AIMBROAD

Tottenham's Son Heung-min appeals to the referee after Christian Romero left in the 11th round of the English Premier League (EPL) against Chelsea in the 2023-2024 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 7th (Korea time). London | Reuters 

London | EPA Yonhap News 

London | AFP Yonhap News 

[Sports Seoul | Reporter Kim Yong-il] It was the "worst day" when Son Heung-min's score was canceled due to offside, and only two players were sent off and injured.

Tottenham, led by head coach Angé Postecoglou, suffered a 1-4 home defeat against Chelsea in the 11th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2023-2024 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 7th (Korea time), and suffered its first defeat (8 wins, 2 draws, 26 points) in 11 games since the opening. It failed to beat league leader Manchester City (27 points).

Tottenham started lightly in the 6th minute of the first half when Dejan Klusevski's shot hit the opponent Levi Colwill's body and led to the first goal. However, the unimaginable bad luck continued afterwards. In the 13th minute of the first half, one-top Son Heung-min shook Chelsea's net with his right foot on Brennan Johnson's low left cross in front of the goal. As soon as the Tottenham fan cheered, the assistant referee raised the flag, and Son Heung-min's shoulder was ahead of the opponent's final defender by a slight difference. It was literally a "one leaf difference." 

London | AFP Yonhap News 

London | AFP Yonhap News 

Tottenham continued to control the Chelsea offensive, but a variable occurred in the 27th minute of the first half. Chelsea Moasés Caixé was also caught by VAR when Nicola Jackson blocked Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's view from an offside position when his right footed shot hit the goal. The score was cancelled. However, it was also confirmed that Tottenham defender Christian Romero attempted a tackle on Chelsea Raheem Sterling's ankle. The referee took out a red card and declared a penalty for Chelsea. Cole Palmer was the kicker and scored the equalizer.

Tottenham's bad luck didn't stop. At the end of the first half, key offense and defense agents James Madison and Mickey van de Pen collapsed due to injuries. In the 9th minute of the second half, flanker Destiny Udozi attempted a rough tackle on Sterling and left due to accumulated warnings. Tottenham quickly had only nine players left on the ground.

London | AP Yonhap News

London | Reuters Yonhap News

Postecoglou, who emphasizes attack-oriented colors through forward pressure, did not lower his line while maintaining a 4-3-1 form. However, Chelsea constantly tapped into the back of Tottenham's defense, and Jackson scored the winning goal when Sterling's cross was pushed into the left foot in the 29th minute of the second half. Jackson then scored a hat trick as he dug into the back of Tottenham again in the second half and added two more goals.

The frequency of attacks on both teams tracked by soccer AI company Aimbroad. Provided | Aimbroad

According to data tracked in real-time by domestic soccer AI company Aimbroad, Tottenham's effective attack data accounted for 77.3% of the ASR (Attack Success Rate) games, even though the early nine players played, which was narrow with Chelsea (79.6%). They did not back down and allowed Chelsea the back space, but there were so many meaningful scenes when they turned to attacks. It gives us a sense of Postecoglou's firm philosophy.

Meanwhile, Son Heung-min, who unfortunately missed his ninth goal in the league due to offside, has been named the "Tottenham Goal of the Month" for two consecutive months. Prior to the match against Chelsea, Tottenham announced that Son's score in the last match against Crystal Palace (2-1 win) topped the list with 49 percent support. At the time, he scored his eighth goal by sensibly finishing the cutback that led to Madison and Johnson at the gate. Son also scored the "Goal of the Month" in September with a goal against Arsenal.

https://n.news.naver.com/sports/wfootball/article/468/0000998763