Tottenham Hotspur against Chelsea

Walker fires in a 30-yard screamer but Cech manages to tip it round the post. Was swirving too.

Adebayor with a chance but can't get the ball out from underneath his feet inside the area and Cech smothers it clear.

Adebayor gives the ball away to Ramires who picks out Hazard with a great pass. But Hazard places the ball across goal when best option would have been to shoot.

There have been plenty of shots fired at both goals this afternoon.

Sandro has another effort at goal. This time wide.

Mata with another fantastic ball picks out Torres whose effort sails just wide of the post.

Walker delivery cleared to Lennon on the edge of the box who can only shoot straight at Cech.

Sturridge caught offside with his first involvement in the game.

A decent performance from Oscar.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> STURRIDGE ON FOR OSCAR.

But Sigurdsson sends it high and wide.

Defoe brought down by Mikel on edge of area. Free kick in dangerous position.

Seems like there might be one more goal in this. Which way will it go though?

Walker finds Defoe on the edge of the box but his shot is fired straight at a defender and bounces clear.

Tottenham seemed stunned. Finding it hard to get the ball back off Chelsea.

Adebayor can't get onto the end of a dangerous ball into the box. Falls to Cech.

Adebayor with a knock down to Sigurdsson who fires over.

Chelsea look like they want another.

Friedel called into action again as he turns away a low shot from Oscar.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> <b>ADEBAYOR ON FOR DEMPSEY</b>

Mata comes close again as he turns up at the far post and tries to squeeze his effort in but is denied by Friedel.

Mikel does well to find Torres with a chipped ball but for some reason the striker decides to head it back rather than go for goal. Wasted.

After a quiet period for the two, Mata and Hazard really turn it on for Chelsea.

Have Spurs got it in them to come from behind again?

What a turnaround.

A fantastic finish from Mata after being picked out by Hazard. Great pass. Great Chelsea move.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR CHELSEA. MATA.</b>

Chance for Chelsea. Torres counters and runs towards the goal with space opening up but tackled by Vertonghen.

Cech pulls off a great save to deny a speculative long-range effort from Defoe.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif" LIVERMORE ON FOR HUDDLESTONE>

Oscar whips a dangerous ball into the box but Gallas can only clear it to Mata on the edge of the box who finds the corner of the goal brilliantly.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR CHELSEA. MATA.</b>

Chelsea with a real period of sustained pressure now.

Caulker clears a dangerous Cole delivery.

Ivanovic gets to the byline and pulls a ball back but Sandro is there to clear.

Torres falls to the ground rather easily and claims a penalty. Not given.

Some excellent tackles flying in from Spurs are disrupting Chelsea's flow.

Sandro has an effort on the edge of the area but again straight down the middle to Cech.

First Hazard and then Mata easily tackled by Tottenham. Chelsea becoming frustrated.

Torres, Oscar and Hazard link up well but a Hazard delivery is deflected straight to Friedel.

Something tells me Chelsea will be coming right back into this game. Hazard, Mata and Oscar will want to become more involved again.

Hazard corner headed clear.

Gallas makes contact with him as he challenges for the ball but the referee gives a corner.

Penalty shout from Ashley Cole.

Fully deserved from Tottenham. Lennon has been a real threat.

Lennon does well to find Defoe with a drilled ball across the box. A great finish first time from the striker.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR TOTTENHAM. DEFOE.</b>

Vertonghen does well to dispose Chelsea on the edge of the box before firing in a long-range effort but it is straight down the throat of Cech.

Lennon beats a man again and nearly picks out Sandro. He is having a great game.

Luiz picks out Hazard but the Belgian comes back from an offside position.

Tottenham have upped their level of play all over the pitch.

Sigurdsson again goes close. Vertonghen passes to Defoe who picks out Sigurdsson but his shot is fired straight at Cech.

Lovely play from Lennon who beats Luiz before sending a ball to the far post. A defensive header sends the ball to Sigurdsson whose shot is deflected over.

It was a great delivery from Huddlestone. Just the start Spurs were looking for. Game on.

A suspicion of hand ball from Gallas.

Huddletone delivers a deep free kick to the far post and finds Vertonghen who sends it back across goal and Gallas gets a touch to convert it in.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR TOTTENHAM. GALLAS.</b>

Tottenham will be hoping to find some of that momentum they showed towards the end of the first half.

And we're off.

But Mata perhaps will be thinking he could have put his side two up. An enthralling second half awaits.

It has been an end to end encounter. Chelsea started the brighter with the goal but Spurs came back into the game only for some strong opposition defending to deny them an equaliser.

<b>HALF TIME</b> The whistle goes and the teams head into the changing rooms.

Lennon has looked very threatening at times.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Ramires is booked for the challenge.

Lennon beats Cole before being hacked down by Ramires.

Some desperate defending from Chelsea at times but effective.

Dempsey plays in Defoe who hangs a ball up to the far post but again Chelsea do well to deal with it.

Three minutes of added on time to play.

Luiz up though and play resumes.

Luiz down injured causes a break in play. Frustrating for Spurs as it breaks up their period of pressure.

Spurs are desperate for an equaliser before half time.

Corner whipped in and Chelsea fail to deal with it. It falls to Dempsey but his effort is blocked and it bounces clear.

Walker gets forward well and picks out Dempsey on the edge of the box but his shot is deflected wide for a corner.

Saying that Sigurdsson deleivers a dangerous ball into the box from the left that Cech does well to deal with.

Tottenham look like they could really do with Gareth Bale. No natural width down the left-hand side.

What an action-packed game it has been so far.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Gallas is late with a challenge on Torres.

Mata nearly makes it two. Decent effort from edge of box is saved and he scuffs the rebound over the bar.

Luiz again. He leaves a ball for his keeper but Defoe nearly takes advantage but Cech gets there first.

Luiz loses the ball and is well out of position as Lennon threatens the Chelsea defence. But again his run comes to a premature end.

Poor corner and Chelsea break with Hazard but Walker stops him from sending a ball into the box.

Vertonghen sends a deep ball into the box but Cole defends well and concedes a corner.

Sigurdsson has swapped with Dempsey and is now out on the left, with the American down the middle behind Defoe.

Torres has been working hard for his team-mates today. Doing his best to hold the ball up.

Torres turns Caulker in the Tottenham box and tries to slip in Mata but he is ruled offside by the linesman.

Something tells me there will be a few more goals in this game.

Torres plays a dangerous ball into the Tottenham box but nobody is at the far post to meet it.

Mata tries to play in Torres but to no avail. Every time he gets the ball he is looking for the early pass to the striker.

More encouraging play from Tottenham.

Lennon sends a ball into the box, just missing Dempsey. The ball lands at the feet of Sigurdsson who can only hit it past the wrong side of the post.

Huddlestone hits it straight into a Chelsea defender. Wasted.

Walker comes forward and is fouled by Mikel. Spurs free-kick.

Tottenham have given the ball away a few too many times in this half. Ramires and Mikel tidying up well.

A lot of the football is being played in Tottenham's half so far. Chelsea want a second.

Lennon cuts in from the right and beats two players before becoming unstuck inside the penalty area.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Ivanovic booked for diving.

Hazard, Oscar and Mata look dangerous every time they get on the ball.

Oscar plays a one-two with Torres but Torres' poor pass stops the move from going any further.

Hazard tracks back to stop Vertonghen. He is having a good game so far.

Defoe tries to play in Sigurdsson but his control lets him down when he could have been in on goal.

End to end stuff at the moment. Both teams really going for it.

Defoe picks the ball up on the edge of the area and drills a low shot. Cech palms away and Cole clears before Dempsey can get to the rebound.

Chelsea deserve the lead after a positive start.

Unstoppable. Took a little deflection off Walker on the way.

Hazard corner is headed away by Gallas but it lands at the feet of Cahill who volleys it into the Spurs net from the edge of the area.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL for Chelsea. Gary Cahill.</b>

Hazard and Mata combine again. Mata delivery is headed off for a corner by Gallas.

Ramires is stopped by Spurs after a mazy run into the box. Spurs counter attack quickly but Dempsey runs into a dead end. Goal kick for Chelsea.

Kyle Walker whips a ball into the Chelsea box. But unfortunately for Spurs it goes out for a throw.

It has been a decent start to the game so far. A proper London derby.

Gallas caught in possession by Oscar who plays in Torres through on goal. Luckily for Spurs the striker is offside. Let off.

Sandro smashes a long-range effort well over the bar. Never troubling Cech.

Huddlestone delivers a lovely ball into the box, but nobody at the far post to meet it.

Chelsea looking by far the more threatening so far.

Hazard whips a ball into the box which the Spurs defence can only clear as far as Oscar. The Brazilian drills a snap shot just wide of the post.

Hazard nearly picks out Torres but Friedel is first to the ball.

Hazard swapped sides and is now playing down the right. Mata in the middle, Oscar on the left.

Hazard and Torres combine well, but Hazard is eventually snuffed out by the Spurs defence.

Spurs playing a little casual and giving it away cheaply. Can't keep hold of the ball.

Oscar, Mata and Hazard all getting the ball early on. Looking dangerous.

Hazard whips in a corner but Spurs manage to deal with it.

Cole getting booed. No surprises there.

Sigurdsson lofts a free-kick into the box and picks out Defoe who struggles to get contact with the ball and it falls just wide of the post.

Mike Dean is the man in charge today.

Mikel picks out Cole with a long ball, but the left back can't control it and it goes off for a goal kick.

Chelsea playing it around nicely at the moment.

William Gallas of course lining up against his old side.

And we're off.

Both sides lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Huddlestone makes his first Premier League start for 17 months.

AVB just shakes hands with Frank Lampard. A little awkward.

What a result it would be for Spurs if they could pull off a victory after their success at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Subs Spurs - Lloris, Adebayor, Naughton, Dawson, Falque Livermore Townsend Chelsea - Turnbull, Romeu, Lampard, Moses, Sturridge, Azpilicueta, Bertrand

And of course AVB faces his old side so there are plenty of sub-plots today for what promises to be an exciting encounter.

Big days for Tom Huddlestone and Gary Cahill who will both be hoping to impress in the absence of others.

Chelsea are of course without their captain John Terry who starts his four match ban today after the FA found him guilty of racial abuse towards Anton Ferdinand.

Chelsea Team vs Spurs : Cech. Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Cole; Obi, Ramires. Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Torres

Spurs Team vs Chelsea: Friedel, Vertonghen, Gallas, Caulker, Walker, Sandro, Sigurdsson, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Lennon, Defoe

Tottenham are also missing Moussa Dembele who picked up an injury while on international duty.

The big news before the match is there will be no Gareth Bale who is missing due to his wife going into labour.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2011/0725/andrevillasboasanddimatteo20110724_275x155.jpg"><br>AVB will come face to face with former assistant Roberto Di Matteo

There will also be plenty of focus on John Terry, who will keep the Chelsea captaincy despite accepting the FA's punishments for his racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand. Terry is unavailable at White Hart Lane as a result of the sanctions.

Andre Villas-Boas faces former club Chelsea at White Hart Lane and, while he would be expected to be eager to prove a point, Miguel Delaney found him to be in relaxed mood - you can read his feature <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/1194614/avb-is-looking-to-the-future-with-spurs,-not-the-past-with-chelsea?cc=5739" target="_blank">here</a>.

Live commentary will appear here from 1245 BST.

Adebayor can't get onto the end of a dangerous ball into the box. Falls to Cech.

Adebayor with a knock down to Sigurdsson who fires over.

Chelsea look like they want another.

Friedel called into action again as he turns away a low shot from Oscar.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> <b>ADEBAYOR ON FOR DEMPSEY</b>

Mata comes close again as he turns up at the far post and tries to squeeze his effort in but is denied by Friedel.

Mikel does well to find Torres with a chipped ball but for some reason the striker decides to head it back rather than go for goal. Wasted.

After a quiet period for the two, Mata and Hazard really turn it on for Chelsea.

Have Spurs got it in them to come from behind again?

What a turnaround.

A fantastic finish from Mata after being picked out by Hazard. Great pass. Great Chelsea move.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR CHELSEA. MATA.</b>

Chance for Chelsea. Torres counters and runs towards the goal with space opening up but tackled by Vertonghen.

Cech pulls off a great save to deny a speculative long-range effort from Defoe.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif" LIVERMORE ON FOR HUDDLESTONE>

Oscar whips a dangerous ball into the box but Gallas can only clear it to Mata on the edge of the box who finds the corner of the goal brilliantly.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR CHELSEA. MATA.</b>

Chelsea with a real period of sustained pressure now.

Caulker clears a dangerous Cole delivery.

Ivanovic gets to the byline and pulls a ball back but Sandro is there to clear.

Torres falls to the ground rather easily and claims a penalty. Not given.

Some excellent tackles flying in from Spurs are disrupting Chelsea's flow.

Sandro has an effort on the edge of the area but again straight down the middle to Cech.

First Hazard and then Mata easily tackled by Tottenham. Chelsea becoming frustrated.

Torres, Oscar and Hazard link up well but a Hazard delivery is deflected straight to Friedel.

Something tells me Chelsea will be coming right back into this game. Hazard, Mata and Oscar will want to become more involved again.

Hazard corner headed clear.

Gallas makes contact with him as he challenges for the ball but the referee gives a corner.

Penalty shout from Ashley Cole.

Fully deserved from Tottenham. Lennon has been a real threat.

Lennon does well to find Defoe with a drilled ball across the box. A great finish first time from the striker.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR TOTTENHAM. DEFOE.</b>

Vertonghen does well to dispose Chelsea on the edge of the box before firing in a long-range effort but it is straight down the throat of Cech.

Lennon beats a man again and nearly picks out Sandro. He is having a great game.

Luiz picks out Hazard but the Belgian comes back from an offside position.

Tottenham have upped their level of play all over the pitch.

Sigurdsson again goes close. Vertonghen passes to Defoe who picks out Sigurdsson but his shot is fired straight at Cech.

Lovely play from Lennon who beats Luiz before sending a ball to the far post. A defensive header sends the ball to Sigurdsson whose shot is deflected over.

It was a great delivery from Huddlestone. Just the start Spurs were looking for. Game on.

A suspicion of hand ball from Gallas.

Huddletone delivers a deep free kick to the far post and finds Vertonghen who sends it back across goal and Gallas gets a touch to convert it in.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL FOR TOTTENHAM. GALLAS.</b>

Tottenham will be hoping to find some of that momentum they showed towards the end of the first half.

And we're off.

But Mata perhaps will be thinking he could have put his side two up. An enthralling second half awaits.

It has been an end to end encounter. Chelsea started the brighter with the goal but Spurs came back into the game only for some strong opposition defending to deny them an equaliser.

<b>HALF TIME</b> The whistle goes and the teams head into the changing rooms.

Lennon has looked very threatening at times.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Ramires is booked for the challenge.

Lennon beats Cole before being hacked down by Ramires.

Some desperate defending from Chelsea at times but effective.

Dempsey plays in Defoe who hangs a ball up to the far post but again Chelsea do well to deal with it.

Three minutes of added on time to play.

Luiz up though and play resumes.

Luiz down injured causes a break in play. Frustrating for Spurs as it breaks up their period of pressure.

Spurs are desperate for an equaliser before half time.

Corner whipped in and Chelsea fail to deal with it. It falls to Dempsey but his effort is blocked and it bounces clear.

Walker gets forward well and picks out Dempsey on the edge of the box but his shot is deflected wide for a corner.

Saying that Sigurdsson deleivers a dangerous ball into the box from the left that Cech does well to deal with.

Tottenham look like they could really do with Gareth Bale. No natural width down the left-hand side.

What an action-packed game it has been so far.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Gallas is late with a challenge on Torres.

Mata nearly makes it two. Decent effort from edge of box is saved and he scuffs the rebound over the bar.

Luiz again. He leaves a ball for his keeper but Defoe nearly takes advantage but Cech gets there first.

Luiz loses the ball and is well out of position as Lennon threatens the Chelsea defence. But again his run comes to a premature end.

Poor corner and Chelsea break with Hazard but Walker stops him from sending a ball into the box.

Vertonghen sends a deep ball into the box but Cole defends well and concedes a corner.

Sigurdsson has swapped with Dempsey and is now out on the left, with the American down the middle behind Defoe.

Torres has been working hard for his team-mates today. Doing his best to hold the ball up.

Torres turns Caulker in the Tottenham box and tries to slip in Mata but he is ruled offside by the linesman.

Something tells me there will be a few more goals in this game.

Torres plays a dangerous ball into the Tottenham box but nobody is at the far post to meet it.

Mata tries to play in Torres but to no avail. Every time he gets the ball he is looking for the early pass to the striker.

More encouraging play from Tottenham.

Lennon sends a ball into the box, just missing Dempsey. The ball lands at the feet of Sigurdsson who can only hit it past the wrong side of the post.

Huddlestone hits it straight into a Chelsea defender. Wasted.

Walker comes forward and is fouled by Mikel. Spurs free-kick.

Tottenham have given the ball away a few too many times in this half. Ramires and Mikel tidying up well.

A lot of the football is being played in Tottenham's half so far. Chelsea want a second.

Lennon cuts in from the right and beats two players before becoming unstuck inside the penalty area.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Ivanovic booked for diving.

Hazard, Oscar and Mata look dangerous every time they get on the ball.

Oscar plays a one-two with Torres but Torres' poor pass stops the move from going any further.

Hazard tracks back to stop Vertonghen. He is having a good game so far.

Defoe tries to play in Sigurdsson but his control lets him down when he could have been in on goal.

End to end stuff at the moment. Both teams really going for it.

Defoe picks the ball up on the edge of the area and drills a low shot. Cech palms away and Cole clears before Dempsey can get to the rebound.

Chelsea deserve the lead after a positive start.

Unstoppable. Took a little deflection off Walker on the way.

Hazard corner is headed away by Gallas but it lands at the feet of Cahill who volleys it into the Spurs net from the edge of the area.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> <b>GOAL for Chelsea. Gary Cahill.</b>

Hazard and Mata combine again. Mata delivery is headed off for a corner by Gallas.

Ramires is stopped by Spurs after a mazy run into the box. Spurs counter attack quickly but Dempsey runs into a dead end. Goal kick for Chelsea.

Kyle Walker whips a ball into the Chelsea box. But unfortunately for Spurs it goes out for a throw.

It has been a decent start to the game so far. A proper London derby.

Gallas caught in possession by Oscar who plays in Torres through on goal. Luckily for Spurs the striker is offside. Let off.

Sandro smashes a long-range effort well over the bar. Never troubling Cech.

Huddlestone delivers a lovely ball into the box, but nobody at the far post to meet it.

Chelsea looking by far the more threatening so far.

Hazard whips a ball into the box which the Spurs defence can only clear as far as Oscar. The Brazilian drills a snap shot just wide of the post.

Hazard nearly picks out Torres but Friedel is first to the ball.

Hazard swapped sides and is now playing down the right. Mata in the middle, Oscar on the left.

Hazard and Torres combine well, but Hazard is eventually snuffed out by the Spurs defence.

Spurs playing a little casual and giving it away cheaply. Can't keep hold of the ball.

Oscar, Mata and Hazard all getting the ball early on. Looking dangerous.

Hazard whips in a corner but Spurs manage to deal with it.

Cole getting booed. No surprises there.

Sigurdsson lofts a free-kick into the box and picks out Defoe who struggles to get contact with the ball and it falls just wide of the post.

Mike Dean is the man in charge today.

Mikel picks out Cole with a long ball, but the left back can't control it and it goes off for a goal kick.

Chelsea playing it around nicely at the moment.

William Gallas of course lining up against his old side.

And we're off.

Both sides lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Huddlestone makes his first Premier League start for 17 months.

AVB just shakes hands with Frank Lampard. A little awkward.

What a result it would be for Spurs if they could pull off a victory after their success at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Subs Spurs - Lloris, Adebayor, Naughton, Dawson, Falque Livermore Townsend Chelsea - Turnbull, Romeu, Lampard, Moses, Sturridge, Azpilicueta, Bertrand

And of course AVB faces his old side so there are plenty of sub-plots today for what promises to be an exciting encounter.

Big days for Tom Huddlestone and Gary Cahill who will both be hoping to impress in the absence of others.

Chelsea are of course without their captain John Terry who starts his four match ban today after the FA found him guilty of racial abuse towards Anton Ferdinand.

Chelsea Team vs Spurs : Cech. Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Cole; Obi, Ramires. Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Torres

Spurs Team vs Chelsea: Friedel, Vertonghen, Gallas, Caulker, Walker, Sandro, Sigurdsson, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Lennon, Defoe

Tottenham are also missing Moussa Dembele who picked up an injury while on international duty.

The big news before the match is there will be no Gareth Bale who is missing due to his wife going into labour.

<img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2011/0725/andrevillasboasanddimatteo20110724_275x155.jpg"><br>AVB will come face to face with former assistant Roberto Di Matteo

There will also be plenty of focus on John Terry, who will keep the Chelsea captaincy despite accepting the FA's punishments for his racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand. Terry is unavailable at White Hart Lane as a result of the sanctions.

Andre Villas-Boas faces former club Chelsea at White Hart Lane and, while he would be expected to be eager to prove a point, Miguel Delaney found him to be in relaxed mood - you can read his feature <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/1194614/avb-is-looking-to-the-future-with-spurs,-not-the-past-with-chelsea?cc=5739" target="_blank">here</a>.

Live commentary will appear here from 1245 BST.