Premier League

CHELSEA 0 (Palmer sent off 80)
TOTTENHAM 2 (Penders 77 og, Tel 87)

TOTTENHAM secured only their second Premier League win at Stamford Bridge with a superb performance on a rain-soaked afternoon that the travelling supporters will remember for years.

An own goal from Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders and a brilliant late strike from Mathys Tel gave Roberto De Zerbi’s side a deserved 2-0 victory over the Blues, who finished the game with ten men after Cole Palmer’s dismissal.

Not since Dele Alli scored twice in a 3-1 win in April 2018 had Spurs left Stamford Bridge with three points. Before that, you would have to go back to 1990 for their previous league victory at the ground, when Gary Lineker scored the winner.

Speaking after the game, De Zerbi praised his struggling sides collective mentality. In blustery conditions and against a side who are always up for this London derby, his players did not wilt. “We played very well,” said the Tottenham boss. “There were great individual performances, and a great collective performance.

“Then we put something different than Tottenham [in recent times] – different attitude, different relationships with the players, different group.”

De Zerbi was praiseworthy across the group – and rightly so – but highlighted the 90 minutes put in by Mateus Fernandes, the £86m summer signing who has not yet really found his rhythm.

De Zerbi added: “I love watching my players fighting on the pitch. Fernandes played 90 minutes with a big, big, big quality. I want to see Fernandes with personality. I want to see Fernandes enjoy the ball, even if he can make a mistake, it doesn’t matter.

“I want to see this personality from my team. We are a big club. In the last period the results have been not so good, but we are a top club and we must show personality. We must show mentality.”

Results elsewhere meant Spurs headed into the fixture back in the relegation zone, while Chelsea began the afternoon fourth after a positive start under new manager Xabi Alonso.

It was Tottenham, however, who looked the more confident and settled side.

The visitors controlled possession from the opening stages, with Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and James Maddison regularly combining in close quarters to play through Chelsea’s midfield. Maddison was particularly impressive, constantly finding pockets of space and dictating the game’s tempo.

The best opportunity of the first half fell to Omar Marmoush. Andy Robertson combined neatly with Maddison and Tel down the left before playing the ball across the box, but with the goal at his mercy from close range, Marmoush could only direct a tame effort at Penders.

The half was far from one-sided, though. Chelsea carried a significant threat themselves. Antonín Kinsky produced a strong save to tip Palmer’s effort around the post midway through the first half.

After so many poor performances and painful memories at Stamford Bridge over recent years, Spurs headed into the break with the game firmly in the balance.

However, just three minutes after the restart, things took a turn for the worse when Maddison was forced off with an injury and replaced by former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.

It was a worrying sight, as this was only Maddison’s second start since May 2025 due to long-term injury problems. De Zerbi was hopeful afterwards that the injury would not prove serious, stating: “I hope it’s not a big problem because he’s a special player for us. We need him.”

The game remained finely poised as the second half wore on. Chelsea looked dangerous when they broke forward, and Pedro Neto will be disappointed not to have made more of a good opportunity inside the box.

De Zerbi has struggled at times this season to find the right balance in his midfield. In particular, he has struggled to get his big-money summer signings, Fernandes and Tonali, clicking. At Stamford Bridge, it looked like he had finally cracked the code.

Tottenham’s midfield three consistently positioned themselves in triangles close to one another, allowing them to escape Chelsea’s press and progress up the pitch. At the heart of it was Fernandes, who was constantly available for the ball and composed in possession.

A fixture known for its animosity boiled over in the 71st minute. Spurs captain Micky van de Ven was booked for a late challenge on Moises Caicedo before Fernandes handled the ball to halt Chelsea’s counter-attack. Palmer then barged Fernandes to the ground, sparking a confrontation involving players and both benches.

Fernandes and Palmer were booked, although De Zerbi felt the Chelsea forward could have been shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball act of aggression.

Six minutes later came the breakthrough. Penders, making his first Premier League start, failed to deal with Fernandes’ corner under pressure from Jean-Paul van Hecke and punched the ball into his own net.

Chelsea’s afternoon quickly unravelled from there. Only two minutes later, Palmer caught Gallagher late and was shown a second yellow card. The Chelsea players protested, but looking at the replay, Palmer will have few complaints.

With Spurs a goal and a man up, they were well on the way to a famous victory. The decisive moment came in the 87th minute. Tel won possession inside his own half before driving directly at the Chelsea defence, cutting inside past Maxence Lacroix and firing low into the corner to send the travelling support into delirium.

For a player who has struggled at times to make his mark since joining Spurs permanently, it was a fabulous individual goal.

The away side begun the afternoon in the relegation zone and facing one of the most difficult fixtures on their calendar. Yet they left Stamford Bridge having secured what must be De Zerbi’s finest victory since taking charge.

Chelsea had their chances, but Spurs were comfortably the better side over the 90 minutes. After a difficult start to the season, they will hope this result will finally kickstart their campaign.

Chelsea: Penders, Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato (Palestra, 65), Caicedo, Henderson, Palmer, Rogers, Neto (Welbeck, 88), Quenda (Estevao, 72)
Substitutes not used: Sharman-Lowe, Fofana, Barco, Gusto, Nicoll-Jazuli, Lavia

Tottenham: Kinsky, Robertson (Porro, 64), van Hecke, Van de Ven, Gray, Tonali, Fernandes, Maddison (Gallagher, 51), Kudus (Kulusevski, 89), Marmoush (Solanke, 64), Tel (Davies, 89)
Substitutes not used: Dubravka, Sensi, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett