Тоттенхем – Челсі: Дика поїздка – рейтинг 10 найкращих хаотичних моментів

Обидві точки зору мають свої переваги, але уявіть собі ось що: якби Жозе Моурінью спостерігав за цією сутичкою між своїми колишніми командами, він, ймовірно, несхвально хитав би головою, бурчав би своїй незацікавленій родині та бурмотів щось про хокейний рахунок. Якщо ви випадково поділяєте його почуття, цілком справедливо.

For the rest of us, it was the classic game that had everything, as the old cliché goes. Five actual goals. Four disallowed goals. One penalty. Two red cards. 11 yellow cards, including one for a manager who earned plaudits for advocating respect for referees. While there wasn't a full-scale brawl, the number of cards suggests there was no shortage of aggression.

Now, let's dive into the top 10 mad moments from this unforgettable match.

While it may be a tad overstated to claim that James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are unequivocally Tottenham's two best players – after all, the likes of Yves Bissouma, Destiny Udogie, and Son Heung-min have certainly left their mark – there's no denying that these two have played pivotal roles in the team's transformation this season. Maddison, a brilliant playmaker, has been instrumental in creating scoring opportunities, effectively filling the void left by Harry Kane. On the other hand, Van de Ven, a swift left-sided center-back, has bolstered their defense, allowing them to be as formidable at the back as they are going forward.

Тоттенхем показав блиск на полі, але удача також посміхнулася йому. Але, схоже, доля мала жорстоке почуття гумору і вирішила їх випробувати. В один доленосний момент і Меддісон, і Ван де Вен отримали травми, що змусило їх замінити в компенсований час першого тайму.

О, хлопче, це було так близько. Ерік Даєр, який був поза кадром протягом тривалого часу, нарешті отримав свої перші змагальні хвилини під керівництвом Анже Постекоглу. Його повернення мало не перетворилося на казковий момент. Дієр, який був близький до того, щоб піти влітку, опинився на задній штанзі та елегантно пробив збоку у верхній кут. Однак його радість була недовгою, оскільки незначне рішення в офсайді позбавило його вражаючого голу.

It's worth taking a moment to reflect on Romero, who had maintained a record of never failing to accumulate double-digit bookings in previous seasons. However, this season, he had largely managed to keep his disciplinary record clean. Until now.

Perhaps the intensity of the match got the better of him, causing a momentary lapse in judgment. He had a close call about 10 minutes prior when he kicked Levi Colwill, an incident that could have warranted a red card. While he vehemently protested the referee's decision this time, simply winning the ball is no longer sufficient. Or, at the very least, it's insufficient if you follow it up by sending your studs through an opponent's leg as if it were a cheese wire slicing through warm Swiss cheese.

Тим не менш, його опонент, Енцо Фернандес, продовжував боротьбу, залишаючи нам цікаво, чи зроблені його гомілки з кевлару.

Within a mere quarter of an hour, Chelsea's fate seemed to teeter on the edge as they saw not one, not two, but three goals disallowed. The action began with Moises Caicedo's expertly skimmed finish, but it was wedged between a pair of Raheem Sterling strikes, both of which were frustratingly chalked off. The first was due to one of those handball decisions that required VAR to deliberate, leaving a lingering sense of harshness. The second, in contrast, was ruled out for a more straightforward offside.

Щоб не залишитися позаду, Тоттенхем також скасував два власні голи. У цей момент наші спільні голови почали крутитися, і здавалося, ніби вони можуть просто відірватися від наших тіл у цілковитій недовірі.

The question ‘how much is Udogie in the window?' when January comes around might have a slightly different answer now, especially if the decision-makers consider deducting value due to a player's head-scratching choices that lead to slow-motion disasters.

Так само, як і Ромеро, Удогі мав момент у першому таймі, який легко міг призвести до червоної картки, але ви могли б пояснити це наснагою 20-річного юнака в запалі змагальної гри.

However, with a yellow card already to his name, the Italian's decision to lunge at Sterling and bring him down felt like an 18-wheeler truck slowly careening out of control: it was a disaster you could see coming from miles away, and you wished desperately to prevent it, but there was nothing you could do.

In fact, it's worth examining the emotional rollercoaster that Udogie experienced while making that fateful tackle.

Was Tottenham's famous high defensive line a daring display of self-sabotage and youthful naivety, or a symbol of their unwavering commitment to their style, much like Postecoglou's love for the word “mate” in every sentence?

In the eyes of this tactical expert, it might as well have been worth a shot. The alternative would have been to sit back and let Chelsea relentlessly pummel them into submission. With the prospect of facing over 40 minutes with nine players, including a makeshift central defense pairing of a midfielder and someone who hadn't played competitive football since May, Tottenham's audacious high line seemed like a gamble worth taking.

Sure, one could argue that this tactic led to conceding three goals, but it's equally valid to point out that they came perilously close to scoring three themselves, a feat they likely wouldn't have achieved had they simply hunkered down and parked the bus in front of their penalty area.

І, що найголовніше, було неймовірно цікаво – смішно спостерігати за їхньою юнацькою недосвідченістю, і, мабуть, ще веселіше спостерігати, як Челсі неодноразово стає жертвою офсайду, подібно до того, як герой мультфільму малює фальшивий вхід у тунель на схилі скелі, тільки для того, щоб їх супротивник стикався з ним знову і знову.

How can you not revel in this image? Seven of Tottenham's players squeezed into a two-yard space, defying conventional wisdom with their high-risk, high-reward approach.

Для будь-якого відданого вболівальника «Тоттенхема», який вирішив подрімати відразу після 20:00, а потім прокинувся через 40 з гаком хвилин, сцена, що розгорнулася на полі, була б просто шокуючою. Це було схоже на скорочену версію фільму «До побачення, Ленін», де переконана комуністка впадає в кому перед падінням Берлінської стіни, лише щоб прокинутися у світі, перетвореному капіталізмом, вимагаючи, щоб її сім’я захищала її від шокуючі зміни.

The mere sight of Eric Dier's presence in the lineup would have raised eyebrows, but the real jaw-dropper came when they saw him partnered with Royal, a full-back who, to put it generously, might be described as “erratic.” One can only hope that there were no Spurs fans of delicate dispositions who tuned in to witness this unexpected defensive pairing, for it would have been nothing short of astonishing.

Це може здатися майже неможливим, але на 61-й хвилині «Тоттенхем» опинився у стані майже невпізнання. З двома гравцями, які отримали червоні картки та п’ятьма замінами, вони закінчили матч лише з трьома польовими гравцями, які почали його. Швидкий розвиток подій того дня був не менш ніж вражаючим.

After netting his third goal, Nicolas Jackson celebrated with unbridled enthusiasm, and rightfully so. It was a Premier League hat-trick, a feat that would be proudly shared with anyone visiting his home, where the match ball would surely rest on one of those peculiar little plinths. Yet, for those who recall the clip of Michael Owen playfully mocking a young goalkeeper and subsequently being schooled by Neville Southall, who remarked, “Well done, he's only 13,” the whole situation may have seemed oddly familiar.

Знімаю капелюха перед Джексоном за його видатне досягнення, але вид, як він вигулькує з поля не лише з матч-м’ячем, а й із заслуженою нагородою кращого гравця матчу, незважаючи на очевидну 75-хвилинну екзистенціальну кризу перед його Перший гол влаштував досить незвичне видовище. Проте в контексті дивної, дикої та незабутньої футбольної гри він ідеально пасував.

In the 27th minute of this match, you witnessed a flurry of events that could easily overshadow entire matches in this season's football spectacle.

First, Raheem Sterling tumbled to the ground under a somewhat ambiguous challenge, and with a more trigger-happy referee, the whistle might have blown, even though it wasn't a foul. Then, the chaos continued as Romero mishandled the ball in the penalty area and resorted to a desperate clearance, but much like Paul Gascoigne in the 1991 FA Cup final, his boot continued straight through Fernandez's shins, earning him a red card.

As the ball found its way to Caicedo, he engaged in a peculiar blend of football and croquet, using Jackson's legs as the hoop, and elegantly skimming it into the bottom corner. But hold on! Jackson's buttocks were in an offside position. The slender Senegal striker, no Eden Hazard, may have wished for a few more squats in that moment.

The goal was disallowed, yet a penalty was awarded for Romero's foul. Cole Palmer stepped up and slotted it in off the post. The net finally rippled about eight minutes and 20 seconds after the initial incident, during which time the officials had their hands full with VAR. This sequence of events demonstrated that football, even in its most chaotic moments, can be both thrilling and, at times, a touch tedious.