Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, two clubs with ties to the English capital, played the ‘London Derby’ in the 11th round of the 2023/24 English Premier League on July 7 (KST).
The result was a surprise. Spurs went into the game unbeaten and leading after 10 rounds, but collapsed after two men were sent off and lost 1-4.
Winger Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham’s lone goal scorer on the day, spoke out about the unexpected defeat: “The players were too hyped up,” he said.
Spurs were too good in the first half.
On the 8th, the British newspaper The Guardian wrote that “Tottenham’s first league defeat was caused by a failure to control their emotions”.
The article cited an interview with Kulusevski.
“In the first 15 minutes, they (Spurs) were amazing.
They were unbelievable,” he said, calling it his favorite moment of the season.
Indeed, Spurs started well, with Kuluczewski’s shot deflecting off the back of defender Levi Colwill for a goal in the first six minutes.
Trouble came after the 15th minute.
“We were too excited and made some poor tackles,” Kulusevsky said. 카지노사이트가이드
“Was there a problem with the team’s mentality, a little bit, yes.
We wanted to win a game with a lot of fans.” “We wanted to win a lot of games for the fans,” he said.
But the Spurs fans responded with applause for their fighting spirit in the face of defeat.
Spurs had to play out the remainder of the game with nine men after central defender Christian Romero and left-back Destiny Udogie were sent off with red cards in the 33rd minute and 10th minute, respectively.
But Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou was not about to back down.
Postecoglou opted for a 4-3-1 formation, dropping his defense to the halfway line.
In the 34th minute, Eric Dier seemed to make a miraculous 2-2 draw when he found the back of the Chelsea net with a neat right-footed volley from a free-kick set-piece.
It was narrowly ruled out for offside, but it was a moment that showed Spurs’ quality.
In stoppage time, Son Heung-min tried his luck from the left side of the penalty box with a powerful left-footed shot that hit the ground in front of the keeper.
Nicholas Jackson then scored two more goals, including a late 30th-minute winner to complete his hat-trick and seal a 4-1 victory.
“After Son Heung-min’s shot was blocked, the crowd erupted in cheers of determination,” the newspaper said, “and when Chelsea scored immediately afterward, Tottenham fans clapped upside down.”
Rather than expressing disappointment and anger at the goal, they applauded the team’s determination to keep fighting.
“It was unbelievable (to be applauded in defeat),” Kluczewski said, “There’s something bigger than life, soccer, and winning.
I felt infinitely proud of that moment and the fans,” he said, adding that he vowed to play better.
“This defeat should fuel us,” he said, adding, “We have to be careful not to get sent off. We were very, very upset, but the coach was proud of us.
“We were very, very upset, but the coach was proud of us.
We played at a very high level despite having two people sent off,” he said, signaling the team’s room for improvement.
The Guardian also praised Tottenham’s mentality and fight, stating that “Postecoglou’s philosophy encapsulates a message of ‘glory or death’.”
The loss to Chelsea dropped Spurs to second place in the Premier League after losing ground to Man City.
It also ended their unbeaten run of 10 games this season.
With four players out through suspension and injury, it will be interesting to see what kind of mood the Spurs will be in when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers on November 11 at 9:30 PM.
