Mauricio Pochettino: 'We can be positive about our performance tonight. We showed belief and worked hard to find a way back'

Published: 3 December, 2014
by DAN CARRIER at Stamford Bridge

Premier League
CHELSEA 3, SPURS 0

SPURS failed to break their 24-year Stamford Bridge jinx tonight (Wednesday) after the league leaders hit them for three goals in a hard-fought London derby.

After the game, head coach Mauricio Pochettino said his players could take heart from a performance that was full of spirit, if not the finishing needed to stop a run without a win that now stretches back a generation.

He said: “I am disappointed with the result but we can take positives from this. We started well and we showed a good attitude.”

Spurs were the brighter at first and Pochettino lamented small errors that were the difference between the two teams.

He said: “Chelsea scored their first on their first attack and it changed the game. They got their second with their second chance. But we can be positive about our performance tonight. We showed belief and worked hard to find a way back.”

On six minutes, a flowing move down the left saw an Aaron Lennon cross find Harry Kane. The in-form striker guided his header against the crossbar. Two minutes later, he broke again but his shot was dragged narrowly wide of the far post. Chelsea were not allowed to settle and the midfield axis of rookies Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason snapped into challenges and used the ball constructively.

But Pochettino’s dreams of being the first Spurs manager to win at the Bridge since 1990 began to collapse on 19 minutes. Eden Hazard was played in by Didier Drogba and while his near-post shot was covered by Hugo Lloris, a cruel deflection from the goalkeeper’s arm saw the ball spin across the face of the goal and into the far corner. 

It got rapidly worse. On 22 minutes, a poor clearance by Lloris, who looked shaken by the opener, saw Chelsea gifted possession. Drogba was left all alone and he fired home. It took Spurs some time to work the shock from their systems.

In the second half, Chelsea played arms-length football while Spurs worked hard to find an unlikely route back in. A double substitution by Pochettino saw Nacer Chadli and Paulinho replace Lennon and Mason with half-an-hour to go and as Spurs threw bodies forward and Chelsea tired, the game opened up.

Tottenham’s frantic efforts were to no avail. On 72 minutes, Chelsea forward Loic Remy made it three. A hopeful ball knocked forward saw him twist Jan Vertonghen and side-foot home neatly.

It made it feel like a comprehensive defeat, but Pochettino can take heart. The youngsters in the midfield will learn from such experiences, and be better for it when they try again to get this extraordinary record off their backs next time round.

SPURS: Lloris, Vertonghen, Chiriches, Lennon (Chadli, 57), Lamela (Soldado, 72), Kane, Fazio, Eriksen, Davies, Mason (Paulinho, 57), Bentaleb.
Subs: Vorm, Kaboul, Paulinho, Soldado, Dier, Naughton, Chadli.
Attendance: 41, 518

SPURS COMMENT by Dan Carrier

Five lessons from tonight:

• On paper, a 3-0 defeat could be considered a confidence crusher. But Spurs didn’t give up and did not look outclassed.

• The normally reliable goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, made two uncharacteristic errors that led to the openers. So he is human, after all.

• While an extra midfielder away at Chelsea is an understandable tactical switch, this was a halfway house. A more solid body than Erik Lamela – a Capoue or Paulinho – would have shackled Chelsea’s ball players better.

• It’s great to see the coltish enthusiasm of Harry Kane. But it’s a work in progress. Chelsea had the nous to take advantage of the slips, while Spurs lacked that killer touch when it mattered.

• The margin of error was small. A similar performance away against any side out of the top two would have brought dividends.