Tottenham suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat at the hands of London rivals Chelsea in the 11th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (July 7).
Dejan Kulusebski’s goal in the sixth minute of the first half gave Spurs an early lead, but a series of sending-offs and two injuries made it difficult to play a normal game. Eventually, three goals in quick succession in the second half led to a somewhat shocking defeat at home.레모나토토
The loss snapped a 10-match unbeaten run at the top of the table after opening the season with eight wins, two draws, and one loss (26 points) and dropped Spurs one spot to Manchester City (27 points).
Son Heung-min was also silent. Looking for his third consecutive goal against Chelsea, Son was light on his feet early on. His first goal of the game came in the first minute, when he found space behind the Chelsea defense and slotted home a pass from Pape Sarr.
Chelsea’s goal was also rattled. After Kuluczewski’s goal made it 1-0 in the 13th minute, Son Heung-min scored what looked like the game-winner. Brennan Johnson cut in from the left and sent a low, quick cross to Munjeon, who rushed forward and headed home a one-timer to open the Chelsea scoring. It looked like Son’s ninth league goal.
But the assistant referee raised his flag. The video assistant referee (VAR) reviewed Son’s position and found him slightly ahead. Heung-min had a wry smile on his face as the goal was disallowed for offside.
The lack of a 2-0 lead allowed Chelsea to counterattack, especially with Raheem Sterling’s pace. Slowly, the flanks and the back of the defense began to collapse, and Spurs conceded the equalizer in the 28th minute. At one point, Moises Caicedo’s mid-range effort was ruled out for offside by Nicholas Jackson, but Enzo Fernandes was brought down in the buildup.
Tottenham were in the box when Cristian Romero tripped Fernandez. As the tackle hit a player in a dangerous area, the penalty was reviewed by VAR. The referee’s on-field review followed and a penalty was awarded. In addition, Romero was sent off for a direct challenge.
Tottenham were unable to stop Cole Palmer’s penalty and the game went into the break 1-1. There was more bad news before halftime. Key midfielder James Maddison and defender Mickey van der Vaart were forced off with injuries. With three of Tottenham’s top four players out, including Son Heung-min, the team was virtually unstoppable.
In the second half, Destiny Udogie was sent off after accumulating a yellow card for a high tackle on Sterling. Playing with nine men, Tottenham took a gamble. Ange Postecoglou didn’t drop his backline despite the two-man advantage. He kept the line up despite the fact that Eric Dier, who was slow on his feet, rushed in to cover the back four.
It paid off. Spurs conceded a goal in the final 30 minutes. Desperate for a goal, Tottenham pushed up their line, which often resulted in one-on-one situations between Chelsea strikers and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Vicario made a series of brilliant saves, but eventually conceded the third and fourth goals, leaving the score at 1-4.
Still, it symbolized Tottenham’s soccer. According to the BBC, Tottenham fans applauded the players after the game despite the loss. Postecoglou, who maintained an attacking style of play, said, “We showed who we are. As long as I’m here, we’ll continue to play the same football,” he said, adding, “We’ll consider dropping back defensively when we have five players.”
“Today’s game was out of control, so there’s no point in analyzing it. Despite the result, I’m proud of the players, they worked hard and that’s the positive we will continue to take.”