It’s only the second match of our preparations for the 2026-27 season. But it also being a derby versus Tottenham Hotspur, this clearly had higher stakes than usual for both sides.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso chose to go forward with the strongest lineup he could muster, and it made a difference from kick-off. The Blues had the lion’s share of possession and also of attacking forays whereas Tottenham were happy to resort to fouling akin to a full-on Premier League match. So much so that former Chelsea midfielder
Conor Gallagher got a yellow card on a foul that could have been a red instead, only 10 minutes into the match.
Still the ball punishes. While the Blues were the better side so far, you can’t afford not generating any shots from so many advances into the opposition’s defensive third. Duly so Spurs scored on their first real attack and shot on goal, with a very unlucky deflection helping Sandro Tonali’s long range effort beat Teddy Sharman-Lowe for the opening goal.
We couldn’t let them have it. Estêvão, with a headed effort from Jamie Gittens’ cross at the far post, found us the equaliser less than five minutes after Tonali’s goal.
The Blues were the best side in the remainder of the first half. They weren’t able to capitalise on it.
Heading into the first half with only one sub on our side, we had a true Spursy moment with Kevin Danso getting a red card from a DOGSO on João Pedro. This however wouldn’t really improve our shot-taking qualities as Estêvão and then Levi Colwill missed point-blank shots at goal to get us ahead of savedright after the event.
As the barrage of substitutions took place balance of play didn’t change. It did look increasingly likely that we’d head into a draw in regular time.
Spurs and our defence had a different plan. In the last minute of the game, Richarlison got the win over the Blues for his club and saved us from a meaningless penalty dispute.
Good for them, I guess.
- Estêvão, Cole Palmer and João Pedro starting.
- Pitch has gotten worse. The match marathon from this tour surely doesn’t help its recovery.
- Looks like a three-man defence with Jorrel Hato joining Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill while Marco Palestra pushes forward on the right flank.
- While Romeo Lavia got himself in trouble in the beginning of Estêvão’s equaliser, this kind of press-beating dribbling is also what he does best.
- Playing versus 10 in a friendly is not ideal but the rules of the game are still the rules of the game here.
- Next up: Juventus at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.
- KTBFFH.
