Premier League

TOTTENHAM 3 (Solanke 5, Kulusesevski 11, Son 90 +7)
CHELSEA 4 ( Sancho 17, Palmer 58, 85, Fernandez 73)

ONE win in seven. A team languishing in 12th.

And now the dreaded vote of confidence from upstairs: it has not been an enjoyable autumn for Ange Postecoglou, and if he wanted a quick summary of his time at Tottenham so far, the 4-3 Chelsea defeat provides it.

A bright start saw Spurs take a 2-0 lead. A top team would give the impression the game was over, but Tottenham are built differently.

Cristian Romero’s removal through injury after 15 minutes was predictable, and brought with it the seemingly inevitable wobbles: missed chances to put the game to bed followed by retreat, poor individual errors and then a late rally once the game was lost.

The toxic elements of the fanbase were already shrieking for club chairman Daniel Levy to sell up and Postecoglou not to bother closing the door on his way out.

The Chelsea defeat – hammered home by Cole Palmer’s cheeky penalty to make it 4-2 – prompted the usual bickering on social media.

Postecoglou said: “It’s painful. We started really well, not just the goals scored but the way we were playing. We were in control and had really good opportunities.

“Then you lose Cristian after the second goal, which is just the way our season has gone. Nothing has run smoothly and they capitalised before we had settled back down. I still felt that in the first half we had the better moments to get a third goal.”

He recognised how the players had been the architects of their own downfall, adding: “In the second half they put us under pressure. We were handling it not too badly and then when they scored, we had a big moment at 2-2 to go 3-2 up.

“In these games, those moments are important. We don’t take it and then both penalties were poor. They’re self-inflicted and unnecessary challenges. We’ve given two goals away for no reason and given ourselves a mountain to climb.”

Antonio Conte left Spurs after delivering a rant of epic proportions, having watched his side throw away a 3-1 lead at Southampton. For Postecoglou, there appears to be no secret psychological barrier that Conte alluded to.

He said: “I don’t see them lacking confidence or belief. They are desperate to turn our season around. When you’re in that mood you lose that composure and discipline you need.

“It’s not like we are hanging on in games, we wouldn’t play like we did today if there was a lack of belief and confidence. Every time we have seemed like we are on solid footing something has come along. It’s just the way our season has gone.

“My role is to focus on the things I can control and keep preparing the team to turn our season around.”

Tottenham went straight at their rivals, and two errors by Marc Cucurella were eagerly gobbled up. The defender first slipped to give Brennan Johnson possession. His cross was turned in by Dominic Solanke. The unfortunate Cucurella stumbled again to allow Dejan Kulusevski in to fire home low.

Jadon Sancho did not let Spurs settle into their lead: he came in on the left and beat Fraser Forster on 17 to reignite the contest.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca removed Romeo Lavia at half-time and pushed Moises Caicedo into midfield. It tightened things up for the Blues and Spurs were pushed deeper.

Just before the hour-mark, after some pressure down the Chelsea right, Caicedo skipped into the box and went clear. Yves Bissouma, who was at fault for giving the ball away to begin with, lost his rag and slid in to tackle. It was a clear penalty and Bissouma earned his fifth yellow of the season for his efforts, leaving him out of Sunday’s must-win game against bottom club Southampton. Cole Palmer finished to make it 2-2.

The home side had a great chance to restore their lead when Heung-Min Son sprung the offside trap, but the forward could only put the chance wide.

Then Spurs thought they’d found another way in with a deep ball from Radu Dragusin that Pedro Porro flipped central. Son was ready to finish but Solanke was judged to have been too hefty in his challenge on the Chelsea centre-backs as he tried to reach Porro’s cross.

Then came more magic from Palmer. A mazy run took him through a thick of white shirts. His shot spun up and away and Enzo Fernandez struck a sweet finish into the bottom corner to give Chelsea the lead.

The disaster got worse when Pape Matar Sarr tripped Palmer as he retreated away from goal. The Chelsea forward rubbed salt into the wounds by executing the perfect chipped finish, a slow motion jink over the prostrate Forster. It was a horrible tease and the away end loved it.

As the game stumbled to a close, the eagerness of substitute Lucas Bergvall jollied up those around him. A little bit of pressure with Porro leading the charge saw a corner won that Son turned home. It was a late consolation to give the scoreline a sheen of respectability the last half-hour didn’t deserve.

A clear out of senior players coupled with an injury list that has disrupted the season; Postecoglou has excuses. The question is whether he has the time – and the nous – to reap the harvest in a season or so.

Tottenham: Forster, Son, Bissouma (Bergvall 78), Udogie, Romero (Dragusin 12) Solanke, Kulusevski (Maddison 78), Johnson (Werner 52), Porro, Sarr, van de Ven (Gray 78)
Substitutes not used: Austin, Reguilon, Draghusin, Maddison, Gray, Bergvall, Werner, Spence, Mankshear.

Chelsea: Sanchez, Cucurella, Badiashile, Colwill, Neto, Fernandez, Jackson (Nkunku 76), Sancho, Palmer (Felix 89), Caicedo, Lavia (Veiga 89)
Substitutes not used: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Madueke, Felix,, Dewsbury-Hall, Gusto