LONDON (Reuters) – Chelsea’s 4-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur marked a crucial turning point in their season. However, the return of Mauricio Pochettino to his former club became a sideshow on a chaotic Monday night in north London.
The focus before the game was on Pochettino’s return to the touchline at the club where he transformed them from mediocrity to Premier League title contenders and Champions League finalists during his five-year tenure, before being sacked in 2019.
Tottenham, who could have claimed the top spot in the league with a win, initially seemed determined to ruin the night for Pochettino as they dominated the early stages and took the lead after just six minutes. However, they swiftly unraveled, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie both receiving red cards.
Even with a numerical advantage, Chelsea struggled to capitalize and only took the lead in the 75th minute. However, Nicolas Jackson’s hat-trick ultimately provided Pochettino with a crucial victory, following a disappointing start to his time at Stamford Bridge.
“It feels much better to come back after four years and greet everyone. It’s a gift for us,” Pochettino told reporters. “It’s very emotional, but also brings back memories.”
However, Pochettino was not the main focus of the headlines. The Daily Mail described the derby as “carnage,” with five disallowed goals, numerous VAR reviews, injuries, and on-pitch altercations. The Sun referred to it as “VAR-nage.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou found it nearly impossible to analyze what happened in the 90 minutes plus 21 minutes of injury time.
However, Pochettino had a clearer perspective on the game. “We had a terrible start, but we remained calm and forced them to make a mistake,” he said.
Postecoglou expressed concerns that VAR checks were undermining the authority of referees. In contrast, Pochettino, once a vocal critic of VAR, felt that the system worked during the match and believed all decisions were fair.
“This is the kind of football we wanted, with technology playing a role. I initially opposed VAR, but now I support it. We need to find the best way to utilize it,” he stated.
“Today, we played for 110 minutes. I’m not even sure if it was still 1 a.m. We embraced the introduction of technology. Many coaches were in favor of VAR, but when it goes against you, it’s a disgrace. Achieving the right balance is extremely challenging. We all need to work together to improve this situation,” Pochettino concluded.
Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christopher Cushing
