Tottenham missed the chance to go fourth in the Premier League table on Sunday, slumping to a 2-0 home defeat against a restless Chelsea side. Spurs fell behind cheaply when Serge Aurier gave the impressive Willian far too much space to skip inside and bend a lovely curling effort beyond a helpless Paulo Gazzaniga, while a moment of madness from the latter allowed the same player to strike again from the penalty spot.
The hosts improved early in the second half, but any hopes of a comeback were abruptly extinguished following Son Heung-Min's dismissal for a naive kick aimed at Antonio Rudiger, and Chelsea held on to go six points clear of their opponents.
Positives
There was little for Spurs to be positive about in this one, but Mourinho may find some comfort in knowing a single win could still propel his side back up to fifth. On the pitch, a solid display from Davinson Sanchez provided some resistance against an unrelenting Chelsea attack.
Negatives
Spurs failed to match Chelsea's energy levels and were guilty of some lethargic closing-down in a poor opening 45 minutes that saw them totally outplayed. The home side struggled to string a sequence of passes together, failed to register a single shot on target in the first half and missed the chance to leapfrog their opponents into fourth.
Manager rating out of 10
Jose Mourinho, 6 -- The Spurs boss named the same starting XI that tamed Wolves last weekend, but his side struggled to keep the Blues at arm's length and they took far more punches than they managed to throw in a heavily one-sided encounter.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Paulo Gazzaniga, 4 -- The Spurs keeper conceded the most bizarre penalty you'll see all season with a wild swing and miss that saw him flatten Marcos Alonso and allow Willian to put the game beyond reach.
DF Serge Aurier, 5 -- Struggled to cope with relentless Chelsea pressure down the left and was guilty of giving Willian far too much time and space to cut into the area and curl a delightful finish into the bottom corner. Produced a mouth-watering flick over the head of Alonso, but Lucas Moura couldn't quite craft a return pass into space.
DF Davinson Sanchez, 7 -- Made some important contributions in physical display at the back and provided Aurier with some vital protection against a Chelsea bombardment down the left. Made things difficult for Tammy Abraham from Willian's cross and did enough to put the prolific striker off and deflect his glancing header behind for a corner.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 6 -- The Belgian international displayed excellent positioning to get tight to Abraham in the early stages, forcing him to fire comfortably wide of Gazzaniga's near-post. Was booked for a seemingly deliberate handball after Abraham had pinched possession as Tottenham's discipline went out of the window.
DF Jan Vertonghen, 5 -- Provided excellent cover for Alderweireld with some instinctive centre-half play to snuff out the danger as Mason Mount kept looking to creep in behind. Won a battle of brawn with Cesar Azpilicueta when he hit the Chelsea man like a wrecking ball, but was then shrugged off the ball by Mount, of all people.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 6 -- Created his sides best opening in when he burst past his marker and produced a perfect cut-back to Harry Kane, but his teammate's finish was poor. The Frenchman was fortunate to escape a red card for a late challenge on Kepa Arrizabalaga that left the goalkeeper in some discomfort.
MF Eric Dier, 6 -- The defensive midfielder put in another decent shift as he looked to turn the screw in the middle of the park and provide his side with a vital out at the back, but Spurs formation wasn't working and he was sacrificed in place of Christian Eriksen at half-time.
MF Lucas Moura, 4 -- Forget quiet. It was an almost silent performance from the Brazil forward, who failed to create anything and was subsequently replaced by Tanguy Ndombele in the 74th minute. Admittedly Spurs were on the back foot for the majority of this one, but when they did get possession, the winger's link-up play was non-existent.
MF Dele Alli, 5 -- Struggled to take provide his usual attacking value in a first-half where he was forced to take on a deeper role and handle his defensive duties during spells of Chelsea domination. Picked up a cheap booking for his part in a fiery, off the ball exchange with Mateo Kovacic after trying to piggyback the Chelsea man.
MF Son Heung-min, 4 -- So often the man who makes Spurs tick, the South Korea international could only wildly shin Kane's fizzed, low cross over the bar as the game approached the half-hour mark, although the angle was tight. Sealed his side's fate when he was shown a straight red card for a petulant kick at Rudiger following a lengthy VAR review.
FW, Harry Kane, 6 -- A quiet display from Captain Kane. I'm not sure if the Spurs skipper touched the ball in the opening 15 minutes, as Spurs were effectively pinned inside their own half. The England centre-forward had to wait until the 28th minute for his first sight of goal, but he wastefully fired over from close-range following Sissoko's excellent cut-back.
Substitutes
DF Danny Rose, N/R -- Replaced Vertonghen in the 74th minute. The game was more or less done by the time he was introduced, but he was caused a few problems by Willian's vision and the pace of the Chelsea frontline.
MF Tanguy Ndombele, N/R -- Replaced the uninspired Moura in the 74th minute, but his arrival didn't really have an impact during a dismal afternoon for his side.
MF Christian Eriksen, 6 -- Replaced Dier at half-time as Mourinho recognised his side's desperate need to add more attacking intensity to their game. Spurs shown signs of improvement early in the second half following his introduction, but he produced little of note and Son's dismissal swung momentum back Chelsea's way.