Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Chelsea: 1-0 Halftime, Pavlyuchenko Puts Spurs Ahead

An exciting first half from White Hart Lane for Tottenham Hotspur supporters and neutrals, but not so much for Chelsea supporters has ended 1-0 to the home side thanks to a 15th minute goal by Roman Pavlyuchenko.

The goal came partially as a result of tactical decisions by Chelsea, but poor effort from their defenders and a great effort by Spurs’ attackers were equal contributors. Carlo Ancelotti elected to start the match by having right back Paulo Ferreira put pressure on Gareth Bale, closing him down and giving him little space to operate. As a result, there was space in behind him on the right hand side that Jermain Defoe was able to exploit. Picking up the ball on the right behind Ferreira, he played a ball into the middle of the box towards Roman Pavlyuchenko. Chelsea captain John Terry gave Pavlyuchenko too much space and he was given a clear shot, hitting a brilliant left footed finish around Petr Cech at his near post. His 15th minute strike would be the only goal of the half as the teams went into the locker room 1-0.

Chelsea started with star attackers Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard on the bench. The two have recently recovered from illness and injury, respectively. Carlo Ancelotti might not be willing to make two halftime substitutions, but it’s obvious that what Chelsea have done so far is not working. One of the two players should probably make an appearance after halftime or within the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Tottenham have enjoyed good performances from not just the players that helped set up the goal, but the entire side. The only player whose play has been questionable so far is right back Alan Hutton, who looks like he could potentially be exploited.