Tottenham once again embodied the infamous ‘Spursy’ label, collapsing from a pole position to suffer a 4-3 defeat against Chelsea. The Blues, led by the ice-cold Cole Palmer, ran riot as the young forward bagged two crucial penalties. Aside from Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-Min, there were no standout performers for the Lilywhites on the night to forget.
The surprise of the day was the unexpected inclusion of Cristian Romero in the starting XI. Given his recent fitness issues, few anticipated the Argentine would be ready for the London derby, and he was joined by Micky van de Ven, who also returned ahead of schedule. Despite their return, Spurs’ defensive collapse were on full display, leaving Ange Postecoglou with more questions than answers.
Cristian Romero’s return was short-lived, lasting just 15 minutes before he was forced off with an apparent injury. Radu Dragusin came on as his replacement. Jamie Carragher later pointed out what he believed to be the “ridiculous” manner in which Romero sustained the injury.
Jamie Carragher Slams Cristian Romero for Reckless Backheel Error
Moments after Tottenham took a 1-0 lead through Dominic Solanke, Romero made a puzzling decision by attempting a backheeled pass to Kulusevski inside his own box, rather than clearing it under pressure from multiple Chelsea players. Kulusevski, seemingly caught off guard, took a moment to react but eventually gained control and helped Tottenham push forward.
It was undoubtedly a reckless moment from Romero, as he was fortunate that Kulusevski reacted quicker than any Chelsea player. Carragher was far from impressed with the defender’s decision.
The Liverpool legend was absolutely furious when this happened, as on the live commentary for Skysports, stated
Absolutely ridiculous. In a big game you need points from, and he’s hurt himself doing it (too).”
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Having spent nearly four years at Tottenham, Romero is expected to have outgrown such decisions by now. At 26, moments like his careless backheel against Chelsea should be behind him. While he escaped punishment this time, Postecoglou will undoubtedly want these risky antics to be gone from his game.
