CHELSEA fell to a late defeat to ten-man Tottenham in Australia.
stole an after a feisty London derby Down Under.
Chelsea lost to Tottenham in pre-season Credit: Reuters
The Blues came up short in Australia Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
‘s first Tottenham goal gave Spurs the lead before teenager levelled for .
After a bright start by Chelsea, it was Spurs who took the lead.
Dario Essugo was robbed of the ball before set off down the right, cutting back for Tonali whose strike from the edge of the box deflected off and in.
Chelsea had lacked any real danger to that point but some fine work from allowed them to open up Spurs.
found space down the left, cut in and lifted a deflected cross to the far post where Estevao headed in.
, just three minutes after coming off the bench, Estevao saw a powerful strike wonderfully tipped onto the bar by Antonin Kinsky.
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Alonso wanting more
Expectations are on the rise at both Chelsea and Tottenham, but the new Blues boss was certainly the more agitated out of the two on the touchline.
Xabi Alonso was animated on the touchline Credit: Getty
Not, perhaps, what you would expect given it was he was stood alongside the usually calm Spaniard.
was visibly annoyed during the first half, with Spurs the far more dominant side on the ball and the Blues struggling to get a hold on the game.
He also lost his cool early in the second half when Gittens was found in space but could not hold up the ball.
Despite having played the same number of pre-season games as Tottenham before this clash at Sydney’s Olympic Park, the Blues looked off the pace for the first 45 minutes.
Control and chances increased after Danso’s early red card, but they could not find a way though to find a winner.
The level will of course raise when new additions, such as , and those returning from the World Cup are available.
But it was clear to see that, while De Zerbi is himself relatively new, Tottenham have spent far more time working with their coach.
Caicedo needed
Alonso quipped this week that when he saw arrive to join training in Australia that he had “missed his midfielders.”
The international, who was given an extended break after the World Cup but took part in his first session on Thursday, is a level above anything Chelsea have in midfield.
Lavia, who missed the earlier friendly against Western Sydney Wanderers with a hamstring issue, looked smart for the first half.
However, while both sides had ten outfielders on the pitch it was Tottenham who had the firm grip on midfield.
Moises Caicedo was missed Credit: Getty
Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo struggled on a poor pitch Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
That was partly achieved by some rough challenges from Tonali and ex-Blue , but largely De Zerbi’s side were sharper in possession and quicker to loose balls.
Caicedo’s presence would, of course, change that and you would only back him to hit new heights under Alonso.
With Enzo Fernandez’s future up in the air and Lavia’s fitness impossible to trust, it feels Chelsea may need another addition in the middle before the window is out – .
Summer rest boosts Brazilians
Both and Estevao would have been devastated to have spent the summer with their feet up.
Pedro was a shock snub from ‘s squad, while Estevao suffered a terribly timed hamstring injury at the end of last season.
However, their time off has clearly benefited Chelsea.
Joao Pedro proved a point over Liam Delap again Credit: Getty
Fellow Brazilian Estevao Willian also impressed after getting a rest over the summer Credit: Getty
A fit and firing Estevao, who scored Chelsea’s only goal here and was denied a second by a stunning Kinsky stop, can be a game changer on any stage.
While Chelsea are being careful as they look to bring such a young player back to full fitness, he has looked in fine fettle across the two Australian friendlies.
Pedro, who was the subject of more than one tasty tackle, also looked sharp, though he could not replicate his nine-minute hat-trick from midweek.
Battle of the Bridge on tour
These two have never liked one another too much and for some time it looked like we were getting a re-run of the 2016 clash which handed the Premier League title, just on the other side of the world.
It took just ten minutes for Chelsea academy graduate Gallagher to be pushing and shoving with Blues players after a tough tackle on Dario Essugo.
The big challenges continued to flow, with Colwill and tussling too, while Tonali was giving compatriot Marco Palestra a rough time when he got the chance.
Certainly not your usual pre-season friendly and all the better for it.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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