Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in a thrilling match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham players Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were sent off, while goals were disallowed for Son Heung-min, Eric Dier, Raheem Sterling, Moisés Caicedo, and Nicolas Jackson in an exciting match. Tottenham is now second, while Chelsea moves up to tenth place.
Chelsea came from behind to overcome Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in Mauricio Pochettino’s return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Nicolas Jackson scored a hat-trick in the closing 20 minutes of a thrilling game that will go down as one of the most exciting in Premier League history, with five goals disallowed, many VAR reviews, and two red cards handed.
Dejan Kulusevski’s deflected effort gave the hosts the lead only six minutes into this entertaining contest.
On a busy night for technology, Son Heung-min’s strike was disallowed for offside after a VAR assessment, and Raheem Sterling suffered a similar fate at the other end.
Moises Caicedo’s long-range attempt was ruled out after a prolonged intervention by VAR, which also resulted in Tottenham defender Cristian Romero receiving a straight red card for a foul on Enzo Fernandez in the build-up, with referee Michael Oliver pointing to the spot. Cole Palmer converted the penalty, tying the game.
Ange Postecoglou’s misery was exacerbated when Romero’s center-back partner Micky van de Ven was forced off with a hamstring injury, and to make things worse, James Maddison was also knocked out and had to be changed.
Tempers flared again in the 12 minutes of additional time, and there was more drama after the restart when Destiny Udogie, who was lucky not to be sent out in the first half, was awarded a second yellow card for a late tackle on Sterling.
The anticipated Chelsea onslaught began, but with an inspired Guglielmo Vicario and a phenomenally high Spurs defense, the visitors found it difficult to get a second.
With barely 15 minutes left, Jackson tapped in from Sterling’s feed to give the Blues the lead.
Tottenham, to their tremendous credit, remained a danger as Eric Dier’s volleyed finish was disallowed by the offside flag before fellow replacement Rodrigo Bentancur missed the goal with a clean header.
Son’s best opportunity to equalize went to Sanchez in stoppage time, and on the counterattack, Jackson got his brace and, seconds later, his hat-trick.
Spurs stay second, one point behind champions Manchester City, as Chelsea move up to tenth.
TALKING POINT - ON A WACKY, MANIC NIGHT, SPIRITUAL SPURS TAKE ALL THE CREDIT
This is a game that will stay with you for a long time – a game that nearly defied belief. While the result seems to be a crushing loss for Tottenham, it surely flatters a jittery Chelsea team that threatened to forfeit their advantage to their nine-man opponents.
Spurs performed with amazing courage and conviction (and perhaps ignorance), and were nearly rewarded with the most unexpected of draws. Their followers’ constant support was a testimonial to their amazing work.
Postecoglou suffers his first home loss in 52 games, dating back to November 2020. Nonetheless, he will take enormous positives from his team’s effort and energy, even if he was let down by two moments of lunacy by his defenders, which left his side with an impossible assignment.
Van de Ven and Maddison’s injuries summed up a hectic night for the home team, and it will be a stressful wait to know the extent of their injuries.
Meanwhile, Pochettino will leave his old haunts with three points and fond memories, but maybe some disquiet about how frail his team were while defending a lead with two men less.
We'll keep pushing 👊 pic.twitter.com/3vuWuciiJX
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 6, 2023
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - GUGLIELMO VICARIO (TOTTENHAM)
The Italian proved his value with a fantastic performance, his courageous goaltending inspiring his teammates.
PLAYER RATINGS
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
6′ – SCORE: TOTTENHAM 1; EVERTON 0. DEJAN KULUSEVSKI (CHELSEA): That didn’t take long! Spurs make a fantastic cross-field pass to Sarr, who finds Kulusevski open on the right. The ball goes in off a wicked deflection from Colwill, catching Sanchez off guard. How exciting!
14′ – SPURS GET A SECOND GOAL, BUT IT’S CANCELLED! The son scores on a cross from Johnson. Spurs score with some fancy footwork, but the flag comes up for offside. The VAR will have to sort this issue, and it might take some time because of how close the call was.
23′ – A GOAL BY CHELSEA WAS RULED OUT! Sterling carves in off the left wing and has his initial effort stopped. Sterling deflects it with his hand and then puts away the rebound. After a review by VAR, the goal is nullified.
33′ – A GOAL WAS DISALLOWED, A PLAYER WAS SENT OFF, AND A PENALTY WAS GIVEN! An excellent long-range effort by Caicedo finds the back of the net, but the Chelsea celebrations are stopped short by the offside flag. Chelsea’s goal is disallowed when Romero’s tackle on Fernandez is reviewed, but they do get a penalty since Romero was sent off for leaving a foot in when he challenged Fernandez inside the area.
35′ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-1 CHELSEA (PEN/COLE PALMER): Palmer’s corner kick slips in! Vicario receives his penalty with two hands but can only put it inside the post. Chelsea is level in this OUTSTANDING game!
55′ – SPURS DOWN TO NINE AFTER UDOGIE SENT OFF! He recovers himself and makes a late challenge on Sterling after making an outstanding interception to break up a Chelsea assault. He’s been given a second yellow card, and Spurs now have a tough challenge.
A London derby that had just about everything. 🤯#TotChe pic.twitter.com/7UtdkHJaeh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 6, 2023
75′ – GOAL! CHELSEA 1-2 TOTTENHAM (NICOLAS JACKSON): The relief on the Chelsea bench is palpable as Jackson gives the Blues the lead. James plays Sterling in down the right, and the England international looks up and rolls it across the face of goal for Jackson to tap in.
78′ – DIER SCORES, BUT THE FLAG ON THE OFFSIDE IS RAISED! What a scene inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Dier volleys a free-kick into the top corner – but it’s not going to count! The offside flag is waved to wipe out the Spurs defender’s great attempt.
90’+5 – TOTTENHAM LOSES BY THE SCORE OF 1-3 NICOLAS jackson (CHELSEA): Okay, that settles it. Counterattacking, Gallagher is given some space and he makes a nice square pass to Jackson, who can’t miss.
90’+ 8 – TOTTENHAM 1–4 CHELSEA (NICOLAS JACKSON): GOAL. Jackson scores his third goal to seal the deal for Chelsea. The forward makes a brilliant run onto Palmer’s long pass.
KEY STATS
4 - Mauricio Pochettino is fourth manager to beat Spurs in the Premier League after previously managing them in the competition (also Hughton, Jol, Sherwood) - only Southampton (7), Chelsea (7) and Newcastle (6) have had more former managers beat them in the competition. Return. pic.twitter.com/Ne7jVk2vcI
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 6, 2023
4 - Since the start of 2021-22, Cristian Romero has been sent off four times in all competitions for Tottenham, more than any other Premier League player. Rash. pic.twitter.com/UeK7njY2BG
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 6, 2023