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Roy Keane fumes at Tottenham’s lack of energy in 3-0 defeat to Chelsea

The pundit believes Chelsea could have won by six or seven goals in the London derby

Sarah Rendell
Sunday 19 September 2021 19:43 BST
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Tottenham lacked energy, according to Roy Keane
Tottenham lacked energy, according to Roy Keane (Getty Images)

Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane has vented his anger about Tottenham Hotspur’s lack of energy in the second half of their 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs were the better side in the first half, heading into the break 0-0 but the Blues came out in the second 45 to score three goals to go joint top of the Premier League. The loss sees Tottenham in seventh and Keane fumed at their sluggish performance.

He told Sky Sports: “It was men v boys. I couldn’t believe how bad Spurs were. Kane’s body language today... the difference in terms of desire, and wanting to win a game of football, the basics come from within. Get to the ball, stop the shot, put your body on the line.

“Spurs didn't have energy. You had a bad result last weekend, we want to see energy. You have fans behind you.”

And he continued his venting, particularly around the third goal from Chelsea which came from a stunning strike from Antonio Rudiger.

“Again, it sums up where Tottenham are,” Keane added. “It could have been six or seven [nil]. Look at Kane and Alli. It was a lovely finish, [but] look at Kane and Alli, going through the motions, pretending to go through the motions. Look at Kane, where is he going?”

England captain Harry Kane did have a quiet game but Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo didn’t mention specific players in his post-match interview and laid blame at the entire team’s door.

He told Sky: “I’m disappointed. The first half was very good. A game of two halves, clearly. First half I think we competed really well, we were the better team, we were pressing high, creating situations. For 50 minutes, we held on, until the first goal. After that, the game changed and it became hard for the boys. Chelsea are a good team, good in possession, and they gave us many problems.

“The goal really was disappointing. The set piece, the team after that struggled to recover the game. Chelsea are a mature team, they are organised, they have experience. We should have done better [at the set piece]. Since we started we have had a lot of things to improve...the belief is here.”

Spurs will next face Arsenal on 26 September in the Premier League.

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