Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham (Koulibaly ’19 ’77 | Hojbjerg ’68, Kane ’90+6)
Harry Kane snatched a 96th-minute equaliser for Tottenham in another unforgettable and controversial Battle of the Bridge as Chelsea twice threw away a lead in a 2-2 draw.
Kalidou Koulibaly had put the Blues ahead on Sunday with a spectacular volley thanks to a poor attempt at zonal marking from the visitors, only for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to level from outside the box with a contentious equaliser that prompted a touchline melee between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte.
It would not be the last of the afternoon, with both managers sent off as tensions boiled over at full-time.
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Hojbjerg did the rest, but Tuchel was left furious with referee Anthony Taylor, with Conte’s reaction, and indeed with Jorginho himself – the midfielder was immediately taken off.
i understands Hojbjerg’s goal was looked at, but was allowed to stand because the Bentancur challenge was outside the attacking phase of play, meaning VAR did not look that far back.
Richarlison also appeared to be in an offside position – and there were shouts of handball against Son Heung-min in the build-up too – but the goal stood.
Conte’s men were behind again within nine minutes, though, Dejan Kulusevski outmuscled by N’Golo Kante before Raheem Sterling played a perfectly weighted pass to Reece James for Chelsea’s second. Cue a Mourinho-esque run from Tuchel down the touchline, who was perhaps fortunate not to land himself in trouble having already been given a yellow card.
What will worry Conte is that his former club effectively gave Premier League teams a blueprint of how to stop the Lilywhites – they were overrun in midfield, could not play out from the back and chances for Son and Kane to counter were few.
Son was also guilty of giving Koulibaly far too much space for the opening goal, as the centre-back latched onto Marc Cucurella’s corner and found the space between the forward and Emerson Royal to strike past Hugo Lloris.
With Spurs second best for most of the afternoon, Conte took his time in turning to his new recruits Richarlison, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma. In effect, Tottenham were still largely competing with the same side the Italian bemoaned so often last season but as for Chelsea, it was a ringing endorsement of Tuchel’s changes.
However, the controversy was not over with Cristian Romero appearing to pull Cucurella’s hair in the dying seconds; the centre-back was not punished, and Kane’s touch from the resulting corner sent Spurs home with an unlikely point.
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Chelsea player ratings
- Mendy 6.5 – Dampened Son’s best attack, but had little to do. Could arguably have got down quicker for Hojbjerg’s goal but felt he was unsighted by an offside Richarlison.
- James 8 – Aside from the winner, he also moved up into central midfield when needed and fared well in an unfamiliar role – he might not get the numbers this season if he stays at right centre-back but a much better alternative than Cesar Azpilicueta, who wouldn’t have coped so well with the pace of Spurs’ attack
- Thiago Silva 8 – Completely neutralised Harry Kane and made it look effortless. Stop this Spurs front three and you are effectively 90 per cent of the way there
- Koulibaly 8 – Chelsea have lost one terrific striker of the ball from range in Rudiger and found another in Koulibaly
- Loftus-Cheek 7 – Should have scored or assisted Sterling after a long run at Spurs’ defence – decision-making needs work but impressive down the right
- Kante 6.5 – Angered Thomas Tuchel with a couple of misplaced passes, but instrumental in the winning goal
- Jorginho 7 – Had totally run the show, but his attempted drag-back inside his own box was unforgivable and very nearly cost Chelsea two points
- Cucurella 7.5 – Really grew into his role and assisted the opener with his corner
- Havertz 6 – Wasted a pivotal chance just yards out and was Chelsea’s quietest attacker
- Mount 8 – Top notch and continuously broke free of Tottenham’s central midfielders
- Sterling 7.5 – Offers so much more pace than Romelu Lukaku and makes Chelsea’s attack fizz as a result. Caused problems from out wide and through the middle
Tuchel: ‘Conte didn’t look me in the eye’
Thomas Tuchel told Antonio Conte to look him in the eye as they shook hands at full-time. When that was put to Conte on Sky Sports, he responded: “In my opinion it’s better to talk about the game it was an exciting game it was a difficult game for both teams but you know we want to try in every game to be competitive.
“Chelsea showed us to be a really really good team. Compared to last season we did a bit better.”
He also insisted he “didn’t see” Cristian Romero’s pull of Marc Cucurella’s hair. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said.
Tottenham player ratings
- Lloris 6 – Tipped over Mount effort from distance, but not much he could have done for the Koulibaly goal
- Romero 7 – Forever the master of the dark arts and pull of Cucurella’s hair could have denied Spurs the chance for the equaliser
- Dier 7.5 – Kept Spurs in it with a number of key blocks; did his chances of an England recall no harm
- Davies 6 – Loftus-Cheek had lots of time on the ball, Davies struggled to contain him
- Emerson – A few uninspiring crosses into the box and struggled with Chelsea’s wide men
- Hojbjerg 6 – Had been sloppy and offered little until the goal, but it was a game-changer
- Bentancur 5 – Normally so industrious but the system did him no favours. Lucky not to concede the foul on Havertz
- Sessegnon 6 – One of Spurs’ greatest threats down the left but was taken off around the hour mark
- Kulusevski 5 – Frustrated and lost possession for James’ goal. Also guilty of a needless foul on Mount in a dangerous area
- Son 5 – Not his best afternoon, squandered a free-kick and should have done better for Koulibaly’s goal
- Kane 6 – Very quiet until the goal and had dragged a golden chance wide after breaking clean through with only Mendy to beat
Koulibaly reinstates Chelsea ambition
by Kevin Garside, i chief sports correspondent
Kalidou Koulibaly’s formidable reputation is built on his defensive attributes, a one-man redoubt affectionately known as The Wall or K2. Just as important as his stabilising qualities is the intensity he brings to his work.
Thus as well as displaying the solidity of a Himalayan rock formation you fancy he could bend metal if he stared at it long enough. It was this characteristic that separated the teams during a tight opening half, Koulibaly thrashing the opener into the back of the net with the ferocity of a man who had not eaten for a week stumbling across a chicken leg.
Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella also made their home debuts. Both were circumspect, safe, letting none down. Koulibaly stuck his chest out and threw himself into the fight.
If you are a Chelsea fan and you haven’t got Koulibaly on your back at Elland Road next week, questions must be asked. The loss of Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid reflected the uncertainty engulfing Stamford Bridge in those early days following the purge of Roman Abramovich.
Koulibaly’s signing restated the club’s ambition, a prize fighter with a mercenary’s appetite for acquisition.
He might be seen as Todd Boehly’s fixer on the pitch, a man to get a job done. The new owner’s gratitude was obvious as he celebrated Koulibaly’s coronation as the new hero of Stamford Bridge.
Souness: ‘It’s a man’s game’
In the Sky studio, Graeme Souness insisted he had enjoyed the feistiness of the encounter, explaining: “It’s a man’s game all of a sudden again, I thought the referee had a fabulous game”. David Jones on presenting duties quickly pointed to the presence of former England international Karen Carney, adding “it’s also a woman’s game” – but it has received a response from Eni Aluko and Beth England.
“It’s a man’s game”
— Bethany England (@Bethany_Eng15) August 14, 2022
“Men at it”
Get in thewhat a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just seen.
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