Tottenham Hotspur 1–4 Chelsea
by Layth Yousif
at the new White Hart Lane 

EXPLOSIVE, captivating, combustible. Choose your adjective after an incident-packed match full of mayhem and chaos in N17. 

For this was the Premier League in a microcosm, an enthralling, maddening, glorious contradiction. A relentlessly action-packed match with controversial incidents and enough talking points to last a full season. 

In a thrilling game under the lights in front of 61,726 spectators on Monday evening, Ange Postocoglu’s side lost their unbeaten record, and their heads, after Chelsea beat them 4-1, ruining their best start to a season since 1960-61.

Where to start after such breathless intensity? Well, Spurs unravelled, playing with nine men for the majority of the second half, in contrast to Chelsea’s eleven. 

The lack of numbers allowing 22-year-old Nicolas Jackson to exploit a flagging backline and post a second half Premier League hattrick, as former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino made a winning return to the club he served for 293 matches over five years.

This match had it all. Nine VAR referrals, eight substitutions, seven yellow cards, five goals, five disallowed goals, two red cards and a hattrick – with Christmas fast approaching the only thing that was missing was a partridge in a pear tree. 

Spurs went 1-0 ahead in the sixth minute. Dejan Kulusevski’s left took a significant deflection off Levi Colwill, who turned his back, as the ball diverted off his ungainly lunge, leaving Blues keeper Robert Sanchez wrongfooted as the home support erupted. 

In a febrile atmosphere, Nicolas Jackson saw his shot saved by Guglielmo Vicario, as the 27-year-old dived low to left to keep the ball out on 11 minutes.   

Immediately, the Lilywhites swept up the other end for Heung-Min Son to slot home after a flowing move, but VAR agreed with the assistant referee who correctly raised his flag for offside on the South Korean.

In a sensationally gripping contest, Raheem Sterling showed tenacity to twist and turn Spurs No23 Perdo Porro, before lifting the ball over Vicario, as the Chelsea fans in the away end celebrated manically. That was until VAR ruled that the Blues’ 28-year-old had handled in the box when working over the Spanish-born former Sporting Lisbon defender.  

More frustration was to follow for Chelsea, after Moises Caicedo fired home from outside the box, following a move packed full of contentious incidents. As Chelsea fans once again celebrated prematurely, VAR ruled out the goal for offside. 

However, luck finally turned for Pochettino’s side, when VAR instructed referee Michael Oliver to head to the monitor to observe a reckless foul in the box by Romero on fellow World Cup winning Argentina compatriot Enzo Fernandez, in an action that had occurred such a long time previously, you wondered whether Gareth Bale – who was the half time guest – would have been involved.

Duly informed, Oliver called over captain Son to share the news that he was awarding Romero a straight red card – the fourth of his 75 game career with Spurs - along with a penalty to the visitors. 

Up stepped Cole Palmer to sweep the ball home from the spot despite Vicario’s best efforts to prevent the effort. The Spurs keeper managing to touch the ball onto the post but not to safety. For the Chelsea contingent, who had probably earned a spot of luck after having two goals chalked off, there was relief at seeing the ball spill into the net off the woodwork to make the score 1-1 on 35 minutes. 

Atmosphere punctured, Chelsea thought they had scored again when Jackson fired in Sterling’s cross – but, again, as away fans celebrated, the goal was disallowed. 

To underline the notion that you simply couldn’t look away for a moment, Mickey van de Ven was forced off on the stroke of half-time – bar the additional 12 minutes added on of course to make it 22 in total across both halves. The Dutchman suffering a hamstring injury that could spell trouble for Postecoglu’s hopes this winter, after the former Wolfsburg defender had made such an impressive start to his career on Tottenham High Road. 

The Australian boss was forced to shuffle his pack once more, hooking James Maddison with an ankle issue, in favour of the more prosaic Eric Dier. 

There was still time for Colwill and Pape Matar Sarr to engage in unremitting petulance that earned the pair a yellow each, when on another day both could rightly have been sent off. As could Blues captain Reece James, after VAR did not prosecute a red card for violent conduct on Udogie. No wonder young England defender Colwill was replaced at the break by Pochettino, fearing a costly repetition. 

Perhaps it was more that both teams were momentarily spent as both sides finally went into the break level at 1-1 after the most breathless – and exciting - opening 45 minutes of the season so far. 

You would have liked to have said the second half started at the same tempo – but how could it have after such an enthralling opening act – yet, both sides pushed for a second goal. Chelsea pressing high to exploit the space afforded by the extra man as Spurs played a high line despite the danger. As Postecoglu - who won the August and September manager of the month awards - said afterwards when asked why, he replied: “Mate, because this is who we are.” 

Which, in the 55th minute saw the Verona-born 20-year-old Udogie lose composure once more, in hacking down Sterling on the edge of the box.

The desperate action leaving referee Oliver no choice but to issue a second yellow after earning one for his unnecessary contretemps with Colwill moments before the break – to make it nine versus 11 with more than half an hour to play. 

As a sign of things to come, Pierre Emile Hojberg then cleared off Jackson’s effort off the line. 

Yet, as Chelsea indulged in the luxury of time and space behind the depleted Spurs backline, Marc Cucurella fired directly at Vicario on 67 minutes, prompting home supporter’s hopes to rise that, somehow, they could still extract a point from this frenetic London derby. 

And when substitute Mykhailo Mudryk ran into the obdurate Porro and the ball went out of play, the defender high-fived his keeper as if they believed they could earn an unlikely draw. 

But the lack of numbers eventually had to tell against Postocoglu’s side, and when Sterling raced through to square for Jackson in the box, even a VAR review could not deny the Blues going 2-1 up with 15 minutes remaining.   

In keeping with the chaotic nature of this match, substitute Dier fired home with aplomb moments later, only for VAR to rule the strike out for an elbow on Conor Gallagher by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the build-up to what must be said was an excellent strike.  

There was still time for substitute Rodrigo Bentancur to nod wide with the goal at his mercy, before Chelsea’s Jackson exploited the fading Spurs backline with two late goals in the 94th and 97th minute, teed up by Gallagher and Palmer respectively. 

Having only netted two goals in 744 minutes, prior to kick-off the Banjul-born former Villarreal attacker grabbed three in 22 minutes. 

Speaking after the match Pochettino said: “I think we deserved to win.” 

He was right. 

But my word what an utterly epic football match that both sides contested with all their might, in a clash that will be talked about for years to come.

Not least by those of us who were lucky enough to be present to savour in all its fearsome wonderment one of the greatest football matches ever played in the Premier League.