Joao Pedro delivers winner as Chelsea vanquish disappointing Spurs in London Derby

The Brazilian forward had been a big focus in the build up to the game, having failed to score in his last six league games

Joao Pedro scores the only goal of the game. Pic: John Walton/PA

Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 0 Chelsea 1

Joao Pedro ensured Chelsea’s dominance over London rivals Tottenham continued with a 1-0 win in north London.

The Blues have now won ten of the last 12 meetings between the two clubs in all competitions, losing just one of those, thanks to Joao Pedro’s first-half strike.

The Brazilian forward, who followed in the footsteps of many others by making the move from Brighton to Chelsea in the summer, had been a big focus in the build up to the game, having failed to score in his last six league games.

Despite stressing that the 24-year-old was a “different” kind of forward to the likes of prolific goalscorers Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski, his boss Enzo Maresca pledged his faith in the forward to deliver goals on a more consistent basis for the club when speaking earlier this week.

And his opener against Spurs was the perfect response to the recent attention his goalless run has gathered. Having missed a fantastic opportunity to open the scoring moments earlier, after Pedro Porro’s pass was blocked by Alejandro Garnacho and sent Joao Pedro through one on one, he made no mistake a few minutes later.

Spurs had been persistently guilty of giving the ball away too cheaply in the first half and were deservedly punished on 35 minutes. 

Xavi Simons, who had been named on the bench for the game but was introduced after just a few minutes when Lucas Bergvall was forced off with a head injury despite his protests to stay on, sold Micky van de Ven short with his pass which saw the Dutchman dispossessed by the tenacious Moises Caicedo.

It was poor from Thomas Frank’s side, but Caicedo deserves enormous credit for the desire with which he hunted the ball down, before picking out his team-mate in the centre of the box to finish past Guglielmo Vicario from close range.

The home crowd had already grown frustrated by the lack of attacking ingenuity from their team and the opening goal only exasperated those feelings further.

And it could have been made even worse before the break when Joao Pedro was again denied by Vicario, who tipped over the striker’s powerful shot from Malo Gusto’s low cross.

The moans and groans from the Spurs supporters grew louder in the second half as their team’s inability to threaten their opponents continued.

While the fact this was a side that finished 17th in the Premier League last season must be remembered when assessing the job Frank is doing, as does the fact he is without three of his key attacking players in James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, their inability to create chances from open play, particularly in front of their own supporters, is huge cause for concern.

Spurs have still only won just once at home in the league this season and their attacking shortcomings were highlighted by Frank’s decision to haul off the ineffective Simons, despite having brought him on as an early substitute.

For Maresca, though, this was a crucial win following last weekend’s disappointing defeat to Sunderland.

Injuries, poor discipline and inconsistency have held his side back this season but the maturity with which they handled this difficult away fixture against a fierce rival should provide significant encouragement for the Italian coach.

But while they still have a lot more to prove if they are to provide a serious challenge to Arsenal for the title this season, supporters can take satisfaction in the fact they still have superiority over their rivals Spurs, who were loudly booed by their supporters after the full-time whistle.

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Vicario 7; Porro 5 (Udogie), Danso 6 (Romero), van de Ven 6, Spence 6; Palhinha 6, Bentancur 6 (Richarlison); Kudus 6, Sarr 5, Bergvall 4 (Simons, Odobert); Kolo Muani 5 (Johnson).

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez 7; Gusto 7 (Lavia), Fofana 7, Chalobah 7, Cucurella 7; James 7, Caicedo 8; Neto 7 (Estevao), Fernandez 7, Garnacho 7 (Gittens); Joao Pedro 7 Referee: Jarred Gillett 7.