Pressure is mounting on Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou after Spurs suffered a 1-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Friday morning AEDT.
In a contest riddled with VAR drama, Enzo Fernandez’s second-half-goal proved the decisive moment as Chelsea climbed to fourth on the Premier League standings ahead of Manchester City.
Following the game, pundits speculated about a disconnect between Postecoglou and the fanbase. When the Spurs players went towards the away section to thank them for their support, the Australian kept his distance.
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“Normally, he’d be over there clapping them,” former Liverpool footballer Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“There’s a disconnect between the two at the moment, it’s not ideal for the manager. He’s got some big games ahead. He’s got to keep his head up and keep going, keep working hard and believe in what he’s trying to do.
“It was a tough night for them, they never really played, never really got going, but these are the pressures of being a Premier League manager.”
The hosts controlled the opening 30 minutes of the contest, comfortably penetrating Tottenham’s defence but failing to convert chances into goals.
Chelsea almost got off to a dream start when Nicolas Jackson hit the post in the opening minute of the match. Later, Destiny Udogie prevented a potential goal with a sliding challenge, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario produced a miraculous reaction save in the 45th minute, tipping over Jadon Sancho’s deflected effort.
Tensions boiled over towards the end of the first half when Cristian Romero shoved Levi Colwill to the ground, sparking a brief brawl. Romero and Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah were shown a yellow card following the altercation.
Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when Cole Palmer nailed a perfect cross to Fernandez, who slotted a header from six yards.
Soon after, it appeared as though Chelsea had taken a 2-0 lead when Moises Caicedo launched a volley from 15 yards into the back of the net, but the goal was overturned following a four-minute VAR intervention, which showed Colwill was narrowly off-side before heading the ball.
The Spurs’ away fans began directing chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” towards Postecoglou when the Australian brought on Pape Matar Sarr for Lucas Bergvall, but the substitution appeared to be a masterstroke when the Senegalese star launched a glorious strike past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was overturned after VAR showed a clear foul from Sarr, who was booked for a challenge on Caicedo.
“It’s (VAR) killing the game, mate. It’s not the same game as it used to be,” Postecoglou said after the match.
“Everyone loves the drama and about it. It’s killing the spectacle of the game.”
Son Heung-min was denied an equaliser in the 90th minute courtesy of a clutch save from Sanchez, with 12 minutes of added time giving Spurs a glimmer of hope, but the visitors couldn’t find a late goal.
It was the club’s 16th Premier League defeat of the season.
“If I was a Spurs fans I’d be disappointed with that performance,” former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill told Sky Sports.
“I thought they were really poor in the game.”
Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp continued: “Tottenham were awful tonight.
“Not good enough in any department.
“Chelsea were so much better.”
Tottenham will next host Southampton on Sunday.