Chelsea ended Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 4-1 win in an action-packed London derby.
Spurs received red cards in both the first and second half and were eventually punished for sticking to their attacking principles.
Mauricio Pochettino’s return to north London somehow became a sub-plot amid the on-pitch chaos as the Blues held their nerve and picked apart their hosts down the final stretch.
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Tottenham Hotspur player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 8/10 – Made a string of top saves to keep Spurs in the contest. Forced to play a sweeper role in the second half.
RB: Pedro Porro – 4/10 – Rash at both ends of the pitch. Tried to play the ball forward at every opportunity and Chelsea punished him for reckless endeavour.
CB: Cristian Romero – 1/10 – Got away with a cynical kick early on. Punished for a full-blooded challenge on Enzo Fernandez shortly afterwards.
CB: Micky van de Ven – 5/10 – Kept pace with the equally as physical Jackson before succumbing to a hamstring injury at the end of the first half.
LB: Destiny Udogie – 1/10 – Like Romero was given a second chance to keep his discipline and failed.
CM: Yves Bissouma – 5/10 – Wanted a little too much time to dictate play in midfield.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 7/10 – For a second week running, Sarr stepped up and looked the most senior of Tottenham’s midfielders.
RM: Dejan Kulusevski – 7/10 – A touch of fortune about the opening goal but was rewarded for actually coming inside and unleashing a shot instead of recycling possession. Put in one hell of a shift before being hooked for fresher legs.
AM: James Maddison – 6/10 – Controlled the game’s opening stages when Spurs were in the ascendancy before everything went haywire.
LM: Brennan Johnson – 6/10 – Looked lively in his 34 minutes on the pitch before being sacrificed for another defender in Dier.
CF: Son Heung-min – 5/10 – Understandably isolated for most of the match. Dangerous at 11-v-11.
Substitutes
SUB: Eric Dier (34′ for Johnson) – 7/10 – Instructed to play in an unusually high line as Spurs threw caution to the wind. Did well for the most part, to his credit.
SUB: Emerson Royal (45′ for Maddison) – 5/10 – Likewise brought into a makeshift back four and wasn’t necessarily terrible on an individual level.
SUB: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (45′ for Van de Ven) – 7/10 – Asked to play at centre-back and made a number of heroic challenges.
SUB: Oliver Skipp (61′ for Kulusevski) – 4/10
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur (61′ for Sarr) – 5/10
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil, Richarlison
Manager
Ange Postecoglou – 4/10 – The Greek-Australian saw a chaotic encounter and decided to double down on that factor. You have to respect it in a perverse way.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sanchez – 7/10 – Hardly radiated confidence either with the ball at his feet or when it came to shot-stopping, though did come up with an incredible save at the last.
RB: Reece James – 8/10 – Chelsea’s best player for long stretches, organising the defence and then providing creativity when bursting forward.
CB: Thiago Silva – 7/10 – His lack of pace could have been a problem for Chelsea, but Spurs’ implosion allowed him to confidently defend against fewer bodies.
CB: Axel Disasi – 6/10 – Similarly solid once Chelsea had control of the contest.
LB: Levi Colwill – 5/10 – Withdrawn at the break after a testing half trying to defend Tottenham’s right side and picked up a booking getting into afters with Sarr.
CM: Moises Caicedo – 6/10 – Broke up play well but was caught sleeping in possession on occasion. Cruelly denied a fine goal.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 6/10 – Another excellent combative display but couldn’t pick the lock in possession.
RM: Cole Palmer – 8/10 – Growing a strong winger-to-winger connection with the rapid Sterling. Another outstanding penalty and an assist to boot.
AM: Conor Gallagher – 6/10 – Pressed from the front but like the rest of Chelsea’s central midfielders couldn’t break down Spurs until the closing stages.
LM: Raheem Sterling – 8/10 – His pace eventually punished Tottenham, who were eager to let him in time after time.
CF: Nicolas Jackson – 8/10 – A confidence-boosting hat-trick will do him the world of good. Stuck to his guns and got his reward.
Substitutes
SUB: Marc Cucurella (46′ for Colwill) – 6/10
SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (57′ for Fernandez) – 6/10
SUB: Malo Gusto (77′ for James) – 5/10
SUB: Lesley Ugochukwu (90′ for Sterling) – N/A
Subs not used: Djordje Petrovic (GK), Benoit Badiashile, Ian Maatsen, Lesley Ugochukwu, Noni Madueke, Deivid Washington
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino – 7/10 – Chelsea won, they were exciting at points, the margin of victory was significant, and yet there’s the lingering feeling they still could and should have done better.
