Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou admitted today’s defeat by Chelsea, in which his side blew a 2-0 lead to lose 4-3, was “hurt”.
Two slips from Marc Cucurella allowed the hosts to take a commanding early lead with goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski, but then Spurs collapsed.
Jadon Sancho saved one and an Enzo Fernandez goal, sandwiched between two Cole Palmer penalties, put Chelsea in control.
“Personalized coolness” 🥶
Cole Palmer with Panenka’s penalty to put the game beyond doubt! pic.twitter.com/JE96MpFUrr
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
Son Heung-min reduced the deficit late on but it was not enough for Spurs who are 11th in the table.
“It’s definitely painful, it’s painful,” Postecoglou said on Match of the Day.
“We started the game really well, but as our season goes, we lose (Cristian) Romero after 20 minutes and that unsettles us a bit and they score soon after.
“We had chances to get our third and at half-time we were in a decent position. The second half is ding dong, especially at the start, they scored but we had a big chance with Sean, we didn’t take it and then they go up 3-2.
“I thought both penalties were bad decisions from us, we need to show more discipline. In the end, the critical moments took us.
“I think there were quality chances, but I don’t think there were many. I can’t remember the goalkeepers making many top quality saves.
“We’ve matched more than a good team in this division and when there’s quality out there, you’re going to have moments.
“There were things we definitely could have done better.”
We played well today – Postecoglou
Postecoglou was booed by the away fans after the 1-0 defeat by Bournemouth in midweek and there were again muted boos at the final whistle.
He added: “We didn’t play well in midweek but we did today. They are a top side, you have to give them credit. We distracted at key moments. We have to realize that it is difficult to stop when we play our football. The two penalties were bad. When you play these top teams, the dynamic changes quickly.”
To make for a miserable afternoon for Spurs, central defenders Romero and Micky van de Ven both failed to complete the 90 minutes.
“Obviously Romero was really disappointing. He felt something in his block after 20 minutes and couldn’t continue,” he said.
“Brennan (Johnson) wasn’t feeling well and he tried to sort himself out at halftime, but he just wasn’t ready to go out there.
“Mickey (van de Ven) was just a bit tired. The plan today was always to try to give him 60 or 70 (minutes).”
