Resilient Spurs make a point to leave Scolari frustrated
Chelsea boss Luis Felipe Scolari admitted Tottenham deserved their away draw after he saw his 100 per cent win record come to an end.
Scolari’s Blues enjoyed the majority of possession but couldn’t break down a resilient Spurs defence as Juande Ramos’s side earned their first point of the season.
Juliano Belletti gave the Blues a deserved 28th minute lead from close range before Spurs striker Darren Bent stunned Stamford Bridge with an equaliser just before half time.
Nicolas Anelka missed a glorious opportunity to wrap things up for Chelsea leaving Scolari to take his first dropped points as manager on the chin.
“A draw for me is a normal result because we had more chances but made mistakes in the final shot,” the Brazilian said. “I think we need to respect Tottenham and the quality they have. They put eight or nine players at the back and it is difficult to create.
“I told the players a draw is okay but we need to work the ball more. If they make a mistake it is not a problem.”
Spurs hadn’t won at Stamford Bridge since February 1990 and the chances of that wretched run coming to an end were slim given the side’s contrasting starts to the new season. Ramos once again left out Dimitar Berbatov, sparking rumours that his on-off move to Manchester United will eventually go ahead.
Chelsea, on the other hand, were desperate to avenge their Carling Cup final defeat to Spurs last March and started the brighter. Frank Lampard tested keeper Heurelho Gomes with an exquisite chip, while Michael Essien crashed a shot against the bar.
Then, from the resulting corner, Bent mis-kicked his clearance and Belletti bundled home the opener.
Anelka really should have made it 2-0 when firing over from a good position and Chelsea were made to pay for his miss as Spurs forced an unlikely eqauliser on the stroke of half-time. Luka Modric’s pass out wide struck Lampard and ricocheted to Bent, who slotted through the legs of Petr Cech.
Chelsea poured forward after the break and went close to finding a winner through Ashley Cole’s shot which fizzed wide. But Spurs defended in numbers and survived a frantic finish to hold out for a point.
Assistant boss Gus Poyet said: “The lads realise if we concentrate and if we believe in ourselves we can play like we did and get a point which is very important to us.”