OD ONE OUT
Tuchel slams Blues kid for his ‘attitude and energy’ SOUTHAMPTON 1 CHELSEA
THOMAS TUCHEL humiliated Callum HudsonOdoi at Southampton – by hauling off the Chelsea star just 30 minutes after throwing him on.
The England winger was visibly upset when hooked in the 75th minute of yesterday’s draw against Southampton after he replaced Tammy Abraham at the break.
Blues boss Tuchel said: “I was not happy with the attitude and energy.
“You need to be sharp to counter-press but he wasn’t on his game.
“We demand a lot and 100 per cent. I felt he was not right in the shape and he could not help us.
“It’s not a problem if he makes a mistake or has a bad game but you can’t lack energy by five or 10 per cent.
“He knows what I demand – but did not reach that level.
“But you know that I trust Callum as he has played in all the games.
“What happens today is forgotten tomorrow. He could play against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
“Maybe it’s unfair but he needs to accept and swallow this – and improve.”
THOMAS TUCHEL is still unbeaten as Chelsea boss – but it did not feel like it after this setback on the south coast.
Although Tuchel’s Blues came from behind at St Mary’s, the German deemed it two points very much lost in their bid for Champions League football.
Not for the first time this season, the visitors had the inspirational Mason Mount to thank, as he rescued them with a second-half penalty after on-loan Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino had fired Southampton ahead.
But Tuchel, who brought on Callum Hudson-Odoi at the break only to sub him just 30 minutes later, fumed: “Clearly, this is a missed opportunity. We had the chances to make another win and it would have been deserved.
“We were good for 80 metres but in the last 20 metres, I was not happy. We weren’t form. But they didn’t have many decisive clear chances. enough and “With a bit more luck we could our decisionmaking have won it at the end. But this draw feels like a win.” wasn’t good enough. If you need a Chelsea must have been the last penalty to score, it tells the story. side Southampton wanted to be
“Conceding that goal wasn’t a facing with all the Stamford Bridge problem for me but in attack we stars so keen to impress new were sloppy and missed the manager Tuchel. aggression to finish the game.” He was hard to
While Chelsea have been ignore here. In the rising up the table at a first half the ex-Paris rapid pace under Tuchel, Saint-Germain coach Southampton had been almost clocked up as heading in the opposite many steps in the direction. dugout as his players
Until yesterday, that is, when on the field. they not only ended a sixgame He was hopping losing streak but and hollering, reminded everyone why they encouraging and are one of the nine clubs to have moaning, while his led the Premier League in this Blues dominated and crazy, Covid-congested campaign. carved out decent
Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl openings, only to waste them with was both relieved and thrilled by poor passing and finishing. the gutsy display. The best example was when
The Austrian, whose FA Cup Chelsea ripped the Saints apart quarter-finalists now have 30 with a sweeping move. points, beamed: “It’s such an Timo Werner earned rapturous important result and point for us. applause from Tuchel for his spin
“We played at our maximum and pass to Mount. And the coach against such a strong side in great was just as impressed when Mount
fed the overlapping Reece James. The England wing-back produced a beautiful chip to the far post where Marcos Alonso should have done better than volley wide.
Tuchel’s yell of frustration and disgust was priceless, as he slumped into his seat.
On 32 minutes, he was seething in silence as the hosts made it 1-0 in their first attack.
Nathan Redmond was the architect, threading a beautiful pass through a wide-open rearguard, and Minamino showed superb composure, dummying keeper Edouard Mendy before rolling in his second Saints goal.
Tuchel hauled off ineffective Tammy Abraham at half-time for Hudson-Odoi – and was celebrating an equaliser within seven minutes. Mount coolly converted the penalty after Danny Ings had fouled him.
The hosts almost nicked it as Jan Vestergaard’s header crashed against the bar. But Chelsea had the last major chance – Mount crossing for James, only for the defender to volley it into orbit.
We werent decisive enough and our decisionmaking was not good... if you need a penalty to score it tells a story
SAM ALLARDYCE admits West Brom must be more clinical if they are going to have any chance of pulling off a great escape.
Allardyce was delighted by the performance from his 10 men as the Baggies registered their first clean sheet under him at the 13th attempt.
But he was disappointed to settle for just a point for the second game running after his side created enough chances to beat Burnley, and they are still 11 points adrift of safety.
“The performance deserved a win,” said the West Brom boss. “We didn’t do anything other than try to win the game, even when we went down to 10 men.
“We created the two best chances of the game in the second half and are disappointed we didn’t convert at least one of those, because they were gilt-edged chances.
“Defensively we are getting better, attacking and creating we are getting better, we just need to take our chances.
“We have two points from the last two games when we should have six.
“The games are ticking by and our points total to the team fourth from bottom is a large one.”
Allardyce (right) accepted Mike Dean showing Semi Ajayi a red card for handball to deny Burnley a goalscoring opportunity.
“I don’t know if you can say that from 50 or 60 metres away it’s stopping a goalscoring opportunity, but that’s the way the rules are and we have to accept them,” he said.
This was Dean’s first game after receiving death threats and Sean Dyche also backed him over his refusal to give Burnley a penalty when the ball struck Kyle Bartley’s hand.
“We’ve seen them given, but on reflection it’s glanced off his thigh first and I presume that’s why he didn’t give it,” said the Clarets manager.
“I’m pleased with the outcome today because I thought we were miles off it, absolutely miles off it.
“But I have to be careful in what I say because we’ve asked an awful lot of these players over the last few weeks.”
This game was never going to be one for the purists and the
We created the two best chances of the game in the second half and are disappointed not to convert at least one of those
blustery conditions at Turf Moor did not suit passing football.
Burnley were also blunted by the loss of first-choice strikers Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes and Dyche paired Matej Vydra with Jay Rodriguez.
Ex-Baggies man Rodriguez needs one more league goal to bring up his century and he should have bagged it when he failed to get a firm enough head to Matt Lowton’s cross from the right.
West Brom needed three points to boost their slim survival hopes and they were at least positive as Darnell Furlong twice went close.
Matheus Pereira then forced a smart save from Nick Pope, the England keeper extending his Inspector Gadget-like hand to touch away a low drive.
Then came Ajayi’s moment to forget on 30 minutes. He instinctively put out his right hand to bat away the ball as Vydra attempted to go past him.
Dean dismissed Ajayi after being prompted by VAR Michael Oliver to review what happened on his pitchside monitor.
Burnley might have had a penalty when Conor Townsend’s header hit Bartley’s right arm, but neither Dean nor Oliver saw the incident that way.
West Brom played the better football on the break. Ainsley Maitland-Niles went close when he cut inside and curled a shot just wide.
The Baggies were denied when Mbaye Diagne beat James Tarkowski and shot against the top of the bar.
Tarkowski redeemed himself when he headed Pereira’s shot off the line.
SUNDAY MIRROR
A FEROCIOUS secondhalf drive from Ademola Lookman gave Fulham a crucial victory and ramped the relegation pressure right up on Newcastle.
Scott Parker’s men closed the gap between the two sides to just three points ahead of the Geordies’ clash with Manchester United tonight.
And the pair look set for a proper slugfest over the coming weeks.
That fight could go on until May 23, the final day, when Steve Bruce’s men visit this part of London.
Fulham have now lost just once in their last seven Premier League fixtures and, while only two of those games have resulted in wins, they have chipped away at the gap.
They are now giving themselves a real chance of succeeding where they failed the season before last and retaining their top-flight status.
They fully deserved their win against Sheffield United, whose position at the foot of the table now looks perilous.
A victory here would have at least lifted them off the foot of the table and given them hope. Now survival looks impossible.
The Blades had a slight advantage over their hosts, having played last on Monday, two days before Fulham drew at Burnley.
Scott Parker’s men had looked a bit leggy on Wednesday as well and his hope was that the three changes he’d made to the starting line-up would freshen things up a bit.
They started brightly enough, with plenty of hustle and bustle, but so too did Chris Wilder’s lads.
The Sheffield United boss had made five changes himself, most notably with John Fleck coming back in after a bout of illness and Phil Jagielka replacing John Egan, who is likely to be out for a couple of months.
With Billy Sharp up top alongside Ollie McBurnie for the visitors and former England star Jagielka at the back, there was experience at either end.
For all the energy being expended in the first half, clearcut chances were few and far between, although Fulham looked the greater threat.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a level up composurewise, with Harrison Reed, as ever, and Andre-Frank Anguissa keeping things ticking behind him in the Cottagers’ engine room.
Ivan Cavaleiro fashioned a decent opening for Fulham before blazing over after cutting inside on to his left foot, and soon after the ever-impressive
Reed drilled a long-range effort straight at Aaron Ramsdale.
Arguably the best of the lot for Fulham in that first half was Loftus-Cheek’s header late on but he couldn’t keep it down.
The goal was coming in the second half and when Joachim Andersen released Lookman with a brilliant, long-range pass, he cut inside Ampadu and rammed it through the despairing legs of Ramsdale.
The Blades had a good chance soon after when Enda Stevens was released after fine work by Sharp and McBurnie but his shot seemed to come off his heel.
In a way it summed up United’s season.
HEUNG-MIN SON has told his Tottenham team-mates there can be no excuses for their dip in form.
Not even the fact that every side in the Premier League has had its ups and downs in this strangest of seasons.
Spurs were top of the table as recently as December but go into today’s clash with West Ham in ninth after a drop-off which has seen them lose four of their last five top-flight matches.
Son said: “It doesn’t feel the same as previous seasons, especially without fans.
“This is massive as a footballer, as it is in normal life.
“It has been one year already like this but it can’t be an excuse. It has been a strange season but we have to do better and we know we can do better.
“When you lose some points, and even when you play well and lose a point, it always feels so, so sad.
“We have had a couple of bad results but we just need to focus on the coming games.
“It’s all about our responsibility because we have to carry on positively.
“We had a good time at the start of the season until maybe a few weeks ago.
“But now a bad time has come and we have to stick together as a team and go the tough way, through the tough tunnel.
“As a team we can do that, and we have the belief to do that and bring some positive energy.”
Tottenham’s run of form has led to criticism of manager Jose Mourinho.
But Son countered: “When we won games there was not any criticism.
“When we had a couple of bad results, obviously the conversation came out, the main issue came out, about our way of playing.
“We know what we’re doing, we want to win, but obviously it’s all about results. We are working hard because we want to do better and we know we can do it.
“The players are really hungry. With every single game and in training sessions, you can see they want to do more, they want to take responsibility for their own game and our game as a team.
“This is very important at such a tough time.”
It was no coincidence that Son’s partner in crime Harry Kane was missing through injury in the defeats by Brighton and Chelsea.
Kane has either scored or assisted in 66 per cent of Tottenham’s Premier League goals this season and Son 52 per cent.
Son, who has grabbed 18 goals in all competition, said: “It’s not only me, the whole team, even Spurs fans, missed Harry.
“He’s just a world-class player and one of the best strikers in the world.
“But we’re not expecting Harry to score the goals all the time, because
Harry’s working also for the team and we’re going to work also for the team, and the goals are coming for the team.
“Without the team, Harry’s not going to score. Without the team, I’m not going to score.
“It’s all about the team connection. It’s very important we all take responsibility for scoring and defending goals.”