Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 4-2 by Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino gestures
Former Spurs midfielder and current pundit Jamie Redknapp has told the Daily Mail that he still thinks Tottenham lack a real cutting edge in the big games.
Spurs took on Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday evening, with the two sides battling for a place in the final having also emerged as the only contenders for the Premier League title, with just four points separating leaders Chelsea from their London rivals.
Willian struck Chelsea in front early on with a fine free kick, with Harry Kane’s flick header drawing Spurs level before Brazilian ace Willian converted from the penalty spot after Son Heung-min had fouled Victor Moses.
Dele Alli’s smart finish from an incredible Christian Eriksen cross pulled Spurs back on level terms again, only for Eden Hazard’s low drive and Nemanja Matic’s long-range piledriver to hand Chelsea a 4-2 victory.
Spurs were left deflated and disappointed at Wembley Stadium, given that they were arguably the better team on the day, but Chelsea took their chances when they came, and exploited some errors in the Spurs defence.
The focus will immediately turn back to the Premier League given that Spurs face Crystal Palace and Arsenal over the next week, but pundit Jamie Redknapp has had his say on Saturday’s defeat.
Redknapp has told the Daily Mail that he thinks that Tottenham’s ‘soft underbelly was exposed’ by a clinical, ruthless Chelsea side, suggesting that Spurs still don’t have the cutting edge to consistently win the big games.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp
Redknapp also criticised manager Mauricio Pochettino for being ‘sucked in’ by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte’s tactics, as he was so set on playing a 3-4-3 that he played Son Heung-min in an unfamiliar left wing back role given injuries to Ben Davies and Danny Rose – and that was a decision that backfired given that Son gave away the penalty and looked uneasy defensively.
“When I saw Chelsea’s team sheet on Saturday I thought this was Tottenham’s chance to eradicate their ‘nearly-men’ tag,” said Redknapp. “With no Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, Chelsea were there for the taking and when Dele Alli equalised it looked like there would only be one winner. Man for man Tottenham had more quality but their soft underbelly was exposed.”
“Chelsea have the cutting edge Spurs still lack in big games. I thought Mauricio Pochettino was sucked in by Antonio Conte’s tactics. Pochettino played three at the back to match Chelsea but with Danny Rose out it was a mistake to play Son Heung-min at left wing back. Son struggled defensively and conceded a penalty with his clumsy challenge on Victor Moses. Spurs must pick themselves up quickly. They are still in the title race and must not let Chelsea seize momentum,” he added.
What did you think of Tottenham’s performance against Chelsea?
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