After witnessing an incredibly chaotic game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou refused to be drawn on the decisive red cards his side received in a heavy defeat to Chelsea.
Chelsea took all three points from their London rivals in a fiery affair which saw Tottenham reduced to nine men.
Both Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie saw red for reckless challenges, although the pair could have been sent off even sooner.
Udogie was the one who lit the fire under the match with a dangerous two-footed tackle early in the first half. Not long after, Romero lashed out while on the ground but was only deemed to have been petulant.
It didn’t take long for the Argentinian to get his marching orders though, penalised for an aggressive tackle on Enzo Fernandez in the box. Cole Palmer scored the resulting penalty, and the sides went in at halftime with the scores level.
Ten minutes into the second half, Udogie was shown his second yellow for a silky challenge on Raheem Sterling. Spurs held firm from there, and continued to push for a win, but Chelsea eventually managed to break the Lilywhites down and ended the game 4-1.
Postecoglou accepts the referee’s decisions
Speaking to the BBC about the red cards, Ange Postecoglou said: “You have to accept the referee’s decision, that is how I grew up. This constant erosion of the referee’s authority is where the game is going to get – they are not going to have any authority.
“We are going to be under the control of someone with a TV screen a few miles away. The decision is the decision. In 26 years I have had plenty of bad decisions, and I have had plenty fall in my favour. It is what it is.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The players who remained on the pitch put in a valiant effort to stay in the game as long as they did. Romero and Udogie have absolutely cost us the game and should be really ashamed of themselves tonight. They can have no complaints about the decisions, either.