‘I need to take responsibility’ – Spurs star admits he made costly error against Chelsea

Dele Alli has admitted that it was tough for the Tottenham players to be on the end of a 3-0 scoreline against Chelsea after playing well in the first half.

Spurs fans would not have gone into the game on Sunday with much optimism but they would have been encouraged by the starting lineup, which included the likes of Son Heung-min and Eric Dier, who were injury doubts for the game.

In addition, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso also went straight into the eleven after arriving from Croatia on Saturday while Tanguy Ndombele also kept his place in the side after a promising showing against Rennes in midweek.

Tottenham started on the front foot and dominated the proceedings in the first half, penning Chelsea back for the majority of it.

However, the home side were not able to make their advantage count and the introduction of N’Golo Kante at the interval completely changed the game.

The away side scored a quick double courtesy of a Thiago Silva header from a corner and a deflected Kante strike, which left Nuno’s men with a mountain to climb.

Alli took responsibility for not doing a better job of contesting the header against Silva and admitted that the result was difficult for him and his teammates to take.

The midfielder told BBC Sport: “It was tough. First half we played well and at half-time we were confident and we had a lot of belief.

“Once we went 1-0 down to a sloppy goal – and for me, it was my man so I need to take responsibility for that – it’s a bit of a mountain against a team like this.

“It could have gone either way in the first half, but if you don’t punish them you can be punished and that is what happened today.

“Those small margins and opportunities make the difference. We could have been walking away from here today with the three points and a great performance. We started the game very well and at halftime, we were happy with ourselves. We felt like we were in control.

“I don’t think the result was fair, but in the end, we have to take it and move on. There are positive to take, but we are not happy with the 3-0.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While it is difficult to take many positives from a 3-0 loss, the performance in the first-half was as encouraging as any I remember us delivering against a top side since the Pochettino days.

However, I thought it was evident that fitness was an issue as the players simply could not carry on with that level of intensity for ninety minutes.

At least, Nuno showed in yesterday’s game that he is willing to implement a higher press than what we have seen from the side so far this season.

Related Topics