In their temporary home, with a turned page towards a bigger future, a whopping crowd and an abundance of flag-waving, drum-beating enthusiasm was not enough to change Tottenham’s Wembley tune. In the 88th minute of their brave new world the sight of Marco Alonso sprinting towards the crowing blue noise in the visitors’ corner prompted a not untypical sight in contemporary football – the signal for a flow of fear-the-worst fans to head for the exits to beat the queues.
Mauricio Pochettino may feel that talk of curses is overblown, unhelpful and not very realistic over the course of a proper season in situ rather than the occasional European drop-ins of the last campaign, but there was no denying how dispiriting it was to begin life as Wembley tenants with a pooped party. A blunt edge, and misjudged defensive moments, helped Chelsea to secure all the points. The decisive moment came when Victor Wanyama (in losing possession) and Hugo Lloris (in allowing the ball to squirm past his body) made avoidable mistakes to turn what would have been a hard-earned comeback draw into a rueful defeat.
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