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Gary Neville fired an ominous warning to the title rivals of Chelsea, while Roy Keane delivered a trademark line when blasting Tottenham after their 3-0 defeat.

Chelsea kept pace with Liverpool and Man Utd when notching an impressive 3-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham on Sunday. Though the scoreline did not ultimately flatter the Blues, Spurs did turn up the heat in the first half.

A surprise high press put Chelsea under the pump for large periods prior to the break. Though as all top managers should, Thomas Tuchel adapted and changed the game with an inspired substitution.

Mason Mount was sacrificed in favour of N’Golo Kante to begin the second half. From that point on, midfield control was wrestled away from Tottenham and Chelsea clicked into gear.

It was a Chelsea display that showcased precisely why they are many people’s pick for the title. They withstood heavy pressure, brought world class quality on off the bench and scored vital goals when it mattered most.

Providing commentary on the match for Sky Sports, Gary Neville was mightily impressed. Indeed, the Man Utd legend insisted anyone who finishes above Tuchel’s side will likely be champions.

“If you’re Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool any other team who’s got aspirations of winning this title, you’d fancy your chances if you finished above this Chelsea team because they look really, really good,” said Neville (via Football London).

There was of course another side on display on Sunday, though fellow pundit Keane was not forthcoming with praise despite their manful first-half efforts. In typical Keane fashion, he likened Chelsea’s eventual dominance over Tottenham to a contest between “men vs boys”.

And perhaps even more predictably, Keane questioned the Spurs’ players’ “desire”.

“Chelsea were excellent, with real quality and desire,” the former Manchester United midfielder said. “It was men vs boys – I could not believe how bad Spurs were.

“You can have an off day and obviously some days you lose to quality, but lack of desire. We saw it with the second and probably third – all the goals… talk about wanting to put your body on the line.”

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Raiola claim prompts Chelsea transfer action?

Meanwhile, Chelsea are reportedly ready to make a move for a Juventus centre-back following comments from the player’s agent Mino Raiola.

Matthijs de Ligt, who has been linked with Premier League clubs before, has been touted for a possible move to Stamford Bridge after Raiola suggested the Dutch defender could quit the Turin club at the end of the season.

Tuchel has been in the market for another centre-back ever since his arrival at the club.

He allowed Fikayo Tomori to move to AC Milan on a permanent deal, while Antonio Rudiger is stalling over penning a new contract. Veteran star Thiago Silva is also in the closing stages of his career.

Now, the Sunday Express states that Chelsea are now ready to make a move for De Ligt. The news come after Italian outlet Tuttosport quoted Raiola as saying: “Matthijs de Ligt is one of the best centre-backs in Europe.

“He could leave Juventus at the end of the season. The transfer market sometimes works like this.”

READ MORE: Player Ratings: Chelsea veterans soar as inspired sub deflates Tottenham

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