Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on Sunday
Tottenham Hotspur slipped to 11th place in the Premier League as Chelsea beat them 4-3 on matchday 15 of the competition on Sunday, December 8th. The Lilywhites led by a couple in the first 12 minutes of the match thanks to goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski but unravelled in the second half as they dropped points for a fourth straight game in all competitions.
Jadon Sancho gave the visitors a route back into the game on the 17th minute, then a couple of goals from Cole Palmer and once from Enzo Fernandez gave them a 4-2 lead in the second half. Son Heung-min’s close-range finish pulled a goal back for the hosts in second half stoppage time but it turned out to be too little and too late for a hapless Tottenham side.
Here is a look at the three talking points from the match.
Postecoglou rallies Tottenham troops, calls 'to overcome' challenges after Chelsea collapse.
What next for Postecoglou
Tottenham Hotspur now have just one win to their name in their last seven outings, with none so far in December, which is usually a season-defining month not just in the title race but also with the top four in mind. The Lilywhites have made life harder for themselves and that has put Ange Postecoglou’s role as their head coach under considerable pressure.
The Australian could be shown the door early in 2025 if Tottenham are not able to respond strongly to their recent run of winless outings. It would be a terrible decision by Daniel Levy, who deserves most of the blame for Spurs’ consistent failures, though unfortunately, another world-class and ambitious coach will be turned into a scapegoat by the 62-year-old.
Did Son warrant a contract renewal?
Son Heung-min’s tap-in against Chelsea reduced Tottenham’s margin of defeat from two goals to one and because of how late it came, there was nothing really to play for afterwards. The South Korean got only his second goal of the campaign in 10 Premier League appearances but more importantly, he missed a one-on-one with Robert Sanchez to make the game 3-3 just moments after Enzo Fernandez had scored for the visitors and given them the lead.
His recent form and fitness suggest that Son’s contract extension has not been deserved and was perhaps a more emotional decision by Tottenham than a logical one. It would have been far better for the club to let go of him for free and start a new era from scratch. By extending their captain’s contract, Spurs have delayed a crucial transition in the squad by another year.
3 talking points as Tottenham slip to defeat against Chelsea.
Romero to face some more time out
Cristian Romero trained a day prior to the game against Chelsea and was included in the starting eleven on Sunday. The Argentine international came into the match after almost a month on the sidelines but had to be taken off in the first quarter of the game itself due to going down in pain. It will be another few matches without Romero for Postecoglou and Tottenham.
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Given how important the defender is and how poorly Spurs had performed without him, one cannot really blame the manager for rushing him into a very crucial game of the campaign. However, it goes on to further highlight the lack of squad depth in the team, especially at the back, for which the manager will unfairly be held responsible if the results are not achieved.