Chalobah opened the scoring with a superb header (Picture: Getty)
Trevoh Chalobah says Chelsea knew exactly how to expose Tottenham on set pieces after easing to victory over their London rivals.
The Blues defender rose to meet Conor Gallagher’s free kick with a superb looping header to open the scoring at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Nicolas Jackson wrapped up the win with a header of his own in the second-half with Chelsea now right in the thick of the battle for European qualification with four games of the season remaining,
Tottenham’s hopes of Champions League qualification took a major hit, however, trailing fourth place Aston Villa by seven points with just one game in hand on Unai Emery’s side after tonight’s defeat.
Their ability to defend from set pieces came under the microscope in defeats to Newcastle United and Arsenal with the north Londoners caught out again against Chelsea for their opening goal.
Ange Postecoglou hit back at critics this week, insisting he is not concerned by those perceived vulnerabilities at the back.
But goal scorer Chalobah said post-match there as a clear plan for his side to exploit those weaknesses again.
Chalobah rose to head home Gallagher’s cross (Picture: Getty)
Asked if he was surprised how much time he had in the box to connect with his header, Chalobah told Sky Sports: ‘We figured out that around the back post was key, it was in the last game as well and that’s what we worked on.
‘We all know our roles and [Marc] Cucurella, it’s a credit to him for getting me through [with his block on Johnson].’
Asked again if it was something they had specifically identified with Spurs, Chalobah continued: ‘We knew that area would be a bit isolated with Benoit being a decoy as well. It causes a bit of confusion.
‘I’ve been working on my headers and we’ve worked a lot on set pieces and it was a perfect ball for me to go and attack.’
Chelsea return to action against West Ham United on Sunday with Tottenham taking on Liverpool at Anfield later that afternoon.
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