Tottenham endured their worst half, including the abject performance against Mura, since Antonio Conte took charge.
The 2-0 halftime scoreline actually flattered Tottenham, who were outclassed in every facet. Overwhelmed and overran in the centre of the park, the away side proved, to supporters’ chagrin, just how much of a gap still exists between the bitter London rivals.
At least this performance should light a fire under Daniel Levy’s watertight arse, as solid, proficient reinforcements are needed more urgently than a stiff whisky after watching that disjointed, shambolic outing.
Here’s the player ratings from a forgettable night in west London.
Defence
Hugo Lloris 7/10
Hugo was the busiest player on the pitch, facing bundles of Chelsea opportunities. The Frenchman didn’t have a chance on either goal, both of which deflected in off Tottenham players, and made a few excellent saves.
Japhet Tanganga 1/10
While everybody endured a miserable outing, Japhet Tanganga’s was particularly horrifying. The youngster coughed up possession to Marcos Alonso, which led to Kai Havertz‘ opener. He then fired a header inexplicably off Ben Davies‘ back, which ricocheted off the Welshman and behind Hugo Lloris for Chelsea’s second. Nowhere near good enough from Japhet. He was also in no-man’s land when Werner was put through free on goal, though Davinson was at fault for deserting his colleague.
Davinson Sanchez 3/10
Davinson attemped to marshal the back three from Eric Dier‘s central position. He never looked confident and made numerous positional errors, letting Lukaku repeatedly find space. He also was dominated in the air by Havertz and Romelu Lukaku. He had a shanked clearance and also flailed while on the ground, bringing down Lukaku. Sanchez, who knocked it into this own goal, didn’t know much about Chelsea’s first.
Ben Davies 5/10
Was the lesser of three evils at the back for Tottenham. By no means an accomplished performance, but at least the Welshman didn’t commit any outrageously obvious errors. His own goal was no fault of his own.
Midfield
Pierre Hojbjerg 3/10
Pierre and Oliver Skipp were overran in midfield. Hojbjerg showed signs of fatigue, but that could have just been due to Chelsea’s midfield being able to play keep away from Tottenham’s pair. He made some questionable passing decisions and shanked one clearance which led to a golden scoring opportunity for the home side. Looked slow and cumbersome in possession.
Oliver Skipp 5/10
Chased shadows all evening, but put in another workmanlike performance. Though by now we know what level of commitment Skipp unerringly offers. Not his day, but was pretty faultless overall.
Matt Doherty 3/10
Barely knew Matt Doherty was even on the pitch. He coughed up possession needlessly once in the first half and was otherwise a ghost in an entirely unnatural and uncomfortable left-sided role.
Emerson Royal 2/10
Was incredibly frustrating to watch, especially in the first half. Royal conceded possession countless times with every body part. Wayward passes and mistimed slide tackles were just a few of the Brazilian’s issues in this disheartening outing. Made life too easy for Chelsea attackers, including Werner, who was gifted a clear sight on goal after easily breezing by the right back.
Forwards and Subs
Harry Kane 3/10
No service but still nowhere near good enough. Was never a factor and struggled to get a single touch in Chelsea’s area.
Lucas Moura 4/10
Loose passing headlined Lucas Moura’s day. He tried to impact proceedings the way he usually does, but simply didn’t have it today, akin to pretty much every one of his teammates.
Son Heung-min 3/10
Sonny, like Kane, had a nightmare he’ll want to erase from his memory. Didn’t even take a defender on once. Tough to watch.
Tanguy Ndombele 6/10
Ndombele had a decent second half. At least he got his side moving in the right direction. He had a few dodgy touches but at least made Kepa Arrizabalaga realize it wasn’t a training session after all.
Harry Winks N/A
Giovani Lo Celso N/A
Bryan Gil N/A
One nice darting, shifty run to the byline to set up an opportunity for Tanguy, but not enough to warrant a rating.