Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: Nine-man Spurs suffer first league defeat of season as Nicolas Jackson fires late hat-trick

Chelsea came from behind to beat nine-man Spurs 4-1 in a frenzied game on Mauricio Pochettino’s return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nicolas Jackson fired a hat-trick in a final crazy 20 minutes to cap a breath-taking game that will go down as one of the most eventful to be played in the Premier League, with five goals disallowed, multiple VAR checks and two red cards shown.

The drama arrived just six minutes into this thrilling encounter when Dejan Kulusevski’s deflected effort gave the hosts the lead.

On a busy night for technology, Son Heung-min’s goal was chalked off for offside following a VAR check, before Raheem Sterling suffered similar fate at the opposite end.

Moises Caicedo’s rifled shot from distance was then ruled out following a lengthy intervention by VAR which also saw Tottenham defender Cristian Romero shown a straight red card for a foul on Enzo Fernandez in the build-up, with the referee Michael Oliver subsequently pointing to the spot. Cole Palmer converted the penalty to level the scores.

Ange Postecoglou’s pain was compounded when Romero’s centre-back partner Micky van de Ven was forced off with a hamstring injury, and to make matters worse, James Maddison also picked up a knock and had to be replaced.

Tempers continued to rise in the 12 minutes of added time – and there was more drama to come after the restart as Destiny Udogie, who was fortunate not to be sent off in the first half, was shown a second yellow card for a late foul on Sterling.

The inevitable Chelsea bombardment commenced but faced against an inspired Guglielmo Vicario and a ridiculously high Spurs defence, the visitors had made hard work of finding a second.

Eventually The Blues found the breakthrough with just 15 minutes remaining when Jackson tapped in from Sterling’s pass.

A thrilling finish was in store and Tottenham, to their immense credit, continued to carry a threat as Eric Dier’s volleyed finish was denied by the offside flag before fellow substitute Rodrigo Bentancur missed the target with a free header.

Their biggest chance for an equaliser fell to Son who was repelled by Sanchez in stoppage-time, and on the counterattack, Jackson grabbed his brace and moments later, his hat-trick.

The result means Spurs remain in second place, a point behind leaders Manchester City, while Chelsea climb to 10th.

This is a game that will live long in the memory – a game that almost defied belief. While the score looks like a heavy defeat for Tottenham, it’s one that undoubtedly flatters a nervy Chelsea side that threatened to surrender their lead to their nine-man opponents.

Inspired by their charismatic manager, Spurs played with tremendous bravery and belief (and some naivety), and were almost rewarded with the most unlikely of draws. The unwavering support shown by their fans was testament to their incredible effort.

It’s a first home defeat for Postecoglou in 52 games – a run that stretches back to November 2020. And yet he will take huge positives from the performance and spirit of his team, even if he was let down by two moments of madness by his defenders which left his side with an impossible task.

The casualties of Van de Ven and Maddison summed up a chaotic night for the home side and it will be a nervous wait to see the extent of their injuries.

Pochettino, meanwhile, will leave his old stomping ground with three points and more memories, but with perhaps some concern about how fragile his players looked when trying to defend a lead with two men more.

The Italian showed his worth with an incredible performance, his heroic goalkeeping transmitting belief and confidence to his team-mates.

Tottenham: Vicario 9*, Udogie 5, Van de Ven 6, Romero 5, Porro 6, Bissouma 7, Matar Sarr 7, Johnson 5, Maddison 6, Kulusevski 7, Son 7. Subs: Royal 7, Dier 7, Skipp 6, Hojbjerg 7, Bentancur 6.

Chelsea: Sanchez 7, Colwill 6, Silva 6, Disasi 6, James 6, Fernandez 6, Caicedo 6, Sterling 8, Gallagher 7, Palmer 8, Jackson 9. Subs: Cucurella 7, Gusto 5, Ugochukwu N/A, Mudryk 6.

6′ – TOTTENHAM 1-0 CHELSEA (DEJAN KULUSEVSKI): That didn’t take long! Spurs work the ball beautifully across the park as Kulusevski is picked out in space on the right by Sarr. His shot takes a wicked deflection off Colwill, wrong-footing Sanchez and nestling in the back of the net. What a start!

14′ – SPURS SCORE A SECOND – BUT IT’S RULED OUT! Son slots home from Johnson’s cross! A beautifully crafted goal by Spurs, but the offside flag is up. This is going to VAR and as it’s such a tight decision it may take a while to work out.

23′ – CHELSEA GOAL DISALLOWED! Sterling carves in off the left flank and sees his first attempt blocked. It appears to hit Sterling’s hand before he slots the rebound home. VAR intervenes and after a check the goal is chalked off.

33′ – GOAL RULED OUT, SENDING OFF AND A PENALTY GIVEN ! Caicedo rifles a terrific shot into the corner of goal from distance but the Chelsea celebrations are cut short by the offside flag! However, a Romero challenge on Fernandez is checked and while Chelsea’s goal doesn’t stand, they have a penalty as Romero is given his marching orders for leaving a foot in when challenging Fernandez inside the box!

35′ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-1 CHELSEA (COLE PALMER, PEN): Palmer’s spot-kick sneaks in! Vicario gets two hands to his penalty but can only push it inside the post. Chelsea are level in this EXTRAORDINARY game!

55′ – UDOGIE SENT OFF – SPURS DOWN TO NINE! After making an excellent interception to break up a Chelsea attack, he gathers himself and makes a late challenge on Sterling. He’s shown a second yellow and Spurs have a real difficult task now.

75′ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-2 CHELSEA (NICOLAS JACKSON): The relief on the Chelsea bench is tangible as Jackson finally, finally gives the Blues the lead. Sterling is played in down the right by James and the England international looks up, rolls it across the face of goal to give Jackson a tap in.

78′ – DIER SCORES – BUT THE OFFSIDE FLAG IS RAISED! What a moment inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Dier volleys into the top corner from a free-kick – but it’s not going to count! The offside flag is raised to cancel out a beautiful effort from the Spurs defender.

90’+5 – TOTTENHAM 1-3 CHELSEA (NICOLAS JACKSON): That will do it! On the counter-attack, Gallagher is released and he squares it for Jackson who won’t miss from there.

90’+ 8 – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-4 CHELSEA (NICOLAS JACKSON): Jackson completes his hat-trick to put the gloss on it for Chelsea! The striker runs onto a Palmer ball over the top and finishes with aplomb.