Football.London

Jamie Carragher has slammed Tottenham after their dramatic second-half collapse against Chelsea on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou's team led the Blues 2-0 after goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski put Spurs in a commanding position. But Jadon Sancho halved the deficit before two Cole Palmer penalties and an Enzo Fernandez strike completed a stunning turnaround.

Son Heung-min added a late consolation, but it was too late for the Lilywhites as Chelsea piled the pressure on Postecoglou. Spurs have now one just once in their last seven games across all competitions.

Former Liverpool centre-back Carragher has heavily criticised Tottenham's performance, starting off with the penalty Yves Bissouma conceded after bringing down Moises Caicedo, something he labelled as "absolutely brain dead.”

"Some of the things Tottenham players do is ridiculous," he said whilst commentating on the game for Sky Sports. "It's a certain penalty. Who'd be a manager?"

And after Pape Sarr barges Palmer to the floor for Chelsea's second penalty, Carragher said: "Of course it's a penalty. You could see it happening.

"I said in the first half how naive this Tottenham team are. It's just not working. The decision-making from some of these players. Academy players wouldn't do that."

Chelsea's victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has moved them up to second in the Premier League table. Enzo Maresca's side are now just four points off league leaders Liverpool, all be it having played a game more after the Merseyside Derby was called off due to Storm Darragh.

Spurs, meanwhile, remain 11th and will look to bounce back away at Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday. Their next Premier League fixture is away at relegation strugglers Southampton next Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou is speaking to the media after Tottenham lost 4-3 to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

Postecoglou was able to call on Cristian Romero, back from a toe injury, and Micky van de Ven from his hamstring injury. James Maddison dropped to the bench with Dejan Kulusevksi stepping back into midfield as Son Heung-min and Pedro Porro returned to the starting line-up.

Dominic Solanke opened the scoring for Tottenham within five minutes. Marc Cucurella slipped on the ball and Brennan Johnson raced away with it down the right flank and Solanke did well to get in front of his man to power the cross home.

Just five minutes later Kulusevski made it 2-0. Cucurella slipped once again. Johnson picked up the ball again and gave it Porro who gave it to Kulusevski and the Swede dribbled inside and struck a terrific low effort inside the right-hand post.

Tottenham lost Romero from the action after just 15 minutes when he was forced off with an injury on his return to the team.

Chelsea grabbed a goal back when Jadon Sancho hit a clinical low finish in off the right-hand post from outside the box. The visitors were then gifted a leveller on the hour mark when Yves Bissouma brought down Moises Caidedo to give away a penalty and reach his fifth yellow card for the season so he will miss the Southampton game. Cole Palmer slotted home the spot kick.

The Blues made it 3-2 when Enzo Fernandez lashed home an effort after Palmer's shot deflected across the box and Palmer netted again from the spot after Pape Matar Sarr brought him down in the final 10 minutes. Son struck one one back, firing low into the net from Maddison's pass in added time but it came too late.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou after game. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Games are coming thick and fast for Tottenham as they face a difficult run of fixtures in the run up to Christmas.

They suffered a 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday evening, despite initially taking the lead. Dominic Solanke opened the scoring early and Dejan Kulusevski made it two shortly after following two errors from Marc Cucurella, but Chelsea fought back courtesy of goals from Jadon Sancho and Cole Palmer.

Enzo Fernandez then put the visitors ahead for the first time in the game with 15 minutes left to play. 10 minutes later, Chelsea were awarded their second penalty of the night and Palmer made no mistake from the spot to extend their advantage and put the result beyond doubt, despite a stoppage time goal from Son Heung-min.

After another dismal defeat for Ange Postecoglou's side, football.london takes a closer look at Spurs' next five games compared to their rivals.

Tottenham's next five fixtures

December 12 vs Rangers (A) at 8pm - Europa League

December 15 vs Southampton (A) at 7pm - Premier League

December 19 vs Manchester United (H) at 8pm - Carabao Cup

December 22 vs Liverpool (H) at 4.30pm - Premier League

December 26 vs Nottingham Forest (A) at 3pm - Premier League

The verdict

The Christmas period is a crucial run of games for Spurs as they sit outside of the top 10 in the Premier League standings with 15 games played. They are three points behind Fulham in 10th, and seven off top four.

Postecoglou's side have two difficult away games against Southampton and Nottingham Forest, as well as a challenging home clash against league leaders Liverpool. The visit of Arne Slot's side is undoubtedly the standout of their next five, not least because it comes just a matter of days after their Carabao Cup tie against Manchester United.

Chelsea's next five fixtures

December 12 vs Astana (A) at 3.30pm - Conference League

December 15 vs Brentford (H) at 7pm - Premier League

December 19 vs Shamrock Rovers (H) at 8pm - Conference League

December 22 vs Everton (A) at 2pm - Premier League

December 26 vs Fulham (H) at 3pm - Premier League

Arsenal's next five fixtures

December 11 vs AS Monaco (H) at 8pm - Champions League

December 14 vs Everton (H) at 3pm - Premier League

December 18 vs Crystal Palace (H) at 7.30pm - Carabao Cup

December 21 vs Crystal Palace (A) at 5.30pm - Premier League

December 27 vs Ipswich Town (H) at 8:15pm - Premier League

Manchester City's next five fixtures

December 11 vs Juventus (A) at 8pm - Champions League

December 15 vs Manchester United (H) at 4.30pm - Premier League

December 21 vs Aston Villa (A) at 12.30pm - Premier League

December 26 vs Everton (H) at 12.30pm - Premier League

December 29 vs Leicester City (A) at 2:30pm - Premier League

Aston Villa's next five fixtures

December 10 vs RB Leipzig (A) at 8pm - Champions League

December 14 vs Nottingham Forest (A) at 5.30pm - Premier League

December 21 vs Manchester City (H) at 12.30pm - Premier League

December 26 vs Newcastle (A) at 3pm - Premier League

December 30 vs Brighton (H) at 7:45pm - Premier League

Newcastle United's next five fixtures

December 14 vs Leicester City (H) at 3pm - Premier League

December 18 vs Brentford (H) at 7.45pm - Carabao Cup

December 21 vs Ipswich Town (A) at 3pm - Premier League

December 26 vs Aston Villa (H) at 3pm - Premier League

December 30 vs Manchester United (A) at 8pm - Premier League

Manchester United's next five fixtures

December 12 vs Viktoria Plzen (A) at 5.45pm - Europa League

December 15 vs Manchester City (A) at 4.30pm - Premier League

December 19 vs Tottenham (A) at 8pm - Carabao Cup

December 21 vs AFC Bournemouth (H) at 2pm - Premier League

December 26 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) at 5:30pm - Premier League

Tottenham let a two-goal lead slip as they fell to a 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday evening. Ange Postecoglou sprung a surprise ahead of kick-off following the return of both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to the starting XI following their respective injuries.

There was also a place in the team for Son Heung-min, with James Maddison dropping down to the bench after having very little impact on the game in Thursday's loss at Bournemouth. Spurs made the best possible start to proceedings as Dominic Solanke opened the scoring after only five minutes from Brennan Johnson's low cross following a Marc Cucurella slip.

Six minutes later and Tottenham were two to the good after another error from the left-back. The Spaniard once again slipped on the wet surface and that allowed Johnson to gain possession leading up to Dejan Kulusevski's low strike.

There was a lot more to come from the eventful start as Romero exited the field injured and Jadon Sancho reduced the deficit with a brilliant effort that gave Fraser Forster no chance. In what was an end-to-end game, Cole Palmer restored parity on the hour mark from the penalty spot after Yves Bissouma's poorly timed challenge on Moises Caicedo.

The west London club were to complete the turnaround on 73 minutes as Enzo Fernandez volleyed home from just inside the box after Palmer's deflected ball had fallen kindly into his path. Palmer was to get another goal to his name in the 84th minute as he scored a Panenka penalty past Forster prior to Son's strike in the dying seconds. Here are five things we spotted in what was a thrilling game in north London:

An unexpected surprise

Romero's return to the Tottenham team to face Chelsea perhaps wasn't that big of a surprise for supporters following Postecoglou's pre-match comments. Speaking at Hotspur Way on Friday morning, the 59-year-old hinted at a potential comeback for the Argentine after admitting that he was due to return to training that day and a decision would be made on Saturday.

However, there was no mention of Van de Ven's fitness in his press conference. Speaking last month, the Spurs boss did reveal that the Dutchman would more than likely return from his hamstring injury in the middle of December.

Amid no whispers about a possible early return for Van de Ven against Chelsea, it was very similar to Rodrigo Bentancur's Tottenham comeback against Bournemouth last December way ahead of schedule when nobody expected it. That came as a huge boost to all connected with the club, with the same happening on Sunday afternoon as Van de Ven's name on the teamsheet gave everyone a much-needed lift going into such an important fixture.

Radu Dragusin's run in the team unfortunately came to an end but it was a no-brainer for Postecoglou with his first-choice centre-back in a position to start. However, the Romanian would be needed 15 minutes after kick-off.

Romero reaction

Romero's comeback would only last a quarter of an hour as he unfortunately had to make way through injury. The ex-Atalanta man appeared to pick up an issue in his own area when performing a backheel early on and it later resulted in him coming off.

After initially looking able to carry on playing following the early injury scare, he never really looked comfortable; Romero went to ground not long after and was in no position to continue. The 26-year-old could be seen laying on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turf and then he put his shirt over his head when he departed the field. He was completely devastated and his reaction said it all.

Cucurella calamity

Cucurella had a huge part to play in Tottenham's opening two goals as they stormed into an early lead in the capital. The Spaniard slipped on the wet turf on both occasions and that allowed Johnson to come away with the ball, with Solanke and Kulusevski in turn going on to find the net.

Quite how Cucurella didn't realise during the warm-up that his boots weren't right for the surface remains to be seen. However, his second costly slip saw him immediately head to the touchline and complain to a member of Enzo Maresca's coaching staff about the boots that he had picked for the game as he changed them.

Big VAR call

Chelsea were perhaps a tad lucky not to be down to 10 men towards the end of the first half. Caicedo caught Pape Matar Sarr on the shin with a late challenge when going for the ball and it looked to be a nasty one.

As we have seen plenty of red cards in the past for similar challenges, it initially appeared that the Ecuadorian would be heading for an early bath with VAR set to get involved. However, he would remain on the pitch and it was a decision that baffled home supporters.

The explanation from PGMOL for the decision not to show Caicedo a red card then left Tottenham fans even more perplexed. "VAR checked for a potential red card following a challenge by Caicedo on Sarr and confirmed the referee’s call of no serious foul play," read a tweet from Premier League Match Centre's X account.

It's quite hard to see how VAR came to that decision when the replay of the tackle showed how dangerous it was. Once again, consistency and determining the correct call is a major talking point when it comes to VAR.

Spurs themselves got away with one just before half-time as Kulusevski caught Romeo Lavia on the side of his head with his elbow following a sharp turn from the Chelsea midfielder. The Swede was not to be dismissed from the field of play, though.

More Ange agony

Not only did Tottenham have to deal with Romero's first-half exit due to injury, Johnson then picked up an issue himself not long after the restart and it resulted in former Chelsea man Timo Werner replacing him. Johnson headed straight down the tunnel after his substitution and now it remains to be seen what the extent of his injury is.

One player who will definitely miss Sunday's game at Southampton is Bissouma. The Tottenham midfielder picked up a yellow card when attempting to win the ball off Caicedo in the area but he subsequently gave away a penalty as it was completely mistimed.

It was Bissouma's fifth yellow card of the campaign and he will now serve a one-match suspension, meaning he will have to watch on from the stands at St Mary's next weekend. There will also be questions over Van de Ven's participation on the south coast as he didn't complete the match.

The Dutchman went down needing treatment with just over 10 minutes to go and the hope will be that he just cramped up rather than another hamstring problem. It never rains but it pours at Tottenham.

Tottenham went down 4-3 at home to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Ange Postecoglou made four changes including the return of Cristian Romero back from a toe injury and a surprise return for Micky van de Ven from his hamstring injury as the two lined up together. James Maddison dropped to the bench with Dejan Kulusevksi stepping back into midfield as Son Heung-min and Pedro Porro returned to the starting line-up.

Spurs still had Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur all out with Ben Davies added to that list after picking up a hamstring injury in the second half at Bournemouth.

Dominic Solanke opened the scoring within five minutes. Marc Cucurella slipped on the ball and Brennan Johnson raced away with it down the right flank and Solanke did well to get in front of his man to power the cross home.

Just five minutes later and Kulusevski made it 2-0. Cucurella slipped once again. Johnson picked up the ball again and gave it Porro who gave it to Kulusevski and the Swede dribbled inside and struck a terrific low effort inside the right-hand post.

Tottenham lost Romero after just 15 minutes when he was forced off with an injury on his return to the team.

Chelsea grabbed a goal back when Jadon Sancho hit a clinical low finish in off the right-hand post from outside the box.

The visitors were gifted a leveller on the hour mark when Yves Bissouma brought down Moises Caidedo to give away a penalty and reach his fifth yellow card for the season so he will miss the Southampton game. Cole Palmer slotted home the spot kick.

The Blues made it 3-2 when Enzo Fernandez lashed home an effort after Palmer's shot deflected across the box and Palmer netted again from the spot after Pape Matar Sarr brought him down in the final 10 minutes.

Son struck one one back, firing low into the net from Maddison's pass in added time but it came too late.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings from the game:

Fraser Forster

Couldn't do anything about Sancho's clinical finish but made a double save from Palmer and then Neto. Made a brilliant reaction save from Sancho's deflected strike early in the second half and pushed away a Gusto shot from distance before the hour mark. Couldn't get near either of Palmer's penalties. 7

Pedro Porro

Made a few good blocks but also came inside to leave Fernandez with plenty of space to score Chelsea's third. Kept working away until the end with a late deflected shot past the post. 6

Cristian Romero

Lasted just 15 minutes of his return after seeming to pick up something when attempted a back flick in his own box. 5

Micky van de Ven

A surprise return a little earlier than expected. He probably had to play longer than Postecoglou would have hoped because of Romero's exit. Came off in the final 10 minutes hopefully with cramp rather than anything else. 6

Destiny Udogie

Was excellent in the first half but was overrun in the second period at times. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

Sent a header against the crossbar from Son's corner. Plenty of energy but made a daft lunge on Palmer as he was going away from goal to hand Chelsea a penalty that ended up being the winner. 4

Yves Bissouma

Poor in possession at times and daft in another big moment with a late challenge on Caidedo that handed Chelsea a penalty in the second half. Got a fifth yellow card that means he misses the game at Southampton. Needs to lead the team at his age but he just doesn't. 3

Dejan Kulusevski

Back in a deeper role and he doubled Spurs' lead with a lovely low finish from the edge of the Chelsea box. Struggled to make an impact after that though. 7

Brennan Johnson

Picked up the ball twice from Cucurella slips early on. The first time he picked out Solanke with a low cross and then the second time found Porro who played in Kulusevski to score. Came off early in the second half with a knock. 6

Dominic Solanke

Scored against his old side within five minutes, doing well to get in front of the defender to power home Johnson's cross. Had another chance in the first half but that dried up in the second period. Shows what he can do when you actually give him the ball in the box. 7

Son Heung-min

Pressed well from the off and curled over an effort in the first half after lovely interplay with Solanke. His set pieces were good and Sarr sent one corner against the woodwork. Scored a late goal in added time from Maddison's cut back. 7

Subs

Radu Dragusin

Made a terrific sliding block to deny Jackson before the break. Did well mostly after coming on. 6

Timo Werner

Came on down the right but couldn't make much happen with his forays forward. 5

Archie Gray

Slotted in central defence late on and he might have to get used to that. N/A

James Maddison

Came up with a late assist for Son. N/A

Lucas Bergvall

Another tidy little late cameo. N/A

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven was forced off against Chelsea with what appeared to be yet another injury.

The Netherlands international has struggled massively with setbacks since he arrived at Spurs and was again withdrawn against Chelsea. Van de Ven was a surprise inclusion by manager Ange Postecoglou but his decision failed to bear fruit and was substituted with just 11 minutes remaining.

Replaced by Archie Gray, the defender is yet another addition to the treatment table for the Lilywhites this season.

Fellow central defender Cristian Romero was also taken off with what appeared to be a new setback after just 15 minutes of the clash with Chelsea. Postecoglou couldn't hide his disappointment with Spurs letting slip a two-goal advantage to lose 4-2 against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

We expect to hear from Ange post-match and with injuries again mounting up, Tottenham's season has been threatened heavily once again across just 90 minutes of football.

Tottenham were dealt another huge injury blow as Cristian Romero was forced off in the early stages against Chelsea.

Despite racing into a two-goal lead against Enzo Maresca's side, a fairly innocuous turn from Romero appeared to have caused some discomfort. The Argentine defender looked to be holding his groin and was soon replaced by Radu Dragusin after 15 minutes played.

Romero looked to play on for a few moments but soon signalled to the bench which could be a damning blow for Spurs. The decision to start both Romero and fellow defender Micky van de Ven has been a rare occasion as of late for Spurs.

But having just returned from yet another injury problem, Postecoglou will be hoping his latest setback isn't as serious as first feared.

For the second successive season, Romero was unable to play through a home clash with Chelsea after also being substituted in last year's home clash.

Chelsea soon hit back following the former Atalanta was replaced with Jadon Sancho reducing the visitors' deficit to just one goal.

Prior to his substitution, Romero looked visibly upset as Tottenham fans appeared to throw missiles onto the pitch when Jadon Sancho attempted to take a corner.

Gesturing towards the home fans, the 27-year-old signalled for them to stop doing so before the game quickly resumed soon after.

In a back-and-forth first 45 minutes, it was Marc Cucurella who appeared to be Chelsea's achilles heel by twice falling over and allowing the hosts to race through on goal and score.

Dominic Solanke opened the scoring following his first mistake before Dejan Kulusevski finished off another sweeping move to double their advantage.

Micky van de Ven has handed Ange Postecoglou a huge boost by returning to the Tottenham starting XI for Sunday's London derby against Chelsea. Not featuring for Spurs since limping off with a hamstring strain in the Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City at the end of October, the north London club have also had to do without Cristian Romero recently.

However, both have been included in the Tottenham team to take on Chelsea as they look to bounce back from Thursday's disappointing defeat at Bournemouth. Already short at centre-back due to the duo's respective injuries, Ben Davies became the latest player to join a very busy treatment room after picking up a hamstring issue on the hour mark at the Vitality Stadium.

That raised big question marks over who exactly would play at the heart of defence against Chelsea with Radu Dragusin the only fully-fit centre-back at the head coach's disposal. In Tottenham's hour of need, Romero and Van de Ven have returned to fitness and that has resulted in Dragusin dropping down to the bench.

Van de Ven was initially expected to return to the team in the middle of December, with Postecoglou revealing that he was pencilled in for next Thursday's Europa League tie away at Rangers before proving his fitness on the training pitch in the lead up to the Chelsea match.

"It's a welcome boost for us," explained Postecoglou in his pre-match interview with Sky Sports. "Romero was close. Micky we kind of thought probably next Thursday but he's trained really well.

"Both were really keen to play and obviously with us losing Ben in midweek it's a good opportunity for them to get out there. Obviously a boost because they're important players for us."

Romero and Van de Ven aren't the only two players to come into the Tottenham XI following the defeat at Bournemouth as Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min have also returned. Dragusin, Archie Gray and James Maddison have dropped down to the bench, with Davies missing out on the squad altogether because of injury.

Ange Postecoglou has made four changes as Tottenham face a big London derby on Sunday afternoon against Chelsea.

Spurs followed up their big win at Manchester City with stalemates against Roma and Fulham before falling to a frustrating defeat at Bournemouth on Thursday night. Postecoglou will be looking for his players to show much more against a second-placed Chelsea side in a clash that will mean plenty to the fans.

The Tottenham boss still has Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur all out with Ben Davies added to that list after picking up a hamstring injury in the second half at Bournemouth.

Cristian Romero is back from a toe injury and there is a surprise return for Micky van de Ven from his hamstring injury as the two line up together. Elsewhere in the team, Postecoglou has put James Maddison on the bench with Dejan Kulusevksi stepping back into midfield.

Here's the Tottenham team the Australian has selected to face Enzo Maresca's side.

Forster; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son. Subs: Austin, Spence, Reguilon, Dragusin, Gray, Bergvall, Maddison, Werner, Lankshear.

James Maddison has dropped a team news hint before Tottenham Hotspur's match with Chelsea. The Lilywhites will host the Blues in north London on Sunday afternoon as Ange Postecoglou aims to get back to winning ways.

Spurs have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions, while suffering defeats to Galatasaray, Ipswich Town and more recently Bournemouth. The Cherries stormed past Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday night, which didn't go down well at all with the travelling supporters.

After the game, Postecoglou was met with a chorus of boos, and now he's under immense pressure to transform the Lilywhites' fortunes. Nevertheless, Maddison has posted pre-match graphic previews of the Chelsea fixture to his Instagram story.

Historically, it suggests that he'll be involved in some capacity. Radu Dragusin has also done the same, suggesting that he too will start against Enzo Maresca's side.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Chelsea test, Postecoglou was asked for an injury update on Ben Davies and Cristian Romero, who unlike Maddison and Dragusin are doubts for the game. He said: "Ben, too early again mate, he'll go for a scan today [on Friday].

"We're talking 10 hours after last night's game, so we'll find out more. Cuti is due to train, we're not doing much today but we'll see how he goes tomorrow."

Then, on facing Chelsea, who are unbeaten in seven matches, Postecoglou said: "Yeah to a certain extent, but that won't eliminate what happened last night. We've done well against the teams up the top end of the table this year, not just wins but played really well, whether that's City or United away or Villa at home.

"But that doesn't eliminate what happened last night. That still needs to be addressed. That's to one side. It's a big game on Sunday, they're obviously going really well Chelsea - they're in a good space at the moment with a fairly healthy squad and in good form.

"Always a tough game against them and we are at home. We need to make sure we produce a performance like we have in the other games which have been similar to get something out of it."

With that being said, Postecoglou will be relying on Maddison to step up and fire Tottenham to victory. While a few players have posted pre-match previews of the Chelsea meeting to their own Instagram stories, it does not necessarily mean that they will definitely start or, at the very least, play.