- Premier League round-up: Tottenham lose to Chelsea and draw
- 2023-01-02 20:08:23.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Author: Zhang Wei
Tottenham and Chelsea, the top two in London who played in the 18th round of the Premier League on the 1st, failed to win. Chelsea drew 1:1 away with Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham lost 0:2 at home to Aston Villa.
Chelsea scored the first goal once morest the “promoted horse” in the relegation zone that day, and England striker Sterling scored from close range in the 16th minute. However, Nottingham Forest, which is obviously at a disadvantage in possession of the ball, is more threatening on the offensive end, forcing Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa to save in front of the goal many times.
After changing sides, Chelsea did not have a single shot to hit the goal frame. The home team, which had been tirelessly launching a counterattack, finally made gains in the 63rd minute. Aurier took advantage of a corner kick and volleyed from a small angle in front of the goal.
Chelsea, who have played 16 games, currently ranks eighth with 25 points, 7 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United. Their next round will host Manchester City, the defending champions. Manchester City was tied 1:1 at home by Everton the day before, and currently has 36 points, and the points gap with the “leader” Arsenal has widened to 7 points.
Tottenham’s performance that day was even more unsatisfactory, with only 6 shots in the audience, 2 of which were on target. In the 50th minute, the French national goalkeeper saved Louis’s long-range shot, and Villa organized a second attack in the penalty area, followed by a hit by Buendia. In the 73rd minute, Louis broke the goal following Villa intercepted the ball in midfield, and the score was fixed at 2:0.
Tottenham have lost four times in the last 7 Premier League games, falling out of the top four, and are still 2 points behind Manchester United in the case of one more game. However, Tottenham coach Conte insisted that the team’s performance that day was not bad. “Football is so weird if you ask me. We dominated the game in the first half and didn’t create chances, but that was because it was a team with 11 players defending. …We started the same way in the second half, only unfortunately conceded a goal. That goal changed the situation and the mentality of the players.”
Tottenham will face Crystal Palace away in the next round.
