Tottenham Hotspur fell to one of the craziest defeats in Premier League history last night, with Chelsea running away 4-1 winners despite struggling to break down just nine men for much of the game.
Let’s take a look at how the individual players got on for Spurs:
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings vs Chelsea
Guglielmo Vicario – 10 – You could not ask for more. He did not deserve to pick the ball out of his own net four times. Superb save after superb save. Chelsea should have scored up into double figures in the match with their two-man advantage, but Vicario was so quick to fly off his line, make smart stops, and smother the ball while putting his body on the line. Spurs could have a really special keeper here.
Pedro Porro – 9 – Started the game a little awkwardly, giving the ball away in dangerous areas. However, the Spaniard actually thrived under the pressure of having just nine men. Not only did he track run after run in behind, while throwing himself in front of shots, but he was also a constant threat going forward. I’m not sure how he was still standing come full-time.
Cristian Romero – 1 – As a vice-captain of a big football club, you have to lead by example. I had hoped Romero had put this stuff behind him. Today he was petulant, got away with it, and then jumped into a silly challenge to essentially lose Spurs the game. Tottenham were so comfortable at that point too, anything but a red card and I think we walk away with the win.
Micky Van de Ven – 6 – Looked really solid in his stint on the pitch, dealing with the pace in behind well as he always does. Unfortunately, he had to be replaced before half-time due to a nasty hamstring injury. Could be out for a good while with that one.
Destiny Udogie – 2 – Had a pretty sloppy game even before the red card. Perhaps he was rushed back a little from injury because he didn’t look his composed self at times. But there is no excusing diving into a pointless challenge when you are on a yellow and already down to ten. Got lucky earlier in the game to avoid a red too. Spurs were actually still looking dangerous with ten, but nine was too much.
Yves Bissouma – 8 – Wow, did he cover every blade of grass out there. Playing in the pivot role when your side is down to ten, and then nine, is no easy task. Bissouma did the job of two or three players while making it look relatively easy. Let down by a couple of his teammates, unfortunately.
Pape Matar Sarr – 7 – Just the player you need in these tough moments because he can run and run and run. It was only the yellow card he picked up that forced Postecoglou to bring him off early. We wouldn’t want to go down to eight, after all. Picked up the assist for Kulusevski’s opener.
James Maddison – 6 – Looked dangerous in flashes with his twists and turns in the final third. Picked out a nice proactive ball in the build-up to Tottenham’s goal. Unfortunately, he was forced off injured before he really hit top gear.
Dejan Kulusevski – 7.5 – Back to his confident best on the right in the first half hour. Every time he got the ball it looked like something could happen. Got lucky with the deflection for his goal, but he deserved that luck. Always puts in so much effort off the ball when Spurs are up against it.
Heung-min Son – 8 – On another day, Sonny is the hero for equalising at 2-2 and earning a point for nine-man Spurs. Or perhaps for scoring the second in a simple victory, had he made his run slightly later. As it was, Son put in a huge amount of effort up front with little reward.
Brennan Johnson – 6 – Looked a real livewire with space down the left and he was never afraid of taking his man on. Put in a lovely ball to make it 2-0 to Spurs, had it not been for the offside flag. Unlucky to come off when Romero was shown red.
Substitutes:
Eric Dier – 8.5 – You cannot fault that appearance off the bench. The high line did really seem a struggle for Dier at times when running back to his own goal, but he came up with enough last-ditch interceptions and tackles to impress. Oh, what could have been if that late volley had been allowed by VAR…
Emerson Royal – 8 – Came on and covered in central defence to start with, then left-back when Udogie was shown red. So impressive in both positions. He had the pace to defend the space in behind, but was also just really useful on the ball in possession. I would love him to start next game.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 8.5 – Came on as a makeshift central defender and covered himself in glory on and off the ball. A clearance off the line was the highlight for Pierre, but he had countless last-ditch moments for the Lilywhites. Also very composed on the ball up against the Chelsea press.
Oliver Skipp – 7 – As you would expect, he was full of running for Spurs after coming off the bench. There was a whole lot of space to cover for the midfield and Skipp covered as much as humanly possible for one player. Always such high effort levels.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 7.5 – So silky on the ball, he really wriggled out of some tight areas he had no right to wriggle out of. I can’t wait to see him back in the starting XI with all eleven players still on the pitch. Came so close to an equaliser to make it 2-2 but just mistimed it.