Chelsea beat Spurs 4-3 in a thrilling match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday which once again highlighted how big a task Ange Postecoglou faces at Spurs, whilst the result kept Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes alive.
Chelsea now sit second in the Premier League, and despite Enzo Maresca emphasising that they’re not in the title race, inconsistent performances from Arsenal and Manchester City now means the Blues are Liverpool’s closest title contenders.
Meanwhile, the misery continues for Postecoglou’s Spurs, who also lost 1-0 to Bournemouth in midweek. They have more injury worries and currently sit 11th in the table, already seven points adrift of Manchester City in fourth.
Chelsea Premier League betting odds cut
Liverpool’s game against Everton got postponed, which means Chelsea have reduced the gap to first place in the Premier League to just four points. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Manchester City both drew their matches. This means that Chelsea are two points ahead of the Gunners and four points in front of Man City. The Blues have a comfortable position in second and are now second favourites to win the Premier League. They would still have a lot to do, but if they can continue being consistent, they’ll be in the title race until the end of the season.
Their top four ambitions, which would have been their target at the start of the season, look very achievable right now and betting sites are suggest the probability of the Blues finishing in the Champions League qualification spots is around 87%. Their title odds were slashed after their win over Spurs. Before the game, they were around 16/1. The difference in quality between Spurs and Chelsea can be seen in their Premier League winner odds and their top four odds below.
| Team | Premier League Winner Odds | Premier League Top 4 Odds |
| Chelsea | 13/2 | 1/7 |
| Spurs | 250/1 | 6/1 |
Marc Cucurella has a day to forget
It was a dreadful start for Chelsea as Spurs took a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes, with a lot of help from Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella. The Spanish international managed to fall over twice when he had the ball, giving possession back to Spurs and these two moments directly led to both of Spurs’ early goals. To make matters even more comical, the defender then started arguing with the Chelsea kit man and ended up changing his boots on the sidelines. Cucurella will be over the moon that Chelsea managed to win the game in the end, but the horrible start from the left-back will probably be watched over and over again by football fans over the course of the season.
Postecoglou under increased pressure after bad results
Spurs’ 4-3 loss to Chelsea now means the North London side are in the bottom half of the table. It was a dreadful week for Ange Postecoglou as Spurs drew to Fulham, then lost 1-0 to Bournemouth, before finally losing 4-3 to Chelsea on Sunday. Spurs fans have already made their thoughts known, with a lot of the away support having heated words with Postecoglou after the loss to Bournemouth. The pressure continues to mount for the Spurs manager, who is now one of the favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked.
| Manager | Club | Odds |
| Julen Lopetegui | West Ham | 2/1 |
| Ange Postecoglou | Spurs | 9/4 |
| Gary O’Neil | Wolves | 5/2 |
| Russell Martin | Southampton | 6/1 |
| Eddie Howe | Newcastle | 20/1 |
Spurs’ injury crisis continues
The Spurs starting XI surprised many as Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were both back in the lineup. However, it looks like they were rushed back too soon, with both centre-backs forced off due to injuries. In-form attacker Brennan Johnson also limped off and had to be substituted due to injury. Spurs currently have six players sidelined, with most of them key starters like van de Ven, Romero, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. With results not looking good and key players injured, the heavily congested Christmas fixture list has come at the worst time for Spurs. It doesn’t get any easier as their next game is a tricky away Europa League fixture against Rangers.
Spurs will need to turn their results around soon if they are to finish in the top four this season, whilst Chelsea will have definitely surprised many with just how good they have been this campaign. With January also around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see if either club make any signings during the transfer window. Spurs’ injury crisis has highlighted their need for squad depth, so fans will be hoping they do make some new signings.
