Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr conceded cheap penalties as Tottenham lost 4-3 to Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur were beaten for the seventh time in the Premier League this season on Sunday as they lost 4-3 to Chelsea at home.
The North Londoners threw away a two-goal lead and dropped to 11th place in the Premier League standings. With every passing game, Ange Postecoglou’s position as the head coach is becoming more and more precarious given the team’s recent form.
Spurs took a two-goal lead within 11 minutes through strikes from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski, with the duo capitalizing on Marc Cucurella’s slips. However, as soon as Cristian Romero was forced off with a quad injury, the game unravelled for Spurs.
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Gary Lineker blasts Tottenham duo Bissouma and Sarr for Chelsea gaffe .
Yves Bissouma wildly wiped out Moises Caicedo to concede a stonewall penalty.
Jadon Sancho made it 2-1 in the first half, before Cole Palmer bagged a brace sandwiched by Enzo Fernandez’s left-footed strike. Palmer scored two ice-cold penalties after Yves Bissouma royally mistimed his tackle on Moises Caicedo in the box and Pape Matar Sarr clumsily nibbled at the heels of the scorer from behind.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, BBC Sport presenter and pundit Gary Lineker slammed both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr for putting Ange Postecoglou under pressure at Tottenham.
“The penalties that they gave away were just daft. You know, really bad decision-making, lunging in and almost in a panic situation,” Gary Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast.
“So, I don’t know, I suppose Ange must be under pressure now. You never know how a club actually feels about the coach, but it’s generally the coach that gets the blame for these things.
“He [Postecoglou] was not helped by some crazy decisions yesterday. The second penalty that they gave away, Sarr – what on earth was he thinking there?
“He just ran straight into the back of him, there was no danger, he was going out of the box. If you do things like that, you’re going to suffer.”
With the score at 3-2 in the 83rd minute, Spurs still had a chance to salvage a result. However, a clumsy decision to win the ball from behind saw Sarr trip Palmer inside the box and subsequently dash their hopes. The performances of Bissouma and Sarr came under heavy scrutiny, as both midfielders struggled throughout, with the former’s wild swipe of Caicedo adding to Tottenham’s costly mistakes.
Gary Lineker blasts Tottenham duo Bissouma and Sarr for Chelsea gaffe.
Pape Matar Sarr’s poor decision-making led to another penalty.
Caicedo should have been sent off for a foul on Sarr in the first half, but the manner in which the African duo conceded those penalties against Chelsea were shambolic. Whether someone is Postecoglou in or Postecoglou out, some poor decision-making from the players cost Spurs the game against Enzo Maresca’s side on Sunday.
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Those schoolboy errors would have surely left Big Ange fuming. Chelsea were handed two goals on a platter from situations they were hardly likely to score from. Tottenham eventually lost the game by a single goal.
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Big Ange has to do better with his in-game management skills after watching his side take an early two-goal lead, but he can do nothing from the touchline when some of his players commit unforgivable basic errors.