Tottenham secured a precious victory in the London derby, defeating Chelsea 2-0 on Saturday evening to continue their resurgence following a disastrous start to the season.
The victory at Stamford Bridge came as part of the eighth round of the Premier League, handing Chelsea their first home defeat in the league under Xabi Alonso and halting their pursuit of a third consecutive win.
Following a goalless first half that saw chances for both sides, Tottenham waited until the 77th minute to open the scoring when goalkeeper Mike Penders mishandled a corner under pressure from Jan Paul van Hecke, turning the ball into his own net for an own goal.
The home side’s troubles deepened with the dismissal of Cole Palmer in the 80th minute, receiving a second booking for a foul on Conor Gallagher. This brought the number of red cards shown to Chelsea players in the Premier League since the start of last season to nine—at least four more than any other club—bringing discipline issues back into focus just as the Blues needed an equalizer.
Mathys Tel capitalized on the circumstances to settle the encounter with a second goal in the 87th minute, granting Tottenham only their second-ever Premier League victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and their first since a 3-1 win in 2018, while also snapping a six-match losing streak against their neighbors in the competition.
The win highlights the improvement of Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who have collected seven points from their last three matches—drawing with Manchester United before defeating Coventry City and Chelsea—after failing to win any of their opening six rounds.
Tottenham raised their tally to nine points, temporarily climbing from 16th to 12th place, while Chelsea remained frozen at 13 points in fourth place, trailing leaders Manchester City and second-placed Arsenal (who are level on points) by eight points.
Chelsea now faces a daunting week; they visit Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday, October 28, in the round of 16 of the EFL Cup, before hosting Manchester United on Saturday, October 31, in the league, followed by an away match against Sunderland on November 7.
As for Tottenham, they host Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 31, before traveling to face Leeds United on November 7. The team gets a full week to prepare for the upcoming derby, given their absence from European competitions and their third-round exit from the EFL Cup against Liverpool (3-1).
