13/03/2002  Chelsea 4 Tottenham 0
 
If it was a heavyweight fight, the referee would have 
stopped it well before the end as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 
struck the blows which served as a premature knock-out blow to 
Tottenham's season.

To say Spurs will be sick of the sight of Chelsea after 
four defeats in five meetings and their second 4-0 drubbing in 
four days would be putting it mildly.

Indeed, their only consolation as the Blues breathed new 
life into their own campaign to rescue a Champions League spot 
is that they will not have to face Hasselbaink again.

The Dutchman was in sensational form at Stamford Bridge as 
the complete hat-trick - finishing with his right foot, head 
and left foot - took his season's tally to 27 goals. What is 
more, six of them have come against Tottenham.

The North London side may have experienced the high of a 
5-1 Worthington Cup success seven weeks ago but it is now a 
distant memory.

Tottenham did not go down to a fourth defeat of the season 
by their London rivals without a fight. Then again, a fight 
was all they produced at Stamford Bridge.

The left-over bad feeling from their tempestuous cup tie 
last weekend led to Mauricio Taricco, who was fouled for 
Graeme Le Saux's red card at White Hart Lane, scything down 
the full-back to earn his own dismissal.

And there were also reports Tim Sherwood allegedly elbowed 
the perspex tunnel with such force he nearly knocked a steward 
over on the other side.

Otherwise, Tottenham hardly made a mark on the game at 
all.

Shot-shy up front, outrun in midfield and static in 
defence, they are a side ageing in front of their manager's 
eyes.

While Chelsea now lie just five points behind fourth-placed 
Newcastle, Spurs are a further 12 points adrift and now out of 
the both cups after a three-week period to forget in a 
hurry.

Their determination to battle their way out of a corner may 
have been evident in the selections of Ben Thatcher and 
Taricco, but not in their ensuing display.

Despite all Tottenham's early possession, Marcel Desailly 
was inspired at the back as Chelsea soaked up the pressure and 
struck with pace and precision on the counter-attack.

Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen allowed the first two 
openings to slip by but as Dean Richards fatally 
back-pedalled, it was all the invitation Hasselbaink needed to 
take aim from 25 yards.

While Ledley King cleared off the line soon afterwards, 
Richards had clearly not learned his lesson and made the same 
mistake again to earn a stinging rebuke from Sherwood.

This time, Hasselbaink missed the target, but he still came 
closer than the entire Tottenham team and even though Richards 
was replaced at the break, still Chelsea threatened.

Indeed, despite two brief threats by Gustavo Poyet, the 
visitors were soon down to 10 men and effectively out for the 
count.

Taricco's ugly foul on Le Saux almost caused a melee and, 
as he was ordered off, he hardly calmed down the baying crowd 
by applauding all four corners of the stadium.

Ten minutes later, however, his side paid the penalty as 
Chelsea responded by launching an attack down the other 
flank.

Racing onto Mario Melchiot's inviting ball, Jesper 
Gronkjaer delivered an inch-perfect cross for Hasselbaink and, 
in space yet again, the Dutchman comfortably headed home.

Ferdinand's inability to reach Christian Ziege's inviting 
cross contrasted cruelly with Hasselbaink's consummate, curled 
finish with his left foot to round off his hat-trick with 10 
minutes left.

He may then have been taken off - it would have been cruel 
to keep him on - but the scoring did not end there. 
Frank Lampard struck the fourth from close range and 
although it was the final whistle went rather than the towel 
being thrown into the ring that ended the contest, it had in 
truth not really been a contest at all.