Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: What Were The Main Talking Points As Chelsea Claim A Stunningly Chaotic Victory In North London?

In what was another Premier League classic on Monday night, Chelsea snatched a famous 4-1 victory away at a nine-man Tottenham following a string of infamous incidents at both ends of the pitch.

While Spurs might have taken the lead after just six minutes as Dejan Kulusevski’s deflected effort found a way past the helpless Robert Sanchez, the wheels quickly came off for Tottenham in a remarkable fashion.

Although full-back Destiny Udogie might have initially avoided being shown a straight red card following a reckless lunge on Raheem Sterling, Cristian Romero was not as fortunate as the Argentinian defender was given his marching orders after a lengthy VAR check just minutes later.

Watching summer recruit Cole Palmer extend on his bright start to life in west London as the ex-Manchester City starlet converted from the penalty spot, Ange Postecoglou will also have a major injury headache after both James Maddison and Micky van de Ven limped off in the space of a few seconds.

With four separate goals ruled out by VAR at both ends of the pitch in what was a pulsating first-half, Spurs were left scratching their heads at how dramatically the wheels came off following their stellar start.

With Spurs’ infamous collapse continuing after the restart as Udogie was brandished with a second yellow card following another late challenge on Sterling, Tottenham were forced to play the final 35 minutes with just nine men.

While Guglielmo Vicario might have done a stunning job of keeping Chelsea at bay, it almost seemed inevitable that Mauricio Pochettino’s side would find a way through.

Eventually breaching Spurs’ defence, it was Nicolas Jackson who stole all of the late headlines as the ex-Villarreal striker bagged a maiden Premier League hat-trick in the final 22 minutes.

In what was another remarkable showdown between the two bitter London foes, we have taken a look at the main talking points.

Pochettino eventually gets his perfect north London return

Suffering a toothless 2-0 loss at home against west London rivals Brentford last weekend and struggling to find any kind of stability since appointing Pochettino over the summer, Chelsea would have always known that they faced a rugged test here.

Mounting a stellar comeback here and with the deck firmly stacked in their favor as Tottenham were reduced to nine men just 10 minutes after the restart, the ex-Spurs boss certainly got his dream return to north London.

Not making an appearance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since controversially leaving the club back in 2019, Monday’s 4-1 romp now means that the Blues have skyrocketed themselves back into the top-half.

Extending on their EFL Cup adventure earlier in the week thanks to a 2-1 victory against Blackburn, Pochettino’s new side have now lost just one of their previous seven outings across all competitions.

with Jackson eventually going on to notch his first Premier League hat-trick against a tiring and nine-man Spurs, Chelsea’s latest striking star will be desperate to use his late flurry as a platform to build on.

Tottenham’s unbeaten start comes to a remarkable end

Missing out on booking any kind of European finish last season and in the midst of what had become a public Premier League struggle, Tottenham have certainly enjoyed a new lease of life since they welcomed Postecoglou to north London over the summer.

Opening Monday’s showdown unbeaten in each of their first 10 Premier League appearances and with some even tipping them as a genuine title contender this time around, Spurs must quickly dust themselves down.

Although Tottenham might have eventually watched their unbeaten start to proceedings come to an end on home soil, Spurs were still backed by a vocal support until the final whistle.

Despite enduring what was an infamous collapse in north London following Kulusevski’s early opener, Postecoglou’s men should still take away a string of positives from Spurs’ record-breaking start to the 2023/24 campaign.

Always likely to fall to a first Premier League defeat after going down to nine men in the opening 10 minutes of the second-half, the Australian tactician will be more concerned by a pair of heavyweight injury issues here.

Injuries & suspensions will be a huge worry for Postecoglou

While Postecoglou might have been disappointed after suffering a maiden Premier League defeat on Monday night, the former Celtic boss will be most concerned by the site of two of his influential first-team superstars limping off with respective injury blows.

In what was a bizarre first-half, Spurs were forced to watch both attacking talisman Maddison and summer recruit van de Ven sustain their own massive injury blows in the space of just a few seconds.

With van de Ven continuing to gain a string of plaudits since arriving from German outfit Wolfsburg during the summer transfer window, the 22-year-old appeared in serious discomfort after sustaining what appears to be a long-term hamstring injury.

Now expected to be without the two-cap Dutch international for a lengthy stint, there is also growing concerns over the extent of Maddison’s ankle issue.

Likewise, with Romero set to face a three-match suspension following his dangerous lunge on Enzo Fernandez in the first-half, Odogie will also be handed a one-match ban for his pair of costly bookings.

Match Report

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson, Son

Subs: Bentancur, Dier, Royal, Hojbjerg, Skipp

Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Fernandez, Caicedo, Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling, Jackson

Subs: Cucurella, Mudryk, Gusto, Ugochukwu

Goals: Tottenham: Kulusevski (6’) – Chelsea: Palmer (35’ P), Jackson (75’, 90+4’, 90+7’)

Yellow Cards: Tottenham: Odogie, Sarr – Chelsea: Colwill, Jackson, Gutso, Mudryk, Ugochukwu

Red Cards: Romero (33’), Udogie (55’)

Referee: Michael Oliver