Alonso: We Must Be Self-Critical and Take Responsibility After Tottenham Defeat

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso stressed that his team must "be self-critical and take responsibility" after their defeat to Tottenham.

The Blues were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, losing at home to their rivals in the Premier League for the first time since April 2018. Goalkeeper Mike Penders scored an own goal in the match, and after Cole Palmer was sent off, Mathys Tel sealed the result with a brilliant individual effort.

Chelsea failed to score for only the 2nd time in their last 17 home London derbies in the Premier League. The Blues managed just 7 shots on target in the game, their lowest shot tally in a league match this season.

Reflecting on the match afterwards, Alonso said: "There were many different moments in the game. I wanted a higher tempo in the first half. We aimed to press high up the pitch, but we were not strong enough in the duels. We had some chances in the first half, we talked at half-time and we started the second half better. We had a clear chance with Pedro Neto. We had spoken about the importance of the first goal, but when we conceded it, I felt, 'This is definitely not what we wanted.'"

Alonso continued: "The red card came straight after that. We are disappointed with the result and we have to be honest about our performance; we could have played much better. It would be easy to hide behind our absent players, but we believe we can achieve more with the squad we have. We must be self-critical and take responsibility."

Meanwhile, Mike Penders became the 2nd Chelsea goalkeeper to score an own goal in a Premier League match since Petr Cech's misfortune against Everton in December 2009. The 21-year-old also went into the record books as the 2nd-youngest goalkeeper in league history to score an own goal.

Alonso also addressed his young goalkeeper's mistake: "Football is a game like that. As well as doing great things, you also have to manage the difficult moments properly. We will give Mike the support he needs. We come out of moments like this stronger by sticking together."