It was wet, windy, and a bit wild at times as Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea hosted Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
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The venue has been a house of horrors for Spurs but the Blues struggled to take advantage of that history.
Alonso will regret his inability to deploy an injured Joao Pedro and then rue the lack of attacking prowess well before Cole Palmer was sent off.
Xabi Alonso reaction to Chelsea’s rain-soaked loss to Tottenham Hotspur
Tough game: “We are all disappointed with the result, the performance. Collectively and individually we were not at our best level. The first goal went their way and with 10 men it went away.”
What went wrong? “Talking about chances that is the main thing. They had few. We had few. We had a good chance with Pedro. We spoke at halftime about being patient and mature because they were good with the ball and we had to not lose shape. 1-0 changed the whole dynamic.”
“When we regained the ball high, we had some chances in the first half, one from Cole. We could’ve been more aggressive in situations. The idea was going high, being more aggressive.”
How much did you miss Joao Pedro? "[Joao] Pedro is important for us but this is what it is. We can’t control that. We changed a little bit and it’s a situation we have to check for the future.”
On Mike Penders’ error for the first Spurs goal: “We feel for everyone. It is a team thing, a collective. We have to move on.”