talkSPORT

Chelsea fans love what Jadon Sancho did to Tottenham corner flag in unseen moment

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Jadon Sancho has emerged as a Chelsea fan favourite following his antics in their 4-3 win at Tottenham.

The winger scored the Blues' first goal of the evening as they came from behind to win all three points in a hectic London derby.

Sancho fired in with a stunning strike and, although it helped spark Chelsea back into life, fans have loved what he did later in the match.

After Enzo Fernandez put them 3-2 ahead with a fine finish, Sancho ran over to the away end to celebrate with the travelling fans.

He the picked up the corner flag, which has the Spurs badge printed on it, in front of him and threw it onto the ground with a grin.

It's a moment that many may have missed amid the celebrations but Chelsea fans on social media delighted in Sancho's actions.

It's a moment that many may have missed amid the celebrations but Chelsea fans on social media delighted in Sancho's actions.

Taking to X, one happy supporter said: "Oh I love him so much,"

"Sanch been propa Chelsea since day 1," added a second.

A third said: "Sancho man of the match for me."

"Sancho throwing away the Spurs corner flag, he's a real Chels," added a fourth.

Sancho's goal was his second for Chelsea since signing on loan from Manchester United in the summer.

It came just four days after he netted his first in their 5-1 thrashing of Southampton, although this one proved more crucial.

Chelsea fell behind after five minutes when their former striker Dominic Solanke scored following a Marc Cucurella slip.

Dejan Kulusevski doubled Spurs' lead moments later with a low and slow strike that nestled into the bottom corner.

Sancho responded in the 17th minute with an excellent finish from outside the area ahead of Chelsea's second half turnaround.

Cole Palmer equalised with a penalty after a rash Yves Bissouma foul on Moises Caicedo on the approach to the hour mark.

Enzo Fernandez fired the Blues ahead for the first time shortly after, doing so with a well-executed half-volley.

Palmer sealed all three points with an exquisite Panenka penalty that Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster could only watch as it went in.

The hosts scored a consolation through Heung-min Son in stoppage time as Chelsea ran out as winners in north London.

Spurs will also have to deal with injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, who both returned to the line-up after recent absences.

Source

PGMOL release statement after Chelsea star Moises Caicedo avoids red card at Tottenham

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

The PGMOL says Moises Caicedo's high challenge on Pape Matar Sarr was not 'serious foul play'.

Shortly after the half-hour mark of Chelsea's 4-3 win, the Blues midfielder went into a strong challenge against Tottenham man Sarr.

Replays showed that Caicedo's foot went above the ankle of his opponent, a type of challenge that has previously been punished with a red card.

Cristiano Romero was sent off for Spurs for a similar tackle on Enzo Fernandez during their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea last season.

However, VAR swiftly checked the incident and did not choose to call Anthony Taylor over to check the monitor.

Shortly after, the Premier League took to their match centre account on X to reveal why Caicedo was not dismissed for his tackle.

The statement read: "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."

Spurs scored two early goals before Chelsea came back to make it 2-1 in an entertaining first half.

Dominic Solanke opened the scoring against his former club with just five minutes played following a slip from Marc Cucurella.

Just moments later, Dejan Kulusevski struck low into the bottom corner as Spurs looked comfortable on home turf.

However, Chelsea reduced the deficit in the 17th minute thanks to an excellent strike from Jadon Sancho.

Caicedo's tackle on Sarr followed later on in the half, with Kulusevski also seemingly avoiding a card for an apparent elbow on Romeo Lavia.

Lavia was substituted at the start of the second half, with Malo Gusto coming on as his replacement and swapping with Caicedo at right-back.

Cole Palmer then equalised with a penalty following Yves Bissouma's late challenge on Caicedo.

Chelsea completed the turnaround on 73 minutes as Fernandez fired in following a stunning run from Palmer.

The Blues then extended their lead in the final ten minutes when Palmer scored an excellent panenka penalty.

Son Heung-min scored late on for Spurs but it proved to be in vein as the full-time whistle quickly followed and sealed their defeat.

Source

'Schoolboy stuff' - Marc Cucurella changes boots after nightmare start at Spurs as Jamie Carragher labels Chelsea star 'embarrassing'

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Marc Cucurella ran to the sidelines to change his boots after slipping over TWICE to gift Tottenham two goals against Chelsea.

Dominic Solanke's opener in the fifth minute came after Chelsea lost possession near the halfway line due to Cucurella's slip.

Spurs' second came on 12 minutes when Chelsea's left-back slipped over at the key moment again as he tried to clear the ball in his own half.

Dejan Kulusevski stole the ball off the Spain international and charged through Chelsea's defence before getting his shot away.

The ball squeezed into the bottom right hand corner, putting Spurs 2-0 up.

As Spurs celebrated, cameras showed Cucurella racing to his side's bench to change his boots.

He gestured to the bench, appearing to signal that his boots hadn't stopped him from skidding over before the goal.

The Spain international sat on the floor and quickly put his new boots on before the restart.

Co-commentator for the game, ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher, had no sympathy for the Euro 2024 winner.

"Cucurella's coming to the bench, don't blame anyone else - it's your own fault son!" Carragher said, live on Sky Sports.

"Absolute schoolboy stuff. Embarrassing.

"He slips again. Look at him shrugging his shoulders. Did he not do a warm-up?"

Cucurella was able to get a better grip of the turf in his new boots after changing them.

Chelsea soon got one back through Jadon Sancho to settle the travelling side's nerves, too.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund winger cut inside and superbly fired into the back of the net with some help from the inside of the post in the 18th minute to half the deficit.

It was an exhausting first half in north London, which was partly disrupted by a section of Tottenham fans throwing what appeared to be paper onto the pitch.

Source

Chelsea forced me to sign for Tottenham but I dislike Spurs as much now as I did then

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Tottenham vs Chelsea is a rivalry of epic proportions and one man who has played for both didn't pull any punches about where his allegiances lie.

talkSPORT host Jason Cundy played for both during his Premier League career - but his colours are firmly nailed to the mast.

And that's despite being forced to sign for Spurs while being a lifelong Blues supporter.

Ahead of the huge London derby, Cundy was ribbed about his Tottenham past on talkSPORT's YouTube show Inside Chelsea.

"Well, it was terrible," he laughed.

"I mean, I don't even want to talk, move on please. I can't talk about it.

"I've got no love for Spurs at all," he continued. "I dislike Spurs as much now as I did before I joined them."

Cundy was part of Chelsea's academy but left Stamford Bridge in 1992 after 41 league appearances and two goals.

He joined Tottenham on loan initial but then left permanently for White Hart Lane in the same year.

The defender spent four years on the books with the north London club but only managed 18 league appearances, before leaving for Ipswich in 1996.

Asked how challenging the transfer was for him, he added: "It was a very odd scenario because I just signed a four and a half year contract in the November, and by the time March came around, Chelsea accepted a bid.

"I had a phone call from Ian Porterfield saying to me, 'We've accepted a bid and Terry Venables is going to phone you this afternoon'.

"It was very different back then because, if the club wanted you gone, you went.

"And now the players got far more power. If the club want you out, they want you out. And they wanted the money more than me. Chelsea made their choices.

"They made their decisions. And unfortunately, I had no choice but to make mine. But look, it's part of my life. It happened.

"And, you know, I'm very lucky now. I went away, but I've come back."

The clash between the two sides is set to be fiery coming just over one year after Chelsea beat nine-man Tottenham 4-1.

The game saw Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie sent off, while James Maddison and Micky van der Ven were forced off through injury.

Battles between the two sides have historically been explosive too.

And asked if that fire was always there, he added: "Even the youth team. It was ingrained in you in the youth team what this game meant.

"But as a Chelsea fan, I didn't need to be told because it was very much there that. The game will crackle.

And there's certain games, and this is why I love football, because there's certain games at certain stadiums where you know you're at something big.

"I know that Brentford are a west London rival. Brentford under the lights or Spurs under the lights. Let me tell you, you can't compare the two.

"There is nothing compared. And whoever's going to be at the stadium at the weekend, Chelsea fans, right? They'll be in. That will be like a proper, proper battle."

Source

Ange Postecoglou's wife was not happy with tense Tottenham fan showdown after defeat

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Ange Postecoglou has revealed his wife was unimpressed with him for confronting angered Tottenham fans on Thursday night.

Postecoglou was booed by supporters following their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth, their sixth league loss of the season.

He appeared to respond to some fans in particular before heading down the tunnel and telling talkSPORT after: "They're disappointed and I got some pretty direct feedback, which is always healthy mate."

When asked if he regretted it the following day, he said: "No. They felt like they needed to give me feedback, so I thought I’d get close enough for them to make sure they were heard."

Postecoglou added: "Hopefully after 18 months, you’ve realised that I am who I am. I don’t really care. Whether people think I’m an easy target, soft target. I’m going to shy away from it.

"I’ve fought my whole life and I’m not going to race down the tunnel because some people feel like they need to give me some direction. It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t.

"From my perspective, what motivates me and what drives me on a daily basis is continually staying true to my values and what I believe is the right thing to do in every situation. Maybe people thought it wasn’t the right thing to do.

"My wife certainly didn’t. So I got some feedback there as well. But that’s ok. I’m not going to change. It’s who I am, mate. I’ve been like that my whole career and I won’t change."

Spurs started excellently under Postecoglou at the beginning of last season but the past year has delivered hugely fluctuant form.

This has seen a souring of the relationship between him and the fans, with the visit of Manchester City in May a particular instance of this.

Many supporters were controversially keen to see a Spurs defeat as a win could have helped arch-rivals Arsenal to win the Premier League.

Postecoglou said beforehand he 'will never understand' fans wanting their own team to lose, and ex-Spurs man Darren Bent believes this is when the relationship started to crack.

"I like 'Big Ange', I think the football he plays is entertaining," he said on talkSPORT Drive. "But we've always said he needs a plan B and he's said he's not got it, fair play, if that's the way he wants to go about it, that's the way he wants to go about it.

"But I almost feel the divide started properly last season, when he couldn't understand why the Tottenham fans wanted his side to lose against Manchester City, which would have effectively helped Arsenal win the title.

"I don't think he's ever recovered from that, I don't think that the divide between the two has ever recovered to be fair because he had some fans going, 'What? He doesn't understand what he means.'

"I can understand both sides to be fair, I understand Spurs fans not wanting Arsenal fans to get that joy, that, 'Thanks, you won the game so we won the league,' I understand that, but being a Premier League manager is hard enough as it is.

"So you can't pick and choose where you take results so from Ange's perspective, he's thinking, 'Well, it's not really about what Arsenal do, it's about us improving and to improve, we have to beat sides like Manchester City.' So, I could see both sides of it.

"But I always felt like there was never, not no coming back from that, but that was where the divide started to really kind of happen. And he's questioned his side's mentality, there's been so many questions to him about the supporters and what they think.

"Even his answers there, he says, 'They don't have to back me, they've got to back the team.' In that, I kind of understand that as well because you want your team to do well... Where this ends, I don't know because yes, their form's not great.

"I wouldn't say it's horrific like some teams, do you know what I mean? But, realistically as well, where should Tottenham be at this moment in time? That's the obvious question."

"I think they're better than 10th with the players they've got, I really do," said host Andy Goldstein, and Bent replied: "OK.

"So, if you're looking at realistic situations right, they should be above Bournemouth, [Nottingham] Forest, Fulham and Brighton, right? But unfortunately, names of clubs and names on paper is irrelevant."

"Where this ends, I don't know," Bent added. "Does he last the end of the season? I'm not sure.

"But I just think he's been so blunt in some of his answers, when they've said about a set-piece coach, 'Nope.'

"People can poke fun all they want about Arsenal scoring set-plays... And look at the game the other night against Manchester United, hardly anything in it, two set-plays, you win 2-0.

"That's how important [it is], but the fact that he's like, 'Nope, we don't need them, nope.'"

Spurs have won just three of their last eight Premier League matches and face a tough run of fixtures in the forthcoming weeks.

They first have a huge home clash on Sunday against Chelsea, who ended Postecoglou's unbeaten league run with a 4-1 win last season.

Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle will present huge tests over the festive period and New Year.

Spurs also face a trip to Rangers in the Europa League and a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester United.

Source

The new 'Three Point Lane'? How Chelsea turned Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into a fortress

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Forget the Battle of the Bridge, the honour of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is on the line this Sunday.

Games between Chelsea and Spurs are must watch for Premier League fans, with their two clashes per season often the most vitriolic in England.

And this weekend, Ange Postecoglou needs to cause another upset or risk things spiralling out of control in north London.

The Australian confronted supporters last time out after a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth made it three games without a win.

With aspirations of a top four finish, Tottenham are currently well short in tenth and have shown some absolutely bizarre form in recent weeks.

They’ve twice beaten champions Manchester City, once by four goals, but in between have suffered defeats to Galatasaray and newly-promoted Ipswich.

Fans will certainly be hoping that at least the big game trend continues when Chelsea make the trip up to north London, but the stats show that they may well be in trouble.

helsea’s five wins are the most of any visiting side since the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has opened, and that’s certainly unusual.

The Blues had just two away wins in their previous 13 trips to north London, and their new found form as seen fans dub the ground ‘Three Point Lane’ in reference to their old White Hart Lane stadium.

Spurs opened their £1billion state-of-the-art stadium in April 2019, and despite it being mainly a warm welcome, things changed in December when it came to one of their rivals.

Willian was the one to heat things up in Chelsea’s first trip, scoring a scorcher from range before adding another from the spot in a 2-0 win.

That wasn’t all though, as is typical in this fixture, there was a red card for Heung-min Son kicking out at Antonio Rudiger.

Spurs would re-address the balance next time out with a penalty shoot-out win in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, but since then Chelsea’s trips have been almost perfect.

Winning four out of five, two clean sheets followed, before Spurs said goodbye to their trophy hopes for another season during the 2021/22 campaign when they were dumped out of the Carabao at the semi-final stage by that man Rudiger.

A rare win came under Antonio Conte in February 2023, but in Postecoglou’s only home game against the Blues, things got as bad as they’ve ever been.

Chelsea walked away 4-1 winners as Spurs shockingly ended the match with nine men.

Even more surprising than that, was even at two men and two goals down for the final 35 minutes, the Australian instructed his troops to keep attacking, resulting in a humbling Nicolas Jackson hat-trick.

Spurs’ chances of a top four finish took a huge blow as a result, and it was the first time their manager’s tactics came under serious fire, resulting in an intense post-match press conference.

Taking blame for the defeat, Postecoglou did finally snap when asked about his tactics, saying: "Come on mate, we didn't play well. What do you want, me to sit here and write you a dossier of where we went wrong?

"Like I said, I'll take responsibility, we were poor in the first half. I still think their [first] goal was a foul but no one cares about that. But we didn't deserve anything more than that, and that's on me."

That result meant that C

Currently second under Enzo Maresca and finally clicking for the first time in the Todd Boehly era, another three points may well be on the way, and this time Postecoglou may not have any answers left post-match.

Source

'They will sack him' - Ange Postecoglou told to ban Tottenham tactic in furious rant from ex-player

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara believes that Ange Postecoglou could be sacked by the New Year unless things improve.

Pressure is building on the Spurs boss after a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Thursday night.

This defeat means that the north London side remain in tenth position in the table and six points off the top four.

Postecoglou went to greet the traveling Tottenham fans after the final whistle at the Vitality Stadium but was met with boos from the supporters as fans grow tired of their inconsistent performances.

Asked by talkSPORT about the confrontation with the angry

fans, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, well, rightly so.

"They're disappointed and I got some pretty direct feedback which is always healthy, mate."

Despite big wins over Aston Villa and Man City of late, Spurs have fallen to a surprise defeat to Ipswich and a draw at home to Fulham.

And O'Hara believes that Postecoglou must find a way to improve Tottenham's results on a consistent basis or face the sack.

Speaking to Jason Cundy on The Sports Bar, O'Hara said: "Daniel Levy won't stand for this. I'm telling you now, he will sack him.

"If he thinks he can go this all the way through the season and keep defending like this, keep having set pieces like this, he will get sacked.

"Daniel Levy is all about Champions League football, Europa League minimum. If Spurs are tenth in the table after Christmas, they'll sack Ange.

"I'm telling you, they'll sack him. This can't continue.

"I know everyone loves Ange, you know, in terms of like the attacking football. I can't, I'm getting bored of watching this.

"I'm getting bored of watching this.”

O'Hara continued: "I'm going to be honest, I'm getting tired of talking about Tottenham.

"I don't know what to say. You know, at the end of the day, I come in here and I can talk about Spurs all day long and you clip stuff up and it does my head in.

"I'm tired of being a Spurs fan. It's hard work. One minute you're up, then you're down, then you're up, then you're down.

"And you know what? It's just, it's painful. We are painful to watch because you know there's a big performance in there because we've seen it.

"Aston Villa. Man City. You go away from home, then you get beat by Bournemouth.”

O'Hara was then asked about Tottenham's insistence on playing the ball around defence and responded: "It should be banned.

"The straight ball playing out from the back should be banned in football. It is never on. Spurs do it every game.

"We are painful to watch.”

Tottenham are next in action on Sunday afternoon when they host Chelsea in the Premier League.

Source

‘Direct feedback’ – Ange Postecoglou confronts booing Tottenham fans after defeat at Bournemouth

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Ange Postecoglou has insisted he's 'determined get it right' at Tottenham after confronting the angry travelling supporters in Bournemouth.

Spurs suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Cherries on Thursday night, with teenager Dean Huijsen bagging what went on to be the winner early in the first half.

The away end let their feelings known at the final whistle, with a number booing their side off the pitch.

Postecoglou, who came over to show his gratitude to the supporters, was also booed.

He was seen approaching the away end, with the Australian expressing himself with his hands as he reacted to the criticism.

Two stewards stood in the way of him and the crowd, with one extending their arm out.

Footage shows Djed Spence putting his arm on Postecoglou's back as he turned away and towards the tunnel.

Asked about the reception from the fans and the booing, he told talkSPORT: "Yeah, well rightly so.

"They're disappointed and I got some pretty direct feedback, which is always healthy mate."

In his post-match press conference, he continued: "I didn’t like what was being said because I’m a human being but you’ve for to cop it.

"I’ve been around long enough to know when things don’t go well you’ve got to understand the frustration and disappointment. And they’re rightly disappointed because we let a game of football get away from us. But that’s OK. I’m OK with all that.

"All I can say is I’m really disappointed and I’m determined to get it right and will keep fighting until we do."

Bournemouth had the better chances on the night, with Spurs, in truth, lucky to escape with conceding just one goal.

The Cherries managed 21 shots.

Addressing the number of chances his side gave up in the clash, Postecoglou said: "Yeah well that's because we were chasing the game.

"When you go a goal down, in the second half you're on the up and up and chase the game.

"That's going to give them space and that's what they want and what they're good at, so."

Bournemouth have jumped above Tottenham in the table after claiming all three points.

The Cherries sit in ninth, one point above tenth place Spurs.

And the north London side's 4-0 thumping of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City last month now feels like a distant memory.

talkSPORT's resident Spurs fan, Jamie O'Hara, said on the Sports Bar: “It's hard work you know, watching Spurs. One minute you're up, then you're down, then you're up, then you're down.

"And you know what? It's just, it's painful. We are painful to watch. Painful. Because you know there's a big performance in there because we've seen it.

"Aston Villa. Man City. You go away from home, you get beat by Bournemouth.

"I know everyone loves Ange, you know, in terms of like the attacking football. I can't, I'm getting bored of watching this."

Source

Ange Postecoglou reveals concerning reason why Dominic Solanke was sent home at weekend in fitness update

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed why Dominic Solanke was sent home from the stadium at the weekend.

The striker arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday ahead of Spurs' clash with Fulham, but he wasn't named in the squad at all.

When the teams were announced, Solanke wasn't part of the starting line-up or substitutes and that raised injury concerns.

However, before the game, Postecoglou confirmed that he had actually been told to go home due to illness.

The Spurs boss said before a 1-1 draw was played out: "He came in today and he wasn't the best, under the weather.

"We sent him home, and hopefully, he'll make a full recovery and be ready to go for the next one."

Now, he has provided another update on Solanke ahead of that next game which is against Bournemouth tonight.

Yesterday, Postecoglou explained: "Dom's due to train today, he's still not 100 per cent but he's definitely improved from the weekend."

He then revealed in more detail why the frontman was sent home on Sunday, and it was certainly concerning.

"I'm hope we get that extra percentage comes from him [Solanke] just getting back," he continued.

"He wanted to play at the weekend but he couldn't get out of his car, let alone run around on the pitch."

So Solanke must have been incredibly ill and there's no surprise that he was told to get back home and rest.

The England international will be desperate to be fit to face Bournemouth, who he left to join Tottenham in the summer.

He departed the Cherries for £65million after spending five years and making over 200 appearances for the club.

Solanke may see some familiar faces, while he will also want to boost Spurs after they struggled in front of goal against Fulham.

If he does miss out again though, it would be a big blow for his side as he's been an ever-present since joining.

So far this season, Solanke has scored four and assisted two in 10 Premier League games.

Although his role is not just about scoring, as he plays such a big part in build-up throughout each match.

Captain Heung-min Son started up front against Fulham, with Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson out wide.

If Solanke returns, it's likely that Werner will drop back to the bench and Son will move to the left where he is more comfortable.

Source

Enzo Maresca names only Chelsea player guaranteed to start against Tottenham

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is the only player who is guaranteed to start against Tottenham.

The Blues dominated against Southampton on Wednesday night with a convincing 5-1 win.

Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen made his Premier League debut against Southampton with an impressive display, although he was unable to keep a clean sheet.

Post-match, Maresca was questioned about the Blues starting line-up to face Tottenham in the next match on Sunday.

Marseca revealed: "That day we are going to play Robert Sanchez and 10 players. The only one that is sure is Sanchez."

Sanchez has made some big mistakes so far this season, with Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation something of a hot topic.

It is unclear whether Marseca has more faith in Sanchez over Jorgensen for such a big game against Spurs, or it’s simply down to squad rotation.

During last week's episode of Inside Chelsea, the topic of Sanchez was brought into discussion.

Chelsea fan and content creator Matisse Armani said: ”This is the one position (goalkeeper) that I really feel like Chelsea have had a high quality over the years and if they want to go to the next level it needs to be rectified.

“Can you do that in January? Probably not.”

Ex-Blues defender Jason Cundy added: “I think the business is done, but I take the point that most fans look at the goalkeeping situation and think, ‘Is it alright right now?’

“But I think what we’ve got is probably what we’re going to get, but we’ll probably see the squad trimmed.”

Despite the win against Southampton, Maresca had one thing he wasn’t happy about.

"I’m very happy with the five goals we scored,’ said Maresca.

"I’m not happy with the first 15 to 20 minutes where we struggled. We struggled because we prepared the game to play man-to-man (out of possession), and we were not pressing man-to-man in the first 15 to 20 minutes.

"If you don’t go man to man against this team, you struggle to recover the ball. After that, we adjusted that and the game was much better. It completely changed.

“It was a good game from all of them. Sometimes you have to adapt when you play 10 players, you can slow the game and keep the ball, but we created so many chances. We could have scored more, but five goals is enough."

Chelsea are second in the Premier League table and on a four-match winning streak heading into the clash with London rivals Spurs.

Tottenham have taken six points from three games against their fellow ‘big six’ sides so far this season, also beating Man City in the EFL Cup.

Spurs, however, have nine players sidelined through injury and sit eighth in the table after an inconsistent run of form.

Source