Parsley

Elliot's kicking has been abysmal.

fuck sake.

He's been influential, was at the centre of that wee spell of possession we had towards the end of the half.

I couldn't believe Kachunga wasn't punished for booting Chancel in the face like

Will take that. Poor for the first 15-20 mins, better after that. Ritchie and Perez have both done well.

Referee has been pathetic so far.

Blatant show of dissent, no yellow.

Appreciate he's been starved of the ball in the main but Gayle's touch has been wank so far.

What was even wrong with that?

Naughty from Mounie.

Mbemba BUSTED OPEN

Rafa looked miffed at the Ashley questions more than anything IMO. Definitely sounded upset with how the game went - understandably so.

Well, Shelvey wasn't making good decisions before he was sent off. Doubt he was told to lump the ball forward at every opportunity. I think part of the plan was to release Gayle quickly from turnovers though, which necessitates the odd long ball. Agree that he wasn't good mind.

Loved it when Lascelles wiped him out with a great tackle. He got triggered by it, the c***. I was fuming at that - pathetic from Alli. Not convinced Rafa will suffer Shelvey for any longer. Part of the reason for Mitrovic seeing so little gametime is supposedly because Rafa can't trust him - Shelvey, for my money, is just as much a liability.

They really didn't like. Did nothing until well into the second half and even that was from a set piece. We looked more accomplished and created more in open play against a side that is more settled and more capable defensively than City. They had 6 attempts. How many did we have? How many of those were meaningful chances? I can think of 2 out of those 6, both the result of a set-piece. Also ignores the fact that Brighton were able to field 11 players for the entirety of the match; self-inflicted or not, going down to 10 hampered us significantly from an offensive perspective and Rafa and the rest of the team cannot legislate for Shelvey's sheer idiocy. As Neesy says, Brighton could've easily been a couple down by half-time whereas Spurs rarely threatened until the sending off.

They really didn't like. Did nothing until well into the second half and even that was from a set piece. We looked more accomplished and created more in open play against a side that is more settled and more capable defensively than City.

The fact that Bournemouth don't seem interested is quite telling IMO.

Disastrous result on the face of it but I thought we did alright, at least up until Shelvey's inexcusable moment of madness. Atsu was one of the best players on the pitch from either side; Hayden, Clark and Manquillo also fared well. Very accomplished cameo from Merino as well, albeit against a Spurs midfield who were very much going through the motions in the latter stages of the game. The losses to 3 key players are the primary concern. Kane's challenge on Lejeune was nasty and more should be done to outlaw tackles of that nature where the standing leg is scissored. Shelvey is a fucking idiot and his dismissal completely changed the game. I fucking hate Dele Alli mind, can't abide by the sort who make a thing of trying to get other players sent off. The way he fronted up to Lascelles after that inch-perfect tackle in the first half was absolutely pathetic. Odious, snide little shite who will hopefully get what he deserves

Not particularly a fan of loaning players from the same league but he's competition for the wing and can cover left back, a position we're massively vulnerable at. So it's probably legitimately good news. Agree in principle but in this instance I reckon there'll be an option to buy ala Atsu. I don't think Kenedy has a particularly bright future at Chelsea.

£4m-£5m will get him by the sounds and I think we'll stretch to that. Wonder if he'd be a replacement for Mitro actually as they seem to be quite similar in terms of style.

Davy Propper to Brighton.

too lightweight. de Jong's physically better equipped to play as a 10 than Perez IMO. Think back to the last game against the Mackems - Kirchhoff bullied Perez in the centre, particularly when Perez received the ball with his back to goal. Rafa saw this, moved Perez wide and brought de Jong on to match Kirchhoff and we looked much better in the middle as a result. Ultimately it'll be horses for courses between the two I think - suspect that de Jong will work better with Gayle leading the line and Ayoze with Mitro.

Shelvey has been given an obscene amount of time and space so far. Spurs is going to be a big shock.