Was Tottenham’s 4-1 defeat to Chelsea brave and heroic or downright stupid? YOUR COMMENTS after poor discipline and Ange Postecoglou’s stubborn high line ended Spurs’ unbeaten start
Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Tottenham on Monday will long be remembered as one of the most unique and entertaining games in Premier League history as poor discipline and fearless tactics led to Spurs’ first defeat of the season.
In what became an extremely busy evening for VAR, who checked a total of nine decisions in the first half, Tottenham were reduced to nine men after defenders Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were given their marching orders after reckless tackles.
And to make matters worse for Spurs, influential summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison limped off with serious injuries during the second half, leaving Ange Postecoglou with a major headache at 1-1.
But the Australian head coach, who has been praised for his progressive and attacking style of football so far this season, doubled down on his defensive strategy and deployed an extremely high line in an attempt to sideline Chelsea.
Towards the end of the match, Mauricio Pochettino’s men broke Tottenham’s barrier with ease, and Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson scored the simplest of hat-tricks with a goal in the 75th minute and two more in added time.
Mail Sport readers debate whether Tottenham’s 4-1 defeat to Chelsea was an example of bravery or stupidity after Ange Postecoglou refused to change his approach following two red cards
Tottenham continued to use a high defensive line against Chelsea, even with nine men on the pitch
Despite the significant defeat, Tottenham were praised by fans and pundits such as Gary Neville for their attitude after losing two men, as the remaining Spurs players and cavalry from the bench worked tirelessly to keep Chelsea at bay for most of the second half .
Since the enthralling clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Mail Sport readers have debated whether the defeat was an example of Spurs’ courage or naivete.
“There are great team spirit marks, they will be back,” a Mail Sport reader wrote on Monday.
“Good Spurs,” another commented. “To the barebones team and the exhausted, demoralized players. And a super cool manager who doesn’t panic when a yellow card is given. Boys everywhere. It is the first time in three years that the manager has lost a home game.’
Even some Arsenal fans praised their bitter rivals after the brave display.
‘Wow what a game. I really enjoyed it,” said a Gunners supporter. ‘Difficult to say as an Arsenal fan, but Spurs deserved to get at least a point from that. However, Romero is a criminal who needs anger management!’
Cristian Romero was the first to be sent off on Monday for a reckless tackle on Enzo Fernandez
Destiny Udogie was the second Spurs player to be sent off after receiving two yellow cards
Another reader added: ‘Tottenham are always their own worst enemy against Chelsea. Violence at its worst, most insane match ever seen.’
One supporter, keen to take a balanced view of both teams, said: ‘This is what I saw. The Spurs are already a very good team (were the last undefeated team in the league) and they blew the engine tonight by hitting the gas too early.
‘They’ll be fine, you know. Pochettino is finally cleaning up the mess left by his previous managers at Chelsea (it took him 11 full games) because his players fully believe in his system and will improve. Both Chelsea and Tottenham will be in the hunt until the end of the season.”
One Tottenham fan praised the team, saying: ‘Very brave performance from Spurs, after a bit of stupidity from Romero and Udogie. It’s a shame that Chelsea won, but still very proud of our boys, who fought all the way and still created chances at the end. Second in the league, better than anyone ever imagined. COYS.’
But other supporters were quick to challenge the idea that Tottenham were brave, insisting their actions were both destructive and naive.
A Mail Sport reader said: ‘Strange tactics from Ange when they played with nine men. High line defense so exposed that only Chelsea managed not to score a dozen. 1-4 seems like a close score.’
Postecoglou praised his Tottenham players after Monday’s heavy defeat against the visitors
“Spurs have destroyed themselves,” a second simply added.
Another agreed with the last two readers, saying: ‘Very naive to play such a high defensive line when there are only nine men left.’
A fourth fan criticized those who called the performance fearless and brave, noting: ‘Two reds for the thugs, but they say brave.’
One reader, perhaps trying to rub salt in the wounds of Tottenham supporters still enduring a barren run without silverware, joked: ‘Well done Spurs for winning the effort trophy. It was a bit spurious.’