The Premier League games Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie will miss after Chelsea red cards
- Tottenham were reduced to nine men in a Premier League classic against Chelsea on 5 November
- Cristian Romero was first dismissed for following through on Enzo Fernandez
- Destiny Udogie picked up a second yellow card early in the second half
THE BARCLAYS.
If Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Chelsea was your first experience of football, be warned: it simply doesn't get much better than that. This was a drunken contest that started with overwhelming Lilywhite verve.
A deflected Dejan Kulusevski opener handed Spurs an early lead, and they came within inches of doubling it through Son Heung-min. The stage seemed set for an emphatic home win, but the contest tilted drastically following a two-footed lunge from high-flyer Destiny Udogie on Raheem Sterling that could've easily drawn red from Michael Oliver's pocket. Yellow sufficed.
Ange Postecolgou's side were thriving off an ebullient home crowd, but Udogie's challenge saw their heightened emotion spill into ill-discipline. Cristian Romero, a figure of calm at the start of 2023/24, was the first to succumb as old habits took charge before Udogie, part of Ange's courageous/bold/suicidal (however you want to dress it up) defensive line received his marching orders for another untimely lunge on Sterling.
So, a night that started so superbly for Spurs ended with many pondering over their short- and long-term outlooks. Injuries to James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were arguably of greater concern than Monday night's result, while Udogie and Romero will serve suspensions. But what games will Tottenham's defensive duo miss?
What games will Destiny Udogie miss for Tottenham?
Udogie has been nothing short of revelatory for Postecoglou's side this season. There were doubts over whether he'd feature on Monday night due to an ankle injury, but the Italian started and lasted just 55 minutes after picking up his second yellow card.
The former Udinese full-back was fortunate not to earn a straight red card for his first challenge on Sterling, and he could have no complaints about his second booking. He knew straight away.
The young Italian full-back will miss just one game, though. Udogie will be absent when Tottenham visit Wolverhampton Wanderers next Saturday lunchtime.
- Games Udogie will miss: Wolves (11/11/23)
What games will Cristian Romero miss for Tottenham?
After a sub-par 2022/23 campaign, Romero has returned to his most dominant form at the start of the new season before relapsing during Monday's London derby.
The Argentine's petulant kick on Levi Colwill just minutes after Udogie's two-footed tackle on Sterling set the tone for his later over-exuberance.
Romero was dismissed amid an utterly chaotic sequence. Moises Caicedo's strike from distance was ruled out due to an offside, but Romero's challenge in the build-up was then punished following VAR intervention. The defender followed through on compatriot Enzo Fernandez inside the box which warranted not only a Chelsea penalty but a straight red card.
It was his fourth red card in just over 70 appearances for Tottenham, and his latest dismissal will see him miss the next three games. He'll join Udogie on the sidelines for the trip to Wolves, and will also miss a home game against Aston Villa as well as the huge clash away at Manchester City.
With Van de Ven set for a prolonged period on the sidelines, who knows what Spurs' defence will look like for their next three games.
- Games Romero will miss: Wolves (11/11/23), Aston Villa (26/11/23), Man City (03/12/23)
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