Fair post as per. A lot of us were caught up in the heat of the moment and went OTT with the Vert/Torres thing. It's all a red herring. I'm not sure we were better in the first half but definitely the 2nd. It was always going to be a low scoring game because of the quality of the defence in both sides. Both sides will get better as the season progresses but in the wider scheme of things a point wasn't bad for either side. Once we went down to 10 men it went from being an open game to a closed and scrappy one.
We should have beaten Spurs the last two times we played them but profligacy in front of goal has cost us. They are a top side now and if you don't put your chances away they are the type of team that will punish you. Haven't got a clue how the return game will pan out, but if played tomorrow, I'd expect a similar outcome. For us to be 3rd after the performances we've put in, is IMO, a sign of how weaker the league has become. We'd have been eating the dust of title contending/winning teams 3/4/5+ years ago. The good thing is we haven't played well and are still above the Manchester clubs with 10 very winnable fixtures in a row.
I don't understand how you think that means the league is weaker. I see a stronger league with more teams capable of winning and the rise in standard of teams like Southampton. Having a team or 2 romp away doesn't mean the league is stronger it means one or 2 teams are stronger which itself indicates a weak league.
Shocking performance from Dean, although I do agree that Torres should've been long gone by that point. Still, I have no idea how he thought challenging for the ball was a punishable offence. I also have no idea why Torres wasn't subbed long before his 2nd yellow and I don't know how anybody saw good points to his game yesterday, the bloke is a shockingly bad player and a shadow of his former self.
So should Vertonghen come to that. Vertoghen dived, Torres said something and Vertoghen grabbed him before Torres did anything. 2 bookable offenses for Vertoghen right there let alone the booking he did get.
You can get sent off for leaning your head in these days but he knew exactly what he was doing. It was no coincidence that neither the ref or the linesman could see what he did, it was no doubt pre-planned and intended to look innocuous but provoke Vertonghen into getting sent off. please log in to view this image I think Friedel summed up the second incident well. At the time it looked like it was a second booking but the replays showed it was barely a foul. Had it been a different Chelsea player I don't think anything gets given but Torres was clearly walking a fine line getting into incidents with Vertonghen for the whole second half. Torres put himself in that situation where he was not going to get the benefit of the doubt, not the ref. Vertonghen certainly lost the moral high ground by clutching his face on the floor and I'm not going to defend that but Torres was on the floor doing the same and if Vertonghen was trying to get Torres sent off(he was), Fernando had been doing the same when he tried to provoke Vertonghen initially. There we go, these things happen in games and it's a shame but by far the most annoying thing was the media falling for Mourinho's line. Jose even brought up the Villa game to try and throw dirt on Vertonghen's reputation. The flaws in what he said were obvious but they allowed him to put his spin on it and ignore Torres' actions. Anyway, good game, draw was fair
It was a feisty, fiery, hatred fuelled derby. It is THE London derby. None of this Arsenal v Spurs corporate showing bollocks. We were denied all 3 points by inept refereeing aided by some cheating from Spurs. But I'd have happily taken a point before the game and i'd take it now. But it's in a bitter way as I felt we should have got all 3 points. We'll do em at the Bridge.
I love how all the Spuds fans are completely failing to mention that it was Vettoghen who initially grabbed hold of Torres which itself could be seen as a red card offence. He also dived which is what annoyed Torres in the first place. So, Vertoghen dived = yellow, grabbed Torres = red/yellow so should have gone. I won't even bother with the yellow Vertoghen did get.
Nah. For me Arsenal v Chelsea is THE London Derby. Most played London derby and also contested by London's two most successful clubs. Spurs v Chelsea draws a more partisan crowd than any NLD but the NLD is bigger, definitely. Putting Vertonghen and Torres aside it was a good game played in the right way, none of this negative defensive bollocks.
He pushed him, he didn't grab him. He clearly didn't dive otherwise Torres wouldn't have been laughing he'd have been running up to the referee like your players did with every other decision that didn't go their way. Vertonghen was annoyed because it was an intentional foul made for no other reason than he thought he could get away with it.
I felt bitter the last time Dean reffed this fixture at WHL because he bottled sending Gomes off who then saved Drogba's penalty, a decision based purely on the fact Spurs had used all 3 subs and it was in the last minute of the game. We started slowly and it was always going to be difficult winning there after going a goal down inside 20 minutes. Point at WHL would usually be disappointing but both Manchester clubs lost so....
Freund and your coaching staff were doing the exact same thing with the 4th official to gain any advantage they could and get in the refs ear. Our players were justifiably upset given most of the 50/50's went against them and persistent fouling on our technical flair players. They didn't feel Dean was being fair.
He dived and even if it was a push,which it wasn't't but a grab,it's still a yellow. So either way it's byebye Vertoghen.
Not now it isn't. NLD is by far and away the biggest top flight London derby but in the 00s, Chelsea v Arsenal was bigger purely on a competitive front, usually meant silverware or titles.
Yeah it was a poor show from him but expected. It's a fine point. We've had United, Everton and Spurs away. They're over and done with which is good. Onwards and upwards
It depends what you look for. In Arsenal v Chelsea there are two very successful sides but there isn't the passion that Spurs v Chelsea has. Every time as well the atmosphere is incredible at the Bridge or the Lane. From a fans point of view, it's gotta be Spurs v Chelsea. I also really like West Ham v Chelsea. Also a very fiery affair.
Torres was world class yesterday. Finally it looked like we were playing with a striker. Had he not been sent off he was surely the man of the match there. Our most dangerous player on the field.
Come off it, he scratched his face after tripping him up. What did Vertonghen have to gain by diving at that point? If he'd dived he'd have stayed down and appealed. Vertonghen was a tool the entire game, but there's no excuse for scratching someone's face, if someone tripped me up on a football field I wouldn't be best pleased either. Have a day off, world class!? The only thing he gave was effort.
