Some individuals played well, particularly in the first half, however, Tottenham lost again by three goals, as Tomas Tuchel and Chelsea were too much for Spurs. Here are our ratings for Tottenham on a day that ended in disappointment.
Romero has a strong debut for Tottenham
You cannot say anyone was outstanding for Tottenham, they lost by three goals. However, Cristian Romero made his first Premier League start after his 10-day stint in Croatia and was probably Spurs most consistent player on the day.
Romero is a commanding presence on the field who is willing to defend every inch. In the attacking third in the aftermath of a corner kick the defenders had come up for, Romero earned Spurs one of their few good free-kick opportunities.
In the middle third of the park, Romero worked tirelessly tracking down Kai Havertz and Mason Mount both, making solid tackles in the attacking half. In the defensive third, Romero had two blocks, two interceptions and did not commit a single foul against a very talented group.
For a first real Premier League outing, Romero looked the part and certainly represents brighter days ahead.
Unfortunately, Sunday was not one of those bright days. Spurs started well but faded and then Chelsea’s quality took charge in the second half. Here are our ratings for a solid effort on a tough day.
Tottenham Defence
Defensively Tottenham was not terrible, despite conceding three goals for the second consecutive league game. It was more the midfield letting the defense down that cost the team as individual mistakes left the team exposed and against a squad as good as Chelsea you pay the price.
Hugo Lloris – 6
It is difficult to think a goalkeeper had a good game when he conceded three goals but Hugo Lloris was good on the balance Sunday for Spurs. None of the three goals were on the keeper and Hugo had some other big saves during the match. Lloris did well in the first half to make a high claim. Needed to be Superman and instead was just good.
Sergio Reguilon – 5.5
Sergio Reguilon saw a lot of the ball against Chelsea but never really did anything impactful with it. Showed excellent awareness holding is run to not go offside about 20 minutes in to get behind the defence. His pass was intercepted by the hustling Chelsea center-halves and the opportunity was lost. Sergio is making some good runs and sticking his nose in to make some tackles, he just needs to work that little bit on his on-the-ball composure to improve that final ball.
Eric Dier – 6.5
Eric Dier was a surprise in the starting line-up after going off injured a week ago Saturday against Crystal Palace. Outside of one missed tackled in the attacking half that led to a Chelsea break was really strong. Stayed with Romelo Lukaku most of the day and the big Belgian was relatively quiet. Dier’s 10 clearances highlight his safety-first mentality on the day. He was unfortunate to have Chelsea’s second goal deflect off him.
Cristian Romero – 7
Maybe the most impressive thing about Cristian Romero’s performance against Chelsea was his overall calming presence on the ball. Whereas players seem to run at some defenders to apply pressure almost immediately, Chelsea did not approach Romero that way, as his comfort on the ball was obvious. A solid effort in a tough loss.
Emerson Royal – 6.5
Emerson Royal continues to show that he was a smart buy from a desperate team in Barcelona. Royal is both a solid defender and an obvious offensive threat. Had a major block on Mount in the first quarter-hour recognizing the danger and sliding to stop it. Royal showed good awareness in the air as well, nodding out a couple of potentially dangerous crosses. Comfortable going forward or defending.
Midfield Ratings
Tottenham was strong in the midfield in the first half as Pierre Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele both were all over the pitch working to win the ball back for Tottenham. Unfortunately for Spurs, both players seemed to run out of gas and did not get enough help from their running mates.
Pierre Hojbjerg – 6.5
Pierre Hojbjerg was a difference-maker for Tottenham in the first half. Finally playing as the lone deep, defensive midfielder Hojbjerg could attack the ball and work to recover it for Spurs. At one point in the first 10 minutes made two tackles within about a minute 45 yards apart on different sides of the pitch. Spurs are playing a dangerous game with the fine line between leveraging Hojbjerg and running him into the ground.
Dele Alli – 5
Dele Alli had an anonymous 90 minutes, with the exception of blowing his assignment on the first Chelsea goal. While it is clear that Dele is quite possibly in the best shape of his life, to think he can muscle Thiago Silva for space is foolish and the midfielder needed to attack the ball, not try to body an airborne player. The result was a goal that swung the game. Offensively Dele was not crisp passing the ball and didn’t make the runs the team needs into the attacking third behind the opposition’s defence.
Tanguy Ndombele – 7
Tanguy Ndombele was the most effective of the Tottenham midfielders and was working hard both on and off the ball until he came off just past the hour mark. Ndombele provided for Spurs midfield the same kind of outlet that Lukaku does the Chelsea attack. Like Hojbjerg was more effective early and faded. However, he ran hard tracking back, and working to win balls and advance the team into attack. It will take time to hit top form but he has it.
Giovani Lo Celso – 5
Giovani Lo Celso was competing with Dele on Sunday for the worst player on the pitch. Lo Celso was never really quite on the pace of the match, had a couple of decent passes but those were few and far between. Had the ball fall to him within the first two minutes in the box but his right-footed reaction attempt was nowhere near the target. Making matters worse, his poor turnover in the defensive third led directly to Chelsea’s second goal. After the drama of the international break, fans and the team deserved far more from Lo Celso than they got.
Forward ratings
Heung-Min Son, like Eric Dier, was a surprise starter for Tottenham on Sunday as he recovers from injury. While he can Harry Kane was able to connect some, they are still not quite clicking yet.
Heung-Min Son – 6
The extent of Heung-Min Son’s injury is still unknown and the South Korean was his usual smiling self for the first 15-20 minutes of the match. As the match wore on and Son took more punishment his involvement in the game decreased. With only 19 touches after the break, Son became a complete non-factor as either he was not making them or the players were not hitting any balls over the top for him as the midfield got dominated.
Harry Kane – 6
Harry Kane looked like Harry Kane at times in the match, engaged and making some good passed, dropping deep, while still finding ways to get shots in the box. However, Kane was probably the first to stop really pressing hard and if he is not leading the spear defensively it is far too easy to beat the pressure, and players all stop doing it. Stopped dropping deep and like Son completely out of the match in the second half with only 14 touches.
Substitutes and coach rating
Oliver Skipp – 6.5
Oliver Skipp probably should have come on earlier than he did to add some energy to an exhausted and underperforming midfield. Ran about the pitch and was very available for the ball looking to progress it forward.
Bryan Gil – 6
Bryan Gil came on at the same time as Oliver Skipp but did not have nearly as much impact or action as did Skipp. Bryan had a hard time finding space in a very crowded midfield.
Davinson Sanchez – N/A
Came on in the last eight minutes for Romero and was part of the group that gave up goal number 3.
Coach Santo – 6
After a terrible game plan against Crystal Palace, Nuno Santo had the right idea to start the match against Chelsea. Had Tottenham had the ability to do what they did in the first half for 90 minutes maybe the day would have gone differently. Instead, as Spurs’ energy lessened, Chelsea’s energy received a boost with the introduction of N’Golo Kante. Santo had no answers for the tactical changes Tuchel made at halftime but is kind of hamstrung by player availability.