10-man Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 2-1 for Alonso’s first defeat

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Brazil striker Richarlison scored a 90th-minute winner and club record signing Sandro Tonali got his first goal as 10-man Tottenham beat London rivals Chelsea 2-1 in a feisty pre-season friendly in Sydney on Saturday.

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Both sides fielded strong line-ups and Spurs struck first on 19 minutes through Tonali’s deflected strike before Estevao levelled the scores barely two minutes later.

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Tottenham defender Kevin Danso was given a straight red card just three minutes after coming off the bench at the break for bringing down Joao Pedro, with Chelsea dominating proceedings in the second half.

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But in front of 80,363 fans at Stadium Australia, they failed to capitalise and Spurs stunned them with a late winner.

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The loss means new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso will head to Hong Kong for a clash with Juventus on Wednesday on the back of his first defeat, following a 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers last week.

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The Spaniard has overseen a string of high-profile signings since being appointed, headlined by Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, as he bids to rejuvenate the club after their disappointing 10th in the Premier League last season.

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Spurs, who fared even worse, coming 17th to narrowly miss relegation, have also been on a spending spree with Matheus Fernandes arriving from West Ham and Tonali from Newcastle.

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They fly home after a 2-0 win over Auckland FC and 1-1 draw with Sydney FC.

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Most of Chelsea’s close-season signings have yet to link up with the squad, including Rogers.

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But right-back Marco Palestra, who joined from Atalanta, got his first minutes while Cole Palmer and Estevao started after a slew of youngsters were used against Western Sydney Wanderers.

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Tottenham midfielder Fernandes, who missed the Sydney game with “fatigue in his calf muscle”, was again absent, as was James Maddison with a “small problem”.

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But Tonali made his maiden start along with fellow new recruit Andy Robertson.

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After a cagey start, tempers flared when Conor Gallagher hacked down Chelsea’s Dario Essugo in the 10th minute with players pushing and shoving each other.

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Gallagher was shown a yellow card and Essugo continued.

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Spurs broke the deadlock after a nice break down the right from Manor Solomon, who fed Tonali on the edge of the box with his shot taking a deflection.

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But it was a short-lived lead as Estevao headed home at the far post after Romeo Lavia broke free from midfield and they went to the break at 1-1 with Spurs having the better half.

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Danso’s brain-fade allowed Chelsea to dominate the second-half with Estevao rattling the crossbar among a slew of chances.

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But, in a worry for Alonso, they failed to make the most of the extra man and Spurs stole their thunder when Richarlison side-footed home at the death.

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AFP

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