Ange Postecoglou’s side can take much solace after falling to their first Premier League defeat of the season.
Although it is said that lightning doesn’t strike twice, Tottenham Hotspur was the scene of another contentious but fascinating Premier League mayhem, although this time they were subjected to the harsh glare of a red card from the referee.
For the second time in just over a month, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw two early baths for the same team in a single game. However, this time, it was the visiting team that benefited from Spurs’ downing to nine men, putting Chelsea in control as they surged into a late 4-1 lead despite a stoic home performance.
It was a chaotic game that, while in many respects capturing the thrilling essence of the Premier League, in other respects detracting from an amazing show with its frightening challenges and controversial rulings.
In a similar-scenario encounter earlier in the season, Spurs overcame Liverpool, catapulting Ange Postecoglou’s team to the top of the league.
This has now ended with Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea winning handily—and in a flattering manner—but Postecoglou will find immense comfort in his team’s resilience and fluid persistence, as they created fantastic opportunities to create unlikely parity late in the match before Nicolas Jackson added to his goal in the 75th minute to complete a hat-trick.
Tottenham won’t have to lament the result for too long; it was a situational game of attrition that the team had come dangerously close to winning before Destiny Udogie’s halftime dismissal compounded the problem caused by Cristian Romero’s red card and Cole Palmer’s subsequent penalty kick equalizer.
The most moving aspect of the entire match is how quickly the hosts took the lead thanks to a deflection goal from Dejan Kulusevski that looped over Levi Colwill and past the unfortunate Robert Sanchez.
Heung-min Son believed he had increased the lead, but VAR’s harsh intervention prevented that from happening. To be fair, VAR also disallowed goals from Raheem Sterling of Chelsea and Moises Caicedo.
Though Spurs ultimately lost, the position is still one of strength and promise, and with Guglielmo Vicario’s dependable presence in goal, Spurs have the man to spearhead the effort to rise to prominence from the back.
Guglielmo Vicario’s stats vs Chelsea
Reaction to Tottenham’s £17 million signing of Vicario from Atalanta, who was thought to be Hugo Lloris’ long-term replacement in goal, was mixed; however, he has already shown he is one of the best in the division, as evidenced by his impressive display against the Blues.
Vicario, 27, was a formidable opponent for Chelsea who showed his value even after conceding four goals. He was an unwavering force that demonstrated the traits Daniel Levy and his transfer staff were looking for in a summertime acquisition.
Vicario’s 82.9% save percentage this season is the highest of any goalkeeper in the English Premier League, according to FBref. The metrics-based website also notes that the £75k-per-week stopper is among the top 5% of goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues for save percentage over the previous year.
The Italian’s outstanding sweeping performance was so impressive that Tim Spiers of The Athletic even said he was “playing like the spirit of Lev Yashin”. Even with nine men, Tottenham played with an absurdly high line, and if the goalie hadn’t been so persistent in leaving his box to smother attacks, Chelsea may have scored six or seven goals.
Reporter Charlie Eccleshare praised him for his “titanic” performance. He also made three successful crosses, one a wonderful looping pass that Rodrigo Bentancur agonizingly headed over after spinning away from Chelsea’s defensive line.
The five-foot-nine star’s versatility is shown by the fact that, according to FBref, he is in the top 10% of full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for goals, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for assists, the top 1% for blocks, and the top 14% for tackles per ninety.
Alasdair Gold, a reporter for Football.london covering Tottenham, was one of the many people who couldn’t stop gushing about the Spanish defender’s performance. He gave the Lilywhites’ commanding goalie a score of 9/10.
He noted in his post-match ratings that Vicario saved him after he made a poor pass. He was outstanding after that, blocking, tackling, and producing a wonderful free-kick that Bentancur ought to have headed home.
