Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham

Scorers: Belleti(18'), Wright-Phillips(80')

Starting Eleven:
Cech
Belleti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge
Makelele, Ballack, Wright-Phillips
J.Cole, Pizzaro, Malouda
subs: Cudicini, Ben-Haim, Sidwell, Anelka, Bridge

Chelsea got their 5th consecutive victory with goals from Belleti and Wright-Phillips. Tottenham, not having won at Stamford Bridge for 17years, clearly were the second best. Chelsea made two changes from the Carling Cup win on Tuesday, with fit again Cech and Claude Makelele replacing Hilario and John Mikel Obi, the latter being both suspended and on international duty with Nigeria. And the sight of Anelka on the bench must not have been too much pleasing for Juande Ramos.

The opening quarter hour provided no chances at all, as the two sides exchanged possession and territory. Then came the Samba magic. Belleti found space and time, and hit a scorcher past the diving Cerny. From that moment, Chelsea never looked like they are going to drop points. The only time Cech had to intervene was when Malbranque hit a volley from a Lennon cross. But it requires something special to beat the world's N0.1 keeper, when he is fit. A few minutes later Boateng, replacement for suspended Jenas, drove just over from 25 yards, but Cech was not worried. Joe Cole continued to give Young-Pyo Lee problems on Chelsea's right flank, Wright-Phillips was lively in the middle, and Ballack even managed to score but was ruled offside. Chelsea tightened their hold on the match as half time approached.

The Chelsea number 39 received a rapturous reception as he warmed up on the touchline, and with Pizarro struggling with a knock, a substitution looked likely. I was expecting this anytime after play resumed in second-half. Anelka almost made it a spectacular debut with his third touch of the game when a back-heel from Wright-Phillips found him unmarked eight yards out. Cerny produced a brilliant save to deny the Frenchman. Is Cerny slowly replacing Robinson as the No.1 under Ramos? I certainly feel Robinson will be back soon. Defoe was introduced to find an equalizer, but it was Chelsea who doubled their tally in the 80th minute. Joe Cole squared a ball to Wright-Phillips after one of his typical runs drew defenders towards him. King's late challenge couldn't stop the ball from finding the net. In the 89th minute, the woodwork denied Anelka a dream start to his Chelsea career.

There certainly was a slight change of style in Chelsea's play as Grant pointed out after the match. He explained Chelsea played the long-ball less often and relied on short passes more. Chelsea ensured they increased their unbeaten home run in the league to 74 games. The defense looked solid as Carvalho returned after suspension. Victories, even with half the squad unavailable for selection, is certainly due to the fighting spirit shown by the Blues. One must take into account the fact that when Rooney and Ronaldo didn't play, United lost to Bolton. When Toure didn't play, Birmingham scores against Arsenal. So the top of the table is not going to remain the same for long.

The chase is certainly on.....