Chelsea somehow squeaked a come from behind win against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge despite scoring a total of zero technically legal goals. The win moves them to three points behind Manchester United, tightening up the race for the Premier League crown, but it was a rather controversial and fluky one.
Chelsea Vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Blues ‘Earn’ Bizarre Win At Home
Despite dominating most of the play, Chelsea found themselves behind after a phenomenal strike from Sandro in the 19th minute, the midfielder latching onto a neat flick by Rafael van der Vaart to lash a shot past Petr Cech from all of thirty yards out, nearly decapitating teammate Luka Modric in the process. By halftime the scoreline was level, however. Frank Lampard pinged in a highly speculative long-range shot that went straight through Heurelho Gomes and was adjudged to have crossed the line before the goalkeeper could claw it away.
The only problem, of course, is that it didn’t actually cross the line - the officials were in no position to determine where exactly the ball was, and simply gave it anyway, giving Chelsea a huge boost right on the verge of halftime. It was a huge decision and quite clearly the incorrect one, and if the media are predictable (they are) we’re going to get a fun new wave of the instant replay argument.
The second half was more or less the same story as the first, except Spurs didn't manage a goal after the break. Chelsea pressured, more or less dominating the match, but couldn't really find space to test Gomes except from long range. That is, at least, until Salomon Kalou latched onto a loose ball in the box to toepoke home. From an offside position. The 89th minute goal stood anyway for some reason, and Chelsea someone came away with a win.
For Spurs, the bad luck was more substantial than simply conceding two goals-that-weren't. They are now in major trouble in their battle with Manchester City for fourth, four points behind having played one game more, and if that wasn't enough lost fullback Vedran Corluka to a hamstring injury in the second half, leaving them with one recognised wide defender on the team. It's not been a good day for Harry Redknapp et. al.
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