Alonso in a trance, Chelsea beat Tottenham away

Despite being forced to play for most of the match, the Premier League champions were still lucky to win 2-1 in the second round on August 20, thanks to the brilliance of Marcos Alonso.

Goals: Batshuayi own goal 82' - Alonso 24', 88'

Playing away at Tottenham was a torture for the Premier League giants last season. Pochettino's team won four out of five times against the big five, including Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd. For Antonio Conte's team, Tottenham only evokes sad memories, because they were the team that ended Chelsea's 13-match winning streak in the Premier League.

With history not in their favour and without their three mainstays Gary Cahill, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, Chelsea were said to have come to Wembley with the motto of defending to win a point. That prediction was only half correct. Chelsea "poured concrete" for most of the match, but they still came away with all three points, thanks to a double from Marcos Alonso.

Alonso's miraculous free kick opened the door to victory for Chelsea. Photo: Reuters.

The Spanish left winger opened the scoring in the 24th minute with aa perfect free kick, sending the ball over the wall and straight into the top corner of Hugo Lloris' goal in the 24th minute. It was also him who sealed a 2-1 victory for the visitors in the 88th minute, with a decisive shot from a tight angle.

Alonso's brilliant form was a rare impression in a match where Chelsea were completely outclassed.. Their possession and shots were only half that of Tottenham, but Chelsea took advantage of their chances much better. Pragmatism has not been lost on the reigning champions, despite the departure of many important players in the summer transfer window of 2017.

The visitors had the first dangerous chance. In the 5th minute, Cesar Azpilicueta crossed the ball right into Alvaro Morata's position. The former Real Madrid player rushed in to head the ball from close range, but the ball was grazed and went wide.

Tottenham responded just five minutes later, with Harry Kane breaking through and finishing brilliantly, forcing Thibaut Courtois to take two steps to control the ball.

The home side stepped up the pressure in the following minutes, just as they had beaten Chelsea last season. Pochettino's players shot from distance a lot, but their accuracy was far behind their opponents. Chelsea opened the scoring with their second shot, from an Alonso free-kick.

Conte was delighted on the sidelines after Alonso's decisive goal. Photo: Reuters.

Tottenham did not give up easily. They continuously bombarded Courtois' goal, and seemed to have succeeded in the 42nd minute. But after Harry Kane defeated the Belgian goalkeeper, his shot was denied by the post in the 42nd minute.

Conte's side dropped deep in the second half, taking advantage of Tottenham's impatience. In the 73rd minute, they almost decided the game early when Willian's long-range shot hit the home team's goal post.

The drama of the match reached its climax in the final 10 minutes. First came an own goal by substitute Michy Batshuayi, stemming from a free kick by Christian Eriksen in the 82nd minute. But just six minutes later, Alonso restored Chelsea's lead with a decisive shot from a tight angle, capitalising on a mistake by Hugo Lloris when taking the ball upfield.

Tottenham, struggling at home, faces major concerns about their squad and their ambitions to compete for the Premier League title. Photo: Reuters.

With a dramatic 2-1 win, Conte and his team temporarily escaped the danger of crisis. As for Tottenham, the fans of this team will have more reasons to criticize the transfer policy of the board of directors, when they only brought in one new player in the summer of 2017 - the club's record contract, Davinson Sanchez, worth 54 million dollars, from Ajax.

Line-up:

Tottenham: Lloris, Dier (Son 68), Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Trippier (Janssen 90), Wanyama, Dembele, Davies (Sissoko 80), Alli, Eriksen, Kane

Unused subs: Vorm, Wimmer, Winks, Walker-Peters

Goal: Batshuayi own goal 82

Yellow cards: Dier, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Kane

Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Moses, Kante, Luiz, Alonso, Willian (Pedro 78), Bakayoko, Morata (Batsuuayi 78)

Unused Subs: Caballero, Kenedy, Musonda, Tomori, Scott

Scorers: Alonso 24, 88

Yellow cards: Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso

Referee: Anthony Taylor

According to VNE