Premier League: 5 things learned as Antonio Conte's Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur

London: After a demeaning loss to Burnley last week, defending Premier League champions Chelsea came out on top in the London derby against Tottenham Hotspur with a resounding 2-1 victory. 

Marcos Alonso’s brace proved to be the difference as Chelsea made Spurs’ Wembley nightmare come true.

With both sides failing to break down each other, Alonso gave the visitors a lead through a peach of a free-kick before Michy Batshuayi's own-goal bagged the equaliser for Spurs. 

Three minutes later, it was Antonio Conte’s men that had the last laugh, pouncing on an error by Victor Wanyama before Alonso fired past a dubious Hugo Lloris.

Here are 5 things we learned from last night: 

1) Harry Kane’s August curse continues

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Believe it or not, Harry Kane is yet to score a Premier League goal in August. 

Fortunes for the month just don’t seem to be favouring the Englishman, who has emerged as one of the league’s most prolific scorers bagging the Golden Boot award in the last two seasons. 

Kane was denied by the woodwork to end his August goal-scoring drought and even slammed the post last weekend against Newcastle. He has now gone goalless for 12 Premier League games in August, despite registering 34 shots.

The 24-year-old still awaits for goal no. 100 for the Lilywhites and with fixtures against a buoyant Burnley and a trip to the Goodison next, Kane may still keep hanging. 

2) Antonio Conte’s tactics pay off

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Despite unexpected injuries and red card suspensions, Antonio Conte made the most out of what was available to him. With David Luiz playing higher up in midfield (a mix of a centre-back and a defensive half) and Tiemoue Bakayoko being rushed into the lineup despite his full fitness, the Italian boss employed a shrewd 5-3-1-1 formation with Willian playing just behind Alvaro Morata as a free no.10. 

The picture below demonstrates how Antonio Conte organised his troops with the trio of N'Golo Kante, David Luiz and Tiemoue Bakayoko guarding the defence just ahead of the box.

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The Blues shut shop in the middle of the park, closing tight spaces and avoiding Pochettino’s men to play between the lines. 

Conjusted space in the middle for the likes of Dele Alli, Moussa Dembele and Christian Eriksen forced Spurs’ full-backs to whip in crosses into the box that was easily dealt by Chelsea's lanky defenders.

Only two of Tottenham's crosses were successful out of an attempted 33. Plan well mastered by Conte. 

3) Will home games at Wembley impact Tottenham’s title chances? 

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A major reason why Tottenham landed as runners-up in the 2016-17 Premier League campaign was due to their unbeaten record at the White Hart Lane. 

But despite a roaring atmosphere at the Wembley that made it feel like home, Tottenham failed to break the hoodoo. 

Pochettino refused to blame the venue for the loss after the game, but the fact that even weaker sides have emerged victorious as visitors should be an alarming sign for Spurs as they embrace a new challenge.  

4) Chelsea take their chances and the points

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Boasting an utterly-superior XI compared to their London rivals, three points seemed to be more than evident for Spurs.

In the first half, Spurs saw more of the ball and pushed Chelsea on the back-foot with efficient passes to keep the game flowing. 

But what separated the two sides, in the end, was their efficiency in front of goal that secured Chelsea the three points. 

5) Newcomers Andreas Christensen and Tiemoue Bakayoko dazzle 

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While it was Marcos Alonso who grabbed all the limelight, a defensively sound performance by Chelsea would not have been possible without newcomers Tiemoue Bakayoko and Andreas Christensen. 

Many questions were raised about Nemanja Matic’s departure from Stamford Bridge after the Serbian instantly impressed for Jose Mourinho's Manchester United. But by swapping Bakayoko for Matic, Conte has got an upgrade in midfield. 

The Frenchman on his debut resorted to his defensive duties and made a difference in the final third on many occasions, despite a straining knee injury. 

On the other-hand, Andreas Christensen looked composed and dynamic in absence of the experienced Gary Cahill. The Dane handled his opportunity with aplomb even if that meant putting his body on the line. 

After an impressive loan spell at Borussia Monchengladbach, the future looks propitious for Christensen under Antonio Conte.