5/10 Tottenham dud may have just cost Postecoglou his job

Tottenham Hotspur fell to their seventh Premier League defeat in 15 matches this afternoon, losing 4-3 to Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side in North London.

Ange Postecoglou’s side got off to a dream start after goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski put them two goals ahead with just ten minutes on the clock.

However, in a game very similar to that of the loss at Brighton earlier in the campaign, Spurs would fail to hold on after an impressive start, with three goals in the second half securing the win for the visitors.

It almost felt inevitable that Ange’s side would lose after the equaliser, demonstrating very little fight to hold on to their early advantage – resulting in their latest defeat.

Numerous players failed to impress at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, undoubtedly contributing to the pressure now placed on the manager after a third league defeat in five matches.

Spurs’ disappointing performers against Chelsea

Midfielder Yves Bissouma started his eighth league outing of the season but failed to impress for the Lilywhites, often being dominated in the middle of the park and making numerous mistakes in the process.

The Malian featured for 79 minutes, losing five duels during his display, also giving the first penalty away, with his rash challenge on Moises Caicedo penalised by referee Anthony Taylor.

Bissouma also only managed 31 touches – an average of one every two and a half minutes – highlighting the lack of positive impact he made on the clash.

Left-back Destiny Udogie has been a reliable player for Ange in recent times, but his lack of form reared its head once again this afternoon, struggling to contain Pedro Neto throughout.

The 22-year-old Italian failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles, committing three fouls and winning just 50% of duels during his 90-minute display.

However, despite the lack of impact by the aforementioned duo, one other first-team member had an outing to forget, failing to take advantage of his start in North London.

The Spurs star who may have cost Postecoglou his job

Midfielder Pape Matar Sarr has often had to hide his time for regular starts under Postecoglou, with other options often preferred to the former Metz talent.

However, in recent weeks, the Aussie has demonstrated some trust in the 22-year-old, starting him in each of the last six league outings at the heart of the midfield.

Whilst he’s previously taken advantage of the trust shown in him, Sarr was unable to do such a thing against the Blues, somehow featuring for the entirety of the contest despite his lack of impact.

He lost 12 duels during the loss, the most of any player on the pitch, losing possession nine times and just looking sluggish and off the pace throughout, leading to writer Graeme Kelly dubbing the youngster as “pathetic”.

Sarr, like teammate Bissouma, would concede a penalty, needlessly going through the back of Cole Palmer, before the Englishman stepped up to panenka his effort past Fraser Forster.

The midfielder was also unable to make any key passes and failed to complete any crosses or dribbles – in an all-round performance to forget for the youngster.

As a result, he was handed a 5/10 match rating by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, further highlighting how disappointing he was throughout the defeat.

Ange will be a man under pressure in the coming days, with Sarr doing his boss no favours in keeping his job with his below-par display in North London earlier today.

The midfielder will be lucky to keep his place in the side when Spurs travel to face Rangers in a crunch Europa League clash at Ibrox on Thursday night.