Premier League 2 Match Report - Tottenham 2 Chelsea 3

Tottenham 2 Chelsea 3

Our development squad collected three points on their travels for the first time this season as Martell Taylor-Crossdale’s brace and a late penalty from Callum Hudson-Odoi earned a deserved victory for the Blues.

The win helped Joe Edwards’s side rise three places to seventh in the Premier League 2 table and was entirely merited on the balance of play. They led as early as the second minute after Taylor-Crossdale poked in from close range, though the lead lasted less than 10 minutes as Shayon Harrison levelled for Tottenham.

It was 1-1 at the break before Taylor-Crossdale headed us back in front and then Hudson-Odoi converted a stoppage-time penalty after substitute Luke McCormick had been felled in the box. Kazaiah Sterling’s looping header ensured a nervy final couple of minutes but the visitors held firm to claim an important win.

Edwards made three changes from the side that drew 2-2 with Arsenal three weeks previously as Dujon Sterling travelled to the Hawthorns with the first team squad and Charly Musonda was sidelined with injury. Reece James came into the team at right-back, joining Trevoh Chalobah, Jake Clarke-Salter and Josh Grant in a back four protecting Jamie Cumming in goal.

Taylor-Crossdale continued to lead the line up front supported by Harvey St Clair, Jacob Maddox and Hudson-Odoi. The latter, one of our England Under-17 World Cup winners, had signed his first professional contract at the club the previous afternoon. In central midfield, Kyle Scott partnered Ruben Sammut.

Spurs included Argentinian international Erik Lamela in their starting 11 but it was the visitors who struck an early breakthrough on a drizzly afternoon at the Tottenham training ground. Creative short corner routines were a regular feature during Tuesday’s Cobham friendly win against Leyton Orient and it was a similar set-piece that fashioned the opening goal.

St Clair and Hudson-Odoi worked the ball to find the clever forward run of Scott and the midfielder squeezed a low cross into the six-yard box from the byline. There were bodies packed into a confined central area but Taylor-Crossdale found some space and provided enough contact on the ball to poke it over the line.

The Blues were buoyed by their early advantage and created further chances to extend the lead. Sammut and St Clair charged down the right channel but Japhet Tanganga covered enough ground to block St Clair’s strike before another short corner found its way to Maddox on the edge of the box, the midfielder’s drive diverted from danger.

Spurs restored parity with their first opportunity of note after 11 minutes of action. Marcus Edwards played forward to find Harrison’s run in behind and the striker, a familiar foe for our youngsters, struck low and inside the near post via a deflection from Chalobah. It was his 15th goal against us in just seven matches.

The momentum of the contest then swung in favour of the hosts, who went close with a free-kick from Edwards that curled narrowly wide before Lamela’s rising drive was tipped behind courtesy of an excellent save from Cumming.

Two good technical teams continued to carve out opportunities down both ends. Hudson-Odoi bent an effort just beyond the far post and Maddox couldn’t stretch quite enough to make decent contact from 15 yards out, both following St Clair’s supply from the right flank. On the opposite wing, Hudson-Odoi’s influence slowly grew and a dangerous inswinging centre narrowly evaded the lurking Taylor-Crossdale.

Lamela and Edwards were knitting play together neatly for Spurs in the final third, combining for Shilow Tracey to take aim from distance, though Cumming was watchful and held the powerful effort down low as it skimmed off the greasy turf.

Before the break, both sides had sights at goal that ought to have been capitalised upon. Hudson-Odoi (pictured left) demonstrated his quick footwork in tight areas to skip to the byline and cut the ball back invitingly into the box, though St Clair’s left-footed shot was expertly turned away on the line by Keanan Bennetts. Tracey then advanced threateningly towards goal but was thwarted by impressive defending from James, who resisted the urge to dive in and shepherded the winger away from danger.

It took six minutes longer for the visitors to net in the second period than it had in the first, though another bright opening paid due dividends for Edwards’s side. Hudson-Odoi flashed the ball dangerously across the face of goal moments before St Clair turned provider from the right. The wideman’s perfect cross found Taylor-Crossdale at the front post and the striker headed decisively beyond goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman for his third goal in the last two PL2 outings.

The rain came down with more intensity after the restart and the Blues settled into a useful 20-minute spell of uneventfulness. They continued to press from the front as Spurs attempted to play out from the back, cutting the home side’s threat at source and often turning over possession in advanced areas.

James advanced from full-back and latched on to Taylor-Crossdale’s square pass, firing over as the ball bounced up invitingly for him to strike, while St Clair crossed again for Taylor-Crossdale, whose header this time had too much height to test Whiteman.

Without a killer third goal approaching the final 15 minutes, there was also a danger that Tottenham would snatch two points from the grasp of the Blues, just as Arsenal had with a 90th-minute equaliser last time out. A lovely move from back to front carved open the hosts as Cumming clipped a ball to the left for Grant to flick on and Hudson-Odoi advanced. The forward found St Clair in support but our Scotland youth international was denied with a crucial block.

Substitute McCormick brought energy and passion to midfield, drilling a low shot straight at the keeper before charging forward to support a counter-attack. St Clair had released Hudson-Odoi down the right and the forward rolled a pass into the centre for McCormick, who made first contact but was clattered by Whiteman. The ball rolled wide and the referee pulled it back to award a penalty, which was confidently dispatched by Hudson-Odoi.

There was still time remaining for Spurs to pull a goal back, Sterling’s looping header dropping over Cumming and the jumping Clarke-Salter to nestle in the far corner, but it proved too little, too late for the home side. Edwards and his players punched the air in celebration and relief at the final whistle, a first victory since August ending a difficult winless period.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Jamie Cumming; Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Jake Clarke-Salter (c), Josh Grant; Ruben Sammut, Kyle Scott; Harvey St Clair, Jacob Maddox (Luke McCormick 67), Callum Hudson-Odoi; Martell Taylor-Crossdale (Cole Dasilva 88)
Unused subs Joseph Colley, Marcin Bulka, Kylian Hazard
Scorers Taylor-Crossdale 2, 53; Hudson-Odoi (pen) 90+2
Booked Chalobah 15; Sammut 79

Tottenham Alfie Whiteman, George Marsh, Keanan Bennetts (Christian Maghoma 62), Oliver Skipp, Japhet Tanganga, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Shilow Tracey, Luke Amos (c), Shayon Harrison, Marcus Edwards (Kazaiah Sterling 75), Erik Lamela (Joe Pritchard 60)
Unused subs Charlie Austin, Ryan Loft
Scorers Harrison 11; Sterling 90+4
Booked Pritchard 62; Whiteman 90+1