Tottenham Hotspur’s dream start of the season came to an end after a turbulent 4-1 defeat against struggling Chelsea in the London derby at Spurs Stadium on Monday in the Premier League. Spurs’ first loss of the season came dramatically in an intense matchup that saw two of their players awarded red cards during play.
Tottenham had a better start in the fixture, but things took a turn as the match progressed. In addition to breaking their undefeated streak, they are now set to miss out on several key players due to injuries and suspensions.
Tottenham to miss James Maddison and Micky van de Ven due to injuries
Despite an early goal scored by Dejan Kulusevski in the 6th minute, the hosts’ lead was short-lived as Cole Palmer netted from the spot and Chelsea striker Nickolas Jackson scored a hat-trick. Tottenham boss Andre Postecoglou saw two of his key players from the starting eleven leave the pitch due to injuries during their home defeat to Chelsea.
Spurs faced tough challenges in their defense line following the forced substitution of Dutch Centre-back Micky van de Ven who seemingly suffered a hamstring injury. It was a double blow for the home fans as their standout player of the season alongside captain Son Heung Min and creative head James Maddinson went to the ground due to ankle concerns.
The duo was subbed off in the added time of the first half and replaced by the pair of Emerson Royal and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Apart from injury blows an array of VAR decisions once again were highlights of the game with 3 goals being denied by the VAR, coming after the controversial Newcastle win over Arsenal. Â
Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie to be unavailable due to suspensions
During the heated London derby Tottenham’s reliable defender, Christian Romero, made a reckless challenge on his Argentine mate, Enzo Fernandes. As a result, Romero received a red card, leading to a penalty for Chelsea to equalize in the first half of the match. 10 Minutes later his defensive partner Micky van de Ven was also withdrawn due to hamstring discomfort.
In the 55th minute, a second player was sent off as Destiney Udogie went into the referee’s book with a second yellow which turned red, further depleting the backline. As a result, the Spurs backline collapsed against Chelsea’s furious attack after the defensive pairing of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were off the field.
Tottenham were the only side in the Premier League to remain unbeaten this season. However, Mauricio Pochettino led Chelsea punished the two-men-down hosts, causing Spurs to slide down to second place behind defending champions Manchester City.
