spurs should have equalised in the 29th minute when Aaron Lennon's cross found Steed Malbranque lurking unmarked at the far post.
The Spurs midfielder let fly with a volley which threatened to find its way into the net at the near post until the agile Petr Cech pushed it to safety.
In the 32nd minute Tottenham's Boateng tried his luck from 20 yards but his accuracy was not a patch on that displayed by Belletti earlier in the game and the ball flew over the crossbar.
Joe Cole continued to give Lee Young-Pyo problems on Chelsea's right flank and his pass to Wright-Phillips in the 37th minute allowed the England winger to take aim at the Spurs goal.
Fortunately for the visitors, Ledley King managed to block the shot and the ball span away for a corner which Chelsea wasted.
Another cross from Joe Cole in the 40th minute ran untouched right along the edge of the six-yard box much to the England midfielder's frustration.
Offside
Chelsea had a goal by Michael Ballack ruled out for offside after a mistake by King had allowed Malouda to open up the Spurs defence yet further.
Juande Ramos' side had been distinctly lacklustre in the first period with little of their renowned attacking flair on show.
One of the biggest cheers of the afternoon was reserved for new signing Anelka when he began warming up on the touchline in the 54th minute and he got an even bigger cheer when he replaced Claudio Pizarro in the 58th minute.
Debut
Anelka almost made it a spectacular debut with his third touch of the game when a back-heel from Wright-Phillips found him unmarked 12 yards out.
Tottenham then enjoyed a long spell of possession but it failed to produce results. The closest they came to a goal was in the 69th minute when Ballack was booked for a foul on Lennon on the edge of the penalty area.
Dimitar Berbatov took the kick but sent his effort just wide of the target.
Chelsea ensured they increased their unbeaten home run in the league to 74 games 10 minutes from time when Joe Cole's run and pass allowed Wright-Phillips to send a low right-foot drive into the bottom corner.
But the margin of victory could have been higher. Wright-Phillips wasted a chance to make it three by firing wide from 18 yards and Anelka hit the crossbar after a mistake by Michael Dawson in the last minute of normal time.
| Chelsea |
Team Statistics |
Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
1 |
| 3 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 4 |
Corners |
7 |
| 16 |
Fouls |
13 |
| 6 |
Offsides |
0 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
4 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 76.8 |
Passing Success |
77.8 |
| 48 |
Tackles |
21 |
| 81.2 |
Tackles Success |
76.2 |
| 52 |
Possession |
48 |
| 49.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
50.7 |
|
