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Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella has apologized to teammate Raheem Sterling after failing to execute an easy assist in their 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues locked horns with the Lilywhites at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night (November 6). Cucurella came on at half-time to replace Levi Colwill. The Spanish defender found himself in on goal, with Sterling by his side.
However, he decided not to set up his Chelsea teammate and was unsuccessful in his attempt to find the back of the net. The former Brighton & Hove Albion defender has now taken to social media to ask for Sterling's forgiveness.
Cucurella commented on the England international's post on Instagram:
"Sorry bro."
The London derby was an extremely thrilling encounter that featured goals galore. Tottenham led the match within six minutes after Dejan Kulusevski got on the scoresheet.
Moises Caicedo then found the back of the net nearly half an hour later with a screamer from outside the box. The exquisite strike, however, was ruled out after his Chelsea teammate Nicolas Jackson was adjudged to be offside in the VAR review.
In an exhilarating turn of events, the Blues were awarded a penalty after the review showed Cristian Romero fouling Enzo Fernandez after clearing the ball.
The Argentine defender was given a red card and sent off as Cole Palmer converted the penalty and equalized in the 35th minute. The night turned for the worse for Spurs after Destiny Udogie fouled Raheem Sterling and received his second yellow card of the match ten minutes into the second half.
Nicolas Jackson then scored a goal in the 75th minute and a quick-fire brace in stoppage time, completing his hat-trick.
"It is who we are" - Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou defends high-line tactic in Chelsea defeat
Despite being reduced to nine men in the 55th minute of the second half, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou stood unwavering in his attack-minded approach.
While his side were dismantled by Chelsea as a result of his management, Postecoglou defended his decision even after the match. The former Celtic manager insists that this style of play is his team's identity. He told reporters after the match (as quoted by GOAL):
"It is just who we are mate, it is who we are and who we will be for as long as I am here. If we go down to five men we will have a go."
The Lilywhites maintained a high line from the get-go and continued to do so even after receiving two red cards. This ultimately led to their downfall as all three of Jackson's goals came from rather easy runs behind the back line.
