Why Antonio Rudiger almost missed Chelsea’s meeting with Tottenham
A bizarre chain of events which almost culminated in Antonio Rudiger being forced to sit out Chelsea’s meeting with Tottenham this evening has been highlighted online.
Blues cruise
After getting their European campaign up and running with a 1-0 downing of Zenit St. Petersburg during the week, Thomas Tuchel’s outfit turned their attentions back towards matters on the domestic front earlier today.
The Blues made the trip across London to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, for a Premier League meeting with Spurs.
Chelsea entered the clash aware that another 3-point haul would guide them level with title rivals Liverpool and Manchester United at the summit of the English top-flight, having racked up three wins from four before Sunday.
Manchester United’s Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo (C) celebrates after scoring their first goal during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester United at The London Stadium, in east London on September 19, 2021 (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
And, when all was said and done, this is precisely what the Pensioners went on to do.
A dominant performance, which saw them explode into life following the interval, ultimately culminated in the Pensioners emerging on the right side of a 3-0 scoreline.
Thiago Silva opened the scoring in the capital, before N’Golo Kante made it two a short time later, and Antonio Rudiger added some gloss to the scoreline deep into injury-time.
Deadlock broken in north London! 🔓
Thiago Silva helps #CFC capitalise on their impressive start to the second half by heading home from a corner
🎬 @SkySportsPL pic.twitter.com/RuuXHwR78G
— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) September 19, 2021
Rudiger concern
On the back of the action coming to a close in North London, in turn, a host of Chelsea’s stars were subsequently singled out for praise in the post-match analysis sessions.
The likes of Marcos Alonso and Thiago Silva both shone bright, with the latter having been rewarded with Man of the Match honours.
In the eyes of many, though, it was in fact the in-form Rudiger who proved the standout performer in the derby clash.
The German barely put a foot wrong all night, keeping Tottenham’s ever-dangerous frontline firmly at bay, and even chipping in with a deserved late goal.
Antonio Rudiger has been a top 5 CB in the world since Tuchel took over and there really shouldn’t be any debate about it.
A brick wall at the back and always a threat in attack. What an incredible transformation we’ve seen from Rudiger.
— EiF (@EiFSoccer) September 19, 2021
But, as outlined above, were it not for a late turn of events, it is possible that Thomas Tuchel would not have had his star stopper to call on at all versus Tottenham.
As revealed by Sky Sports’ Martin Tyler, and since relayed by football.london, Rudiger had problems accessing his Covid-19 pass – required for all players entering Premier League stadiums – on his phone ahead of kick-off.
In turn, the German’s entrance into the ground altogether was at one point in serious doubt:
‘I should also mention that he [Rudiger] very nearly didn’t get into the game today because on his phone, the biometrics didn’t work that you have to pass to get through to the Covid check.’
‘Thankfully, they got the technology to work out and he is here.’
It was a close call. https://t.co/eidC5w699q
— Chelsea FC News (@Chelsea_FL) September 19, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Liverpool FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Watford FC | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 4 | -2 | 6 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 5 | -7 | 6 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 5 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 5 | -7 | 2 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 5 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 5 | -12 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 2 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Struijk, Pascal | Leeds United | 1 | 1 |
| Tanganga, Japhet | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Barnes, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward, Joel | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Stephens, Jack | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
