Tottenham Hotspur’s turbulent season took another hit following a 1-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a heated London derby.
The result marked Spurs’ third loss in their last four league games, extending a poor run of form that has defined much of their campaign.
While the defeat itself was tough to take, the fallout may get worse. Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes Tottenham are likely to face disciplinary action from the FA following a first-half incident that sparked a mass confrontation on the pitch.
It all started with Cristian Romero, who shoved Chelsea’s Levi Colwill following a foul, triggering a chaotic on-field scuffle involving several players from both teams.
Referee Craig Pawson allowed the situation to de-escalate before issuing yellow cards to Romero and Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah, who had charged in from distance to confront Rodrigo Bentancur.
Hackett stated that both clubs will almost certainly be charged for failing to control their players, a standard response from the FA when such on-pitch scuffles occur.
While he commended Pawson for handling the confrontation with composure, he made it clear that Spurs could face consequences for their players’ involvement.
Speaking to Tottenham News, Hackett said:
“Both clubs will be charged by The FA for failing to control their players.
“Mass confrontation protocol was carried out perfectly by Craig Pawson, who will have been very happy with his first half performance.”
Despite a few late attempts to bounce back into the game—most notably through Son Heung-min and Micky van de Ven—Spurs couldn’t find the equaliser.
The loss keeps the Lilywhites stuck in 14th place with 34 points, tied with Everton and West Ham beneath them. With only eight games left, their Premier League season appears to have little left to fight for.
The focus now shifts to the Europa League, with Tottenham preparing to host Eintracht Frankfurt next week in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Ange Postecoglou knows that a successful European run is now the only way to save his job.
However, it looks extremely unlikely that he will be the Spurs manager beyond this season, given the poor performances this season and his damaged relationship with the Spurs supporters.
