They say it’s the hope that kills you. For Tottenham fans, it’s the two-goal lead that does the trick, especially against bitter London rivals Chelsea.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, Tottenham Hotspur managed to dig an even deeper hole. A 4-3 loss to Chelsea at home, after leading 2-0 within 11 minutes, sums up the agony of being a Spurs fan right now.
It hurts to even write this – we were ahead, comfortably in control, and yet somehow, we threw it all away. Chelsea didn’t just snatch the points; we gift-wrapped them with two penalty-shaped bows and some dreadful defending. Ange Postecoglou must be fuming, but can you really blame him when his players are self-sabotaging?
The atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was electric when Dominic Solanke capitalised on Marc Cucurella’s slip to poke home after just five minutes. Brennan Johnson deserves credit for pouncing on the mistake and delivering a perfect assist. Not long after, Cucurella was at it again. This time, Dejan Kulusevski cut in and fired a beauty into the bottom corner. Spurs were 2-0 up, and the fans dared to believe.
But Spurs being Spurs, things quickly went sideways. Jadon Sancho pulled one back for Chelsea with an absolute stunner from distance, leaving Fraser Forster helpless. That goal felt like a warning shot, but did we heed it? Of course not.
By halftime, Spurs had racked up an xG of 1.3 to Chelsea’s 0.63, and yet, you could feel the nerves.
The second half started with disaster written all over it. First, Brennan Johnson limped off injured – because why not? Then Yves Bissouma decided it was the perfect time to channel his inner bull, lunging unnecessarily to concede a penalty. Cole Palmer coolly slotted it away to level the score.
At this point, Spurs were begging for trouble, and Chelsea obliged. Enzo Fernandez turned the game on its head with a thunderous strike that Pedro Porro half-heartedly hoped his dangling leg would do the job.
As if that wasn’t painful enough, Sarr’s brainless foul gifted Chelsea another penalty, and Palmer casually panenka-ed it. By this point, the fans’ paper balls on the pitch had more fight than some of our players.
Son Heung-min gave the home fans a glimmer of hope, with the help of Maddison’s brilliant play with a late goal in the 96th minute, but it was too little, too late.
Let’s not sugar-coat this: it’s unacceptable. Losing at home to Chelsea is bad enough. Losing after leading 2-0? That’s an identity crisis. This was the first time Spurs had a half-time lead against Chelsea in the league for six years, and we still blew it.
Then there’s the injury crisis. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven surprisingly returned to the starting XI but didn’t last the game. Romero limped off after 15 minutes, while Van de Ven followed in the 79th. Brennan Johnson also went off injured, forcing Timo Werner to play out of position on the right.
To make matters worse, Bissouma’s yellow card means he’s suspended for the Southampton game. With key players dropping like flies, Postecoglou has serious problems to solve.
Yes, this was embarrassing. Yes, being 11th in the table is unacceptable. But can we really pin this on Ange? The manager didn’t tell Bissouma to slide in or Sarr to make a reckless challenge. Tottenham dominated for stretches, but poor decisions and sloppy defending cost them dearly. The January transfer window can’t come soon enough and he deserves backing – not boos.
The stats don’t lie – 2.64 xG and six big chances, but only three goals to show for it. Meanwhile, Chelsea converted four from just two big chances. It’s hard to blame him when his players are making such amateurish mistakes, but the pressure on him is mounting.
A Europa League trip to Rangers awaits on Thursday. Can this team bounce back? Don’t hold your breath.
It’s tough being a Spurs fan right now. We’re 11th in the league, with more losses than wins and a far cry from the expectations of a “big six” club.
With just one win in our last seven league games, the alarming form continues to frustrate the fans. Up next, Spurs travel to Ibrox on Thursday to face Rangers in the Europa League.
With confidence at rock bottom and injuries piling up, it’s hard to know what to expect from this team but we have to back Ange. The man isn’t a magician – he needs time and most importantly a deeper squad.
For now, all we can do is grit our teeth and hope for better days. Things hopefully will not get any worse.
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