LONDON: Chelsea ended nine-man Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season as Nicolas Jackson’s hat-trick inspired a 4-1 win in a chaotic clash filled with VAR drama on Monday.
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino was able to savour a sweet victory over Tottenham on his first return to the club since his sacking in 2019.
But the Argentine’s revenge mission was overshadowed by an incredible litany of controversial incidents including red cards for Tottenham duo Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie.
Dejan Kulusevski had given Tottenham an early lead, but Romero was dismissed for a foul that led to Cole Palmer’s equalizer from the penalty spot before half-time.
Referee Michael Oliver and the over-worked VAR officials sent off Udogie soon after the break for his second booking.
Both teams had goals disallowed by VAR, while Tottenham’s misfortune also included losing England playmaker James Maddison and Dutch defender Micky van de Ven to first-half injuries.
Chelsea finally made the most of their numerical advantage when Senegal striker Jackson netted three times in the closing stages to hand Tottenham their first defeat in 11 league games.
Ange Postecoglou’s team remain in second place, one point behind leaders Manchester City, while Chelsea moved up to 10th place after their first win in three league games.
“There will be a forensic study of every decision out there, I think that is the way the game is going and I don’t like it,” Postecoglou said.
“If you look at all that standing around we did today, maybe people enjoy that sort of thing but I’d rather see us playing football.”
Pochettino was given a largely warm reception by Tottenham fans in recognition of a five-year reign that included taking them to their maiden Champions League final.
But there could be no doubting his pleasure at inflicting a first league defeat on his former employers this term, especially given the extraordinary circumstances of one of the Premier League’s most incendiary matches.
“The technology is there and we need to accept. Many things happen on the pitch and you need to verify and check,” Pochettino said.
“We deserve the credit. Tottenham are doing fantastic but tonight we were the better team.”
Tottenham had made the perfect start in the sixth minute when Kulusevski unleashed a powerful shot that deflected in off Levi Colwill.
Tottenham were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men when Udogie was only booked after VAR looked at his reckless two-footed lunge on Raheem Sterling.
Sterling and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min both had goals disallowed by VAR for handball and offside respectively.
An already heated encounter approached boiling point after Romero escaped a red card for kicking out at Colwill.
It was a short-lived reprieve for Romero as the Tottenham defender saw red in the 33rd minute.
When Moises Caicedo’s blast from the edge of the area beat Guglielmo Vicario, VAR ruled Jackson was offside but still came to Chelsea’s aid.
As the VAR check went on, Romero’s challenge on Enzo Fernandez just before Caicedo’s shot was adjudged to be a penalty, with the defender dismissed for his studs-up follow-through on the Chelsea midfielder’s shin.
Palmer’s spot-kick was almost saved by Vicario but it had enough power to elude his grasp as it went in via the post.
Udogie had flirted with a red card earlier in the game and he finally got his marching orders in the 55th minute for a crude lunge on Sterling.
That set the stage for a Chelsea seige as Spurs played a high defensive line, allowing the visitors to get behind them.
Chelsea landed the knockout blow in the 75th minute when Sterling raced away down the right and his cross was slotted home by Jackson from 10 yards.
Even then, Tottenham commendably kept fighting and Eric Dier was denied by a VAR-ruled offside before Rodrigo Bentancur headed inches wide and Sanchez saved from Son.
The carnage climaxed in stoppage-time when Jackson fired home from Conor Gallagher’s cross, then ran clear to condemn Tottenham to a rare defeat.
Jackson treble fires Chelsea to chaotic victory over nine-man Spurs
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Jackson treble fires Chelsea to chaotic victory over nine-man Spurs
- The carnage climaxed in stoppage-time when Jackson fired home from Conor Gallagher’s cross, then ran clear to condemn Tottenham to a rare defeat
Barcelona win record 16th Spanish Super Cup title after end-to-end El Clasico in Jeddah
- 60,326 fans witness thrilling El Clasico final at Al-Inma Stadium
- 3 goals in first-half stoppage time mark Saudi Arabia encounter
JEDDAH: To describe the latest edition of El Clasico in Jeddah as a night to remember would be a severe understatement.
Barcelona extended their record at the top of the Spanish Super Cup honors table, claiming a 16th title with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in another unforgettable chapter of football in Saudi Arabia.
The night began with a striking opening ceremony, featuring a light show and holographic projections across the sky. “From Jeddah, We Celebrate You,” read one message, as fans illuminated Al-Inma Stadium in shades of blue, red and white.
Despite the scoreline, the opening half hour was relatively subdued. Barcelona held nearly 80 percent of the ball, but clear chances were limited. A “Messi” chant by Barcelona fans in the 10th minute was one of the few moments to break the tension.
It was a Raphinha miss that ended up igniting the proceedings. Lamine Yamal threaded a curling through-ball in the 34th minute that found the Brazilian one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois, only for his effort to be dragged wide of the post.
Only seconds later did Barcelona capitalize. Fermin Lopez’s press won the ball back in Real Madrid’s half, laying it off to Raphinha, who took a few touches before striking past Courtois through Aurelien Tchouameni’s legs to open the scoring.
Few expected an immediate response, but Vinicius Jr. delivered one. Collecting the ball on the edge of Barcelona’s half, the Brazilian carried it over 60 meters toward goal before evading Jules Kounde and Pau Cubarsi to finish past Joan Garcia in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
Barcelona struck back instantly. Pedri, spotting Robert Lewandowski’s movement between the Real Madrid center-backs, laid off a through-ball to release him with perfect timing as the Polish striker delicately lobbed it past Courtois to restore the Blaugrana’s lead.
The frantic first half, however, did not end there. In the final moments of stoppage time, Rodrygo’s corner was met by Dean Huijsen, whose header crashed off the crossbar. Amid the scramble for the rebound, Gonzalo Garcia reacted quickest to fire in the goal and bring Los Merengues back on level terms.
The second half unfolded at a more controlled pace, with both sides mindful of the spaces left exposed earlier. Vinicius remained Real Madrid’s most dangerous outlet — cutting in from the left on multiple occasions — while Yamal and Raphinha continued to torment the opposition in the channels.
The most anticipated player of the night was yet to enter the pitch. As Kylian Mbappe took to the sidelines to warm up, the crowd roared its appreciation.
The din did not die down, as a controversial tackle by Raul Asencio on Pedri on the counter right after, led to a loud response from fans and players, before the referee settled on a yellow.
Despite four goals scored, the goalkeepers dominated the proceedings, with Courtois and Garcia combining for 11 saves on the night.
Ultimately, one of them was beaten. As Raphinha aimed for a shot outside the box in the 73rd minute, he slipped as he struck the ball, only for his shot to deflect off Asencio, wrong-footing Courtois and finding the net for what proved to be the winner.
Xabi Alonso introduced Mbappe soon after, but there was only so much the Frenchman could do with little preparation and less than 15 minutes remaining. Real Madrid pressed late, only to be repeatedly denied by Garcia.
Drama returned in stoppage time when Frenkie de Jong was sent off following a heavy challenge on Mbappe, leaving Barcelona to defend with 10 men. It was now or never for Los Blancos.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, they threw numbers forward, causing confusion following a low cross by Arda Guler, but Alvaro Carreras’ effort went straight to the hands of Garcia.
One final chance followed. Mbappe received the ball from a corner, lifting it toward Asencio on the edge of the 5.5-meter box for a clear header at goal.
Garcia, however, would rise once more to make his seventh and final save of the match, sealing victory for Barcelona and confirming their record-extending 16th Spanish Super Cup title.
