Tottenham left Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 victory that did rather more than spoil Chelsea’s attempt at a third straight win after the international break. It was Spurs’ first league success there since April 2018, and a needed sign of life after they had gone through the opening six rounds without a win.
Why it landed this week
- Chelsea
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Cole Palmer
- Mathys Tel
- Mike Penders
Chelsea had returned from the break in good order, beating Bournemouth and Everton, but their momentum stopped abruptly against a Tottenham side coming off a win over Coventry. The home side were beaten by errors, a red card and, eventually, Tel’s decisive running.
Mike Penders continued in goal after being required following Emiliano Martínez’s serious injury the previous week. Jorrel Hato was selected ahead of Chavarría on the left, while Quenda joined Morgan Rogers and Palmer in attack after João Pedro was ruled out late on.
Tottenham, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, were without Adarabioyo and could not use the three-man defensive line deployed against Coventry. Mateus Fernandes came into midfield, with Tel’s inclusion allowing Marmoush to lead the line.
The match began at a fierce pace. Chelsea’s first opportunity followed Pedro Neto’s high regain, Palmer forcing Antonín Kinsky into a flying stop from the edge of the area. Mohammed Kudus replied almost immediately with a similarly struck effort that drifted narrowly wide.
Spurs gradually took control of territory. Marmoush tested Penders with a modest finish from the middle of the box after good work on the left by Robertson and Tel, then Tel was denied by the Belgian goalkeeper when through one-on-one.
Chelsea found a measure of their own rhythm before half-time, asking more of Kinsky, but the second period brought an early setback for Tottenham when James Maddison was injured. Conor Gallagher replaced him in the attacking-midfield role, entering to whistles from the home crowd.
Neto soon tested Kinsky again as Chelsea tried to seize on Tottenham’s disruption. Xabi Alonso turned to his bench, bringing on Palestra and Estêvão; the latter sent his first effort into the side netting.
Penders’ error changes the afternoon
Tottenham had become less smooth in possession, yet found their breakthrough with under 15 minutes left. Sandro Tonali delivered a corner and Penders misjudged his attempt to claim it. Levi Colwill could not clear on the line, and Spurs had the lead.
Palmer’s afternoon then unravelled. Having already been booked following a confrontation with Mateus Fernandes, he was sent off three minutes later for a heavy challenge on Gallagher.
With the extra man, Tottenham made the result safe late on. Tel collected the ball inside his own half, beat Acheampong and drove forward before drilling a low finish inside the near post from outside the penalty area.
For Chelsea, a promising return from the break ended with a defeat that will linger beyond the final whistle. Tottenham, meanwhile, have begun to put results together after their slow start — and Stamford Bridge, for once, offered them more than an awkward afternoon.
