(Football news) Two Fridays ago, the Lilywhites defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 to hold their top spot, and the Blues defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-0 in the middle of the week to advance to the EFL Cup quarterfinals.
When former Tottenham manager Leonardo Pochettino returns to North London on Monday night, Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has cautioned the former manager not to expect a guard of honor. However, if performances continue in this vein, teams may line up to applaud the Australian’s free-flowing troupe come season’s end.
Taking on Roy Hodgson’s defensively sound Crystal Palace under the bright lights of Selhurst Park often proves to be a troublesome occasion for many a team, and Tottenham could not break through the Eagles’ defense for the entirety of the first forty-five minutes. However, an unfortunate own goal by Joel Ward set the momentum, and Son Heung-min extended the Lilywhites’ lead.
Jordan Ayew’s last-gasp volley proved to be little more than a stunning consolation, as Postecoglou accomplished a feat that none of his Premier League managerial predecessors accomplished: winning 26 points from his first 10 games in the competition.
Although Tottenham leads the table by two points at the moment, wins by Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool over the weekend could knock the North London team down to fourth place by Monday. In that scenario, Postecoglou will look to join Frank Clark and Maurizio Sarri as the only Premier League head coach to go through his first 11 games without a loss.
Tottenham will try to put together a five-game winning streak in the Premier League for the first time since December 2018 after scoring twice in each of their four home wins this season and only giving up two goals in the process. It’s no secret who led Spurs on that incredible run.
Pochettino’s exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was undoubtedly bittersweet; Daniel Levy took the decision just months after the Argentine won the runners-up trophy in the Champions League, but everyone in attendance should only be happy to see him return to the Lilywhites.
Though Chelsea’s recent encounters with London rivals have been less than stellar, the Blues were left to lament ninety minutes of carelessness against West London rivals Brentford, who scored twice on the counter through Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo to make it three straight wins at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had also thrown away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with comeback kings Arsenal.
Also read: Nottingham Forest defeat Aston Villa 2-0 in Premier League
