"It is too much risk" - Pochettino admits one Chelsea player lost 'focus' during 4-1 win at Tottenham
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted he substituted Levi Colwill at half-time during his side's 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur because the 20-year-old had lost focus.
The Blues secured an important 4-1 win against 9-man Tottenham away from home last night (Monday, November 6). However, the scoreline did little to reflect the game.
Spurs took a deserved lead in the sixth minute through Dejan Kulusevski. Both Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were fortunate not to be sent-off soon after due to a pair of reckless challenges.
Son Heung-min and Raheem Sterling had goals chalked off due to an offside and handball respectively. Moises Caicedo scored a brilliant goal from distance in the 27th minute but Nicolas Jackson was deemed to be offside, blocking Vicario's view.
Fortunately for Chelsea, at the same time, Romero caught Enzo Fernandez with a poor studs-up challenge in the box. After a VAR check, the Spurs centre-back was given a straight red card, conceding a penalty in the process.
Cole Palmer made no mistake from the spot in the 35th minute to give the Blues the lead. Tensions continued to flare between both teams going into stoppage time, resulting in Levi Colwill getting into a confrontation with Pape Matar Sarr.
Both players were booked for their scuffle, but Pochettino took no chances at half-time, subbing Colwill off for Marc Cucurella. He explained why to Sky Sports after the game, saying (via The Chelsea Chronicle):
"Yes because I think after the yellow card he lose a little bit his focus and it is too much risk. Marc [Cucurella] is doing well also so I thought not to take a risk."
Udogie was sent off in the 55th minute after another reckless challenge. The Blues went on to secure all three points with Jackson registering a late hat-trick to send his side to 10th in the Premier League table with 15 points from 11 games.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea: Exploring the stats from heated London derby
Tensions and controversy were at an all-time high as Chelsea rallied together to secure a 4-1 win against nine-man Tottenham on Monday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
As expected, the Blues dominated possession with 62 percent of the ball. They also completed a total of 502 passes with an accuracy of 86 percent. In contrast, Tottenham had 38 percent possession and registered 317 passes with an accuracy of 79 percent.
Mauricio Pochettino and Co. looked more threatening in attack as well, having a total of 17 shots, landing eight on target. On the other hand, Spurs put in a commendable effort, landing a total of eight shots with five being on target.
A total of 33 fouls occurred during the game with five Chelsea players and one Tottenham star being given a yellow card. The two red cards were given to Romero and Udogie.