On November 7, 2023, Tottenham Hotspur faced a tough match against Chelsea, but despite their best efforts, they ended up with a 1-4 defeat in a game marred by red cards, injuries, and disallowed goals.
Tottenham employed a 4-2-3-1 formation at their home stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Vicario guarding the goal. The defensive line featured Likeli, Pantefen, Romero, and Pois. In the midfield, Winks, Sal, Johnson, Maddison, and Kulusevski played, while Son Heung-min led the attack as the sole striker.
On the other side, Chelsea opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with Sanchez in goal and a defensive line composed of Colwill, Silva, Dezasy, and James. The midfield trio included Enjo, Gallagher, and Keshi, while Sterling, Jackson, and Palmer formed the forward line.
Tottenham took an early lead six minutes into the match. Kulusevski, positioned on the right, received Sal’s pass and attempted a left-footed shot inside the penalty area. The shot deflected off Colwill and found the back of the net, giving Tottenham a 1-0 advantage.
In the 13th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min appeared to score a goal, but it was disallowed for offside. Son Heung-min received a cross from Johnson on his right foot on the left, but VAR ruled it as an offside position.
Chelsea then pushed hard to equalize. Sterling seemed to score the equalizer in the 21st minute of the first half, but VAR disallowed it due to a handball in the build-up. Keshi also appeared to score in the 28th minute, but VAR ruled it out due to Jackson’s offside position.
However, during the preceding incident, Romero stepped on Encho’s ankle in the penalty box, received a red card, and conceded a penalty. In the 35th minute of the first half, Palmer took the penalty and converted, leveling the score at 1-1.
With the score tied, Tottenham faced one frustration after another, including Maddison feeling discomfort in his left ankle.
In the second half, Tottenham received another red card. Udoghi received a second yellow card for a tackle on Sterling when the ball went loose, resulting in his ejection.
Tottenham played with only nine men, and Chelsea capitalized on their numerical advantage by creating waves of attacks. Despite Tottenham’s brave defending, it didn’t prevent Chelsea from taking the lead. Thirty minutes into the second half, Sterling broke through the offside line and passed through the defense to Jackson, who scored the goal, putting Chelsea in front.
Tottenham thought they had scored an equalizer immediately, but the goal was disallowed for offside. In a free-kick situation, Benkkur’s header found the back of the net. However, the offside flag was raised, and VAR confirmed the decision.
Chelsea effectively exploited their numerical advantage to secure the victory. Four minutes into added time, Jackson completed his hat-trick with his third goal after receiving a pass from Gallagher, sealing Chelsea’s 4-1 victory.
Tottenham suffered their first loss of the season in a game marred by red cards, injuries, and disallowed goals, leaving them in a difficult situation.