DIER NIGHT HAUNTS JOSE
Spurs lack spirit and craft as they lose to Blues
THE ghostly boos of 60,000 missing voices greeted the final whistle of another Tottenham horror show at White Hart Lane.
Listen carefully, and such are the acoustics of this magnificent stadium, that you could hear the frustration of all those armchair Spurs fans being forced to watch their team playing badly in a manner they do not like.
“The game is about glory,” proclaimed the giant wraparound electronic hoardings. “To dare is to do.”
Yet there was none of that from the home side against one of the club’s fiercest rivals.
Before the match, Jose Mourinho had chosen to lecture Thomas Tuchel on how easy it is to manage Chelsea.
Perhaps he should focus on why he is making such heavy weather of managing Tottenham.
It is nearly nine years since Spurs lost three successive league games and, though it seemed unthinkable at the time, Harry Redknapp lost his job just months later.
Mourinho’s position is arguably much more precarious. Brought in to win things, qualifying for the Champions League qualification was taken as read. Last season, a horrendous injury list was mitigating circumstances.
This season he is running out of excuses.
Tuchel, under just as much pressure, is getting straight down to business – an ethic he is clearly transmitting to his reinvigorated players.
Right from the kick-off, Cesar Azpilicueta’s long ball found the head of Timo Werner and his effort was inches away from putting Chelsea ahead within 10 seconds.
As it was, the pair only had to wait until midway through the first half to make their impact felt. The former again
picked out the latter, Eric Dier needlessly flicked out his boot, Werner fell and Andre Marriner pointed to the spot.
Jorginho’s penalty left Hugo Lloris no chance.
Chelsea camped in the Spurs half with their defence seeing so little of the ball that when Thiago Silva was called upon to stretch to stop Son Heung-Min getting on the end of a breakaway pass, he injured his hamstring.
The only chance Mourinho’s side could muster in the first half was a Serge Aurier header from a Son free-kick which he should have got on target.
Going in just a goal behind flattered Tottenham and in the 59th minute it took a brilliant last-gasp intervention from Aurier to prevent Werner from doubling the lead.
Lloris had to head away a Dier backpass and punch the ball off the toe of Christian Pulisic before Mateo Kovacic burst through to shoot wide.
At full stretch, he denied Mason Mount as Chelsea continued to stream forward.
One goal was always going to be enough, but try telling the increasingly animated Tuchel, bouncing on the edge of his technical area.
He, too, knows missing out on the Champions League qualification is not going to be a viable option for him.
The difference is, he is quietly going about his business.