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Kalidou Koulibaly equals Chelsea record set by Michael Essien 16 years ago

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has equalled a record set by Michael Essien in 2006 after scoring against Tottenham Hotspur.

Kalidou Koulibaly equals Chelsea record set by Michael Essien 16 years ago

The Senegal international scored the Blues’ first goal in their 2-2 draw with Spurs in the Premier League on Sunday.

Koulibaly applied a smart finish to Marc Cucurella’s cross to open the scoring in his home debut following his move from Napoli this summer.

By scoring, he has become just the second Chelsea player to net his first league goal in a game against Tottenham.

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“Kalidou Koulibaly is the first player to score his first Premier League goal for Chelsea in a game against Spurs since Michael Essien in March 2006,” reported Opta.

Essien scored his maiden topflight goal against the Blues’ North London rivals in 2006 and that record had stood for 16 years.

However, while Chelsea went on to win 2-1 against Spurs in that fixture, the Blues had to settle for a draw during Sunday’s clash.

Koulibaly's goal had given Thomas Tuchel’s side a slender 1-0 lead following a dominant first-half performance.

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Tottenham, though, came back strongly in the second half and restored parity through Pierre Emile Hojbjerg.

Chelsea appeared to have sealed all three points thanks to Reece James’ late goal but there was more drama as Harry Kane snatched a draw for Tottenham deep into injury time.

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