Barclays Premier League, Sunday August 31 2008 at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Belletti (Kalou 75); J Cole (Malouda 65), Essien, Lampard, Deco; Anelka (Di Santo 88).
Manager Felipe Scolari

Tottenham Wanderers (4-1-4-1): Gomes; Gunter (Huddlestone 62), Woodgate, King (c), Bale; Zokora; Bentley (O'Hara 72), Jenas, Modric, Giovanni (Lennon 58); Bent.
Manager Juande Ramos.

Referee Howard Webb.
Crowd 41,790.
Environment Mild, humid and drizzling after earlier storms. 1.30pm kick-off. Live on Sky.
Kit Chelsea - blue shirts and shorts, white socks. Tottenham - white shirts, navy shorts, navy and white socks.

First-half.
Kick-off Chelsea
5 Close Lampard runs onto Deco's pass, dummied by Joe Cole, and chips towards goal in the manner seen pre-season. Gomes at full-stretch, tips over.
9 Booked Deco for a late chop on Giovani midway inside the Spurs half.
16 Foul Essien is brought down by Giovani in a similar position to Deco's foul but no card is withdrawn from referee Webb's pocket. The crowd is not amused.
25 Miss Anelka is found by a perfectly-weighted 40-yard pass by Belletti, brings it down with his right and then fires over from 12 yards out. The chance of the game so far
26 Woodwork Essien finds himself all alone 35 yards out and let's fly with a tremendous strike that beats Gomes. The crossbar is still shaking!
27 CHELSEA GOAL Belletti, from a mis-hit Deco corner, latches onto the ball at the near post and flashes it first time with his left foot into the net. The pressure had suddenly built and Spurs have cracked.
44 Booked Joe Cole is the second to go into the book for a mis-timed tackle, this one on Zokora.
45 TOTTENHAM GOAL Bent slips the ball through Cech's legs on the stroke of half-time for an out-of-the-blue equaliser after latching onto Lampard's ill-fortune as his deflects through the defence.
Stoppage time 1 min.

Half-time Chelsea 1 Tottenham 1

Second-half.
Kick-off Tottenham
46 Miss Ashley Cole is found by Essien, breaking into the box on the left but from an angle, he drives wide of the far post.
53 Effort Lampard lobs over the bar after sustained pressure through the centre by the Blues.
58 Tottenham substitution Lennon for Giovani.
62 Tottenham substitution Huddlestone for Gunter.
64 Miss Carvalho heads over a Lampard corner but the clear cut chances are proving hard to find.
65 Chelsea substitution Malouda for Joe Cole.
72 Tottenham substitution O'Hara for Bentley.
75 Chelsea substitution Kalou for Belletti. Essien drops back.
78 Chance Kalou breaks through onto Anelka's header following a long punt from Carvalho. He drags the shot disappointingly wide.
85 Booked Bosingwa, chasing back, for a foul on Bale as the Spurs full-back was dangerously approaching the box.
88 Chelsea substitution Di Santo for Anelka.
90+2 Shot With time ticking away, Essien takes a clever touch to make space but then fails to get power or direction into a 20-yard strike.
Stoppage time 4 mins.

Unused subs Chelsea: Cudicini, Ferreira, Bridge, Alex. Tottenham: Cesar, Gilberto, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson.

Shots on target Chelsea 1 Tottenham 1
Corners Chelsea 5 Tottenham 8
Fouls Chelsea 10 Tottenham 13
Offsides Chelsea 3 Tottenham 2

Comment Essien was passed fit but moved forward to take the place of injured Ballack. That opened the way for Belletti to come in for his first football of the season in an unfamiliar holding midfield role. The Blues were otherwise unchanged. Pavlyuchenko's arrival from Moscow arrived too late to ease their striker shortage with Berbatov again not considered. There was a place of new-signing Giovani in place of Lennon and Spurs roughly match Chelsea's 4-1-4-1. The first-half fails to ignite but no-one would have argued Chelsea's right to a half-time lead on the balance of play before the gifted equaliser, the first goal conceded this season. The second-half disappoints with no shots on target from either side. Spurs close space well and keeper Gomes, a former Scolari student, is a commanding presence as the Blues run out of ideas. Unbeaten against Tottenham in 22 games at the Bridge but the first points dropped. We remain top on goal difference.