Tottenham clinched a Premier League win at Chelsea for just the second time in 36 years as a woeful own goal from Blues keeper Mike Penders was followed by Cole Palmer’s red card in Saturday’s 2-0 victory.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side clinched their second successive league win thanks to Penders’s howler in the second half at a rain-lashed Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea forward Palmer was sent off for a second booking moments later before Mathys Tel produced a superb solo effort to condemn the Blues to their first home defeat against Tottenham since 2018.
Since 1990, Tottenham had won just once in 41 previous away matches against London rivals Chelsea in all competitions.
Ending that miserable run gave Tottenham only their second win in their last 16 league games against Chelsea, both home and away, and their first since 2023.
After a dismal start to the season, Tottenham have climbed to 12th place after building on Monday’s win against Coventry, which ended their wait for a first league win this season.
It was a bitter blow for fourth-placed Chelsea, who had beaten Bournemouth and Everton in their previous two league games.
They were booed off at full-time and remain very much a work in progress under Xabi Alonso in the Spaniard’s first season in charge.
With Joao Pedro sidelined by a late injury, Morgan Rogers was Chelsea’s central striker, but their revamped attack was short of bite.
Teed up by Rogers after Pedro Neto stole possession from Mateus Fernandes, Palmer went close to an early opener with a curler that Antonin Kinsky tipped over at full stretch.
Tottenham responded with a spell of probing pressure as Omar Marmoush met Andy Robertson’s cross with a shot that was repelled by Penders.
Alonso’s men pieced together the best move of the half with a flurry of one-touch passes to reach Jordan Henderson on the edge of the area, but the midfielder’s low drive was palmed away by Kinsky.
Spurs spring a surprise
Neto tested Kinsky with a fierce blast but the Tottenham keeper was up to the task with a save at his near post.
Tottenham suffered a blow when often-injured midfielder James Maddison limped off in a premature end to only his second start since May 2025.
Maddison had already missed training sessions since his long-awaited start against Coventry and his latest fitness setback suggested it was a failed gamble to start him at the Bridge.
In keeping with the sloppy fare, Neto fired straight at Kinsky from a dangerous position after Palmer pounced on Sandro Tonali’s wayward pass.
When Palmer’s run was halted by Fernandes’s handball, the Chelsea star escaped with a yellow card after barging into his rival with such aggression that the Tottenham midfielder was sent crashing to the sodden turf.
Tottenham exacted swift revenge in the 77th minute.
Fernandes’s in-swinging corner should have been caught by Penders, but he opted for a punch that was completely mistimed as he diverted the ball into his net for a comical own goal.
It was a horrible moment for the 21-year-old Penders, who was making his first league start in the absence of Emiliano Martinez following jaw surgery.
Rubbing salt into Chelsea’s wounds, Palmer was dismissed three minutes later for an ugly stamp on Conor Gallagher.
Tel wrapped up Tottenham’s memorable triumph in fitting style in the 87th minute, skipping away from Chelsea’s flat-footed defence to drill a fine finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
AFP
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