Richarlison accused of ‘lacking football intelligence’ after incident in Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Chelsea
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Credit: Imago Wed 20 May 2026 8:00, UK Richarlison was part of the Tottenham Hotspur side that lost 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos put the Blues 2-0 up and in control of the match.While Richarlison managed to get a goal back, Spurs could not rescue a draw, meaning that the Premier League relegation battle will go into the final matchday this Sunday.Before Spurs’ consolation goal, one of their only chances came in early in the second half, when a fabulous Mathys Tel ball found Richarlison before he fluffed the chance.Replays showed that the striker was also comfortably offside, with Paul Robinson far from impressed during Tottenham’s damning defeat. MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Paul Robinson: Richarlison lacked football intelligenceRicharlison has stepped up since De Zerbi’s appointment at Tottenham and has been crucial in their recent set of results.The striker picked up an assist against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1-0 win and scored in the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.Richarlison’s stats vs ChelseaMinutes 90Goals 1xG0.96Shots 3Big chances created1Touches in opposition box 5Richarlison had a solid overall match against Chelsea.
Credit: FotmobOn top of this, he also put in a solid display against Leeds United as they drew 1-1 in what could prove to be an extremely valuable point come the end of the campaign.However, at many points against Chelsea, Richarlison struggled in what was easily Spurs’ biggest game of the season.Full-time. pic.twitter.com/s05X9kPdeG— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 19, 2026 His offside early in the second half drew particular criticism, with Robinson quick to question the attacker’s footballing intelligence.He told BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra on 19 May: “Richarlison is three or four yards offside. There’s no way he should be offside there.“It’s a lack of football intelligence.”While Richarlison leave in the summer?Former Manchester United scout Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider that Richarlison could leave Tottenham in the upcoming summer transfer window.If Spurs are to be relegated, then a number of high-profile players could consider their futures in North London.Alongside Richarlison, the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven could be tempted to explore new challenges if Spurs find themselves in the Championship for the upcoming campaign.Going into the final day, Tottenham host Everton, with a point likely to be enough to stay in the Premier League, barring a massive West Ham victory.However, it remains to be seen if Spurs are able to complete this task and avoid an embarrassing relegation to the English second-tier.
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