Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: Nicolas Jackson hat-trick sees off nine-man Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of returning to the top of the Premier League were dashed in spectacular fashion on Monday, when they were defeated 4-1 at home by Chelsea, thanks to a Nicolas Jackson hat-trick in a chaotic London derby that they finished with nine men.
Mauricio Pochettino's triumphant return to Spurs yielded the biggest win of his brief Chelsea tenure, though few could have predicted how it would be accomplished on a night of mind-boggling VAR decisions, fraying tempers, and disallowed goals.
Tottenham were having their best start to a Premier League season since 1960, with Postecoglou becoming the first manager to go unbeaten in his first ten games.
The stadium was rocking 6 minutes in when Pape Matar Sarr fed Kulusevski and the Swede's shot deflected off Levi Colwill to wrongfoot Sanchez and roll into the net.
Chelsea were initially chasing shadows and breathed a sigh of relief when Son's effort was ruled out for offside but then Tottenham's world began to crumble around them.
The spark was Romero's petulant kick on Colwill, which went unpunished in the build-up to Raheem Sterling's goal, which was disallowed for handball after another VAR check.
Chelsea had the ball in the net minutes later when Moises Caicedo drilled a low shot inside the post after a frantic scramble, but it was ruled out for offside.
However, the VAR check ended with referee Michael Oliver viewing a pitch-side monitor and awarding a penalty before red carding Romero for a wild tackle on Argentina teammate Enzo Fernandez in the build-up.
Despite the best efforts of Spurs' outstanding keeper Guglielmo Vicario, Cole Palmer stepped up after seven minutes of perplexing confusion to squeeze his penalty in off the post.
Tottenham's woes worsened when Maddison rolled his ankle and was unable to continue before Van de Ven's hamstring gave way.
With four of their starting lineup no longer on the field, Spurs made it through 12 minutes of first-half stoppage time, but the wind had completely blown out of their sails.
Destiny Udogie received a second yellow card 10 minutes after the break, leaving the hosts desperately clinging to a point.
Chelsea eventually made their numerical advantage count when Jackson scored from close range in the 75th minute, despite yet another VAR check for offside.
Tottenham had an equalizer ruled out for offside, and Son saw an effort saved in stoppage time by Robert Sanchez before Jackson sealed it with two added-time goals in front of the ecstatic Chelsea fans.
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur team is in second place with 26 points from 11 games, one behind champions Manchester City. Chelsea's fourth victory of the season moved them into tenth place with 15 points.
SportsLigue