LONDON (AFP) – Ange Postecoglou admitted his Tottenham flops have “lost belief” after a dismal 2-0 defeat against Chelsea left their hopes of Champions League qualification in tatters.
Postecoglou’s side needed a win at Stamford Bridge to close the gap on fourth-placed Aston Villa in the race to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
But instead they slumped to a third successive loss after goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson fired Chelsea to victory over their London rivals.
Fifth-placed Tottenham are seven points behind Villa with four games left, while Unai Emery’s men have three to play.
With their Champions League hopes fading, Postecoglou conceded his players are no longer playing with the confidence that infused their performances earlier this season.
Taking the blame for Tottenham’s untimely slump, the Australian said: “It wasn’t good enough and I have to take responsibility for that, it is on me.
“I am the manager and I am the one putting them out there and it was not good enough.
“When we put in a performance like we did in the first half it meant my message wasn’t getting through.”
Tottenham’s issues with defending set-pieces were decisive again, leaving former Celtic boss Postecoglou to bemoan his side’s collapse in the final weeks of his first season in charge.
“I feel like we’ve lost a bit of belief and conviction in our football and that is on me to change that,” he said. “It wasn’t about conceding the first goal, it was our approach to playing football and we were nowhere near good enough. That is on me.
“We’ve been in a bit of a grind for a while now, that is part of our challenge and part of our growth. We have to go out there and perform and sometimes you have to grind out. We were poor today.”
Asked if Tottenham’s top four bid was over, the downcast Postecoglou added: “I don’t know how to answer these questions. We were poor today, what is the point of thinking about anything else? There’s no major formula. We will work hard and make sure we get it right. My responsibility is to make sure we play better next time.”
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has masterminded two wins over his former club Tottenham this term.
But those successes have been rare bright spots in a difficult first season in charge for the Argentine.
Eighth-placed Chelsea could still salvage their campaign by qualifying for Europe, but even that is not guaranteed to save Pochettino from the club’s demanding co-owner Todd Boehly.
Boehly has already sacked Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter since taking charge in 2022, with Pochettino responding to recent reports about his future by pleading for time to revive the club.
“Maybe today because we won I can explain a little bit better. I want to say enough is enough. I think all managers need time to translate their ideas and their philosophy. We need to have time, but it is not my decision,” Pochettino said of his future.
“If we want to match the history of Chelsea I think there is a lot of work to do. We will see if we have time to build this way.
“It’s difficult to see every single week that I am under scrutiny and judgement. Yes, it’s not my decision to be here or not to be here.”
PAINFUL SETBACK
Chelsea delivered a hammer blow to Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a 2-0 win against their spluttering London rivals on Thursday.
Trevoh Chalobah’s first goal since March 2022 put Chelsea ahead in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
The much-maligned Nicolas Jackson wrapped up the points in the closing stages with his 14th goal of a difficult first season with the Blues. After losses to Arsenal and Newcastle, fifth-placed Tottenham’s third successive defeat leaves them seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Tottenham have four games left, while Villa have three to go, making the north Londoners rank outsiders to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
It was another painful setback for Tottenham, who have squandered the good will built by Ange Postecoglou for much of the Australian’s first season in charge.
While Postecoglou licks his wounds, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a second win over his former club this season following the 4-1 success in November.
Pochettino had irritated Chelsea fans by admitting he couldn’t “hide his emotions” for the club he managed for five years and led to the 2019 Champions League final.
But he put those feelings aside to provide the result they wanted, keeping alive eighth-placed Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for Europe and making it just one defeat in 34 home league games against Tottenham.
REELING SPURS
Jackson sprinted into the Tottenham area for a shot that went under Guglielmo Vicario but lacked the power to beat Mickey van de Ven’s clearance off the line, with Cole Palmer somehow scooping the loose ball over from close-range.
Moments later, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke embarked on a dynamic run before firing just over from the edge of the area.
Four of the five goals conceded by Tottenham in their previous two games had come from set-pieces and they were punished for more woeful dead-ball marking in the 24th minute.
Conor Gallagher’s free-kick looped into the area and Chalobah was left unmarked to power a superb header over Vicario from 12 yards.
That made it 22 goals conceded from set plays in league games by Postecoglou’s creaky defence this term.
Tottenham claimed Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella had blocked Brennan Johnson from marking Chalobah, but VAR ignored their protests.
Undone by their set-piece frailties, Tottenham almost took advantage of Chelsea’s defensive deficiencies with a Cristian Romero header that clipped the post from Pedro Porro’s free-kick.
Postecoglou looked increasingly irate by the half-time whistle and his chastened players responded to their manager’s frustration with a more lively second half display.
Porro’s drive from a tight angle forced Djordje Petrovic to save in Tottenham’s most threatening moment.
But Chelsea landed the knockout punch in the 72nd minute.
Palmer’s fierce free-kick cannoned down off the bar towards Jackson, who reacted quickest to head home from six yards.