Tottenham's rare win at Chelsea signals progress under De Zerbi

LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur ended their Stamford Bridge hoodoo on Saturday as Mike Penders' calamitous own goal and Mathys Tel's brilliant late strike gave Spurs a 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea.

Roberto De Zerbi's side had won just one of their previous 33 Premier League visits here, but they deserved this hard-fought victory in rain-swept, windy conditions on Saturday.

Spurs edged an even first half before the game sparked into life in the 69th minute. Mateus Fernandes handled the ball as he attempted to stop Cole Palmer breaking forward. Both players were booked after Palmer leaned into Fernandes, sparking a confrontation between staff from each club on the touchline.

Spurs continued to look more authoritative in possession as Chelsea -- without João Pedro due to an unspecified injury sustained in training Friday -- lacked the attacking fluidity they have shown under Xabi Alonso.

And they took the lead in the 77th minute when Fernandes curled a corner into the box and Penders, on his first league start, punched the ball into his own net.

Palmer was then shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on former Blues midfielder Conor Gallagher before Tel drove forward and unleashed a fine 20-yard shot into the bottom corner. Alonso suffered his first home defeat as Chelsea boss as the Blues remain in fourth place while Spurs climbed up to 12th in the table. -- James Olley

Spurs and De Zerbi secure landmark win

De Zerbi's reaction to Tel's wonderful late strike said everything. It was not unlike Jose Mourinho -- who managed both of these clubs -- famously running down the touchline as the Italian stooped low and made a dart towards the ecstatic away end, which has endured so much pain on this ground over the years.

Spurs' sole Premier League victory here came in April 2018, and few gave them a realistic chance of improving that record after a difficult start to the season. But after spending around £400 million in the summer to revamp their squad, this was the statement win Tottenham have been looking for to kickstart their new era. And they deserved it.

They showed bravery in possession, and although the breakthrough came courtesy of a bad mistake from Penders, it was just reward for the greater threat they showed throughout.

Fernandes has had a mixed start to life at the club, but he was at the heart of everything here: his decision to stop Chelsea's attack sparked the flashpoint that brought the game into life, and it was his corner that Penders turned into his own net.

He had more touches (121) than anyone else, completed 91 of his 99 passes, and made the most tackles (five). That combination of grit and quality is what Spurs have so badly lacked, but this is a result that will give Spurs firm belief that they are finally moving in the right direction. -- Olley

Chelsea's goalkeeper woes continue

After Robert Sánchez's error-strewn start to the season, Chelsea knew they had to act. They turned to Emiliano Martínez and Sánchez left for Como. That experienced head was meant to eradicate the spate of errors we'd seen from former Chelsea goalkeepers.

But with Martínez out with a broken jaw, it was Penders' turn. Penders signed for Chelsea from Genk in 2025, and spent last season on loan at Strasbourg. He has already appeared twice for Chelsea this season, having started both their Carabao Cup matches, where he kept a clean sheet against Luton Town and let in three against Leeds United.

But there were alarm balls against Leeds when he struggled to clear and punched the ball nearly into his own net. And this time on his first league start, he actually managed it. As Fernandes floated across a corner, Penders tried to punch the ball clear, misjudged it, and knocked the ball toward his own goal.

Despite a desperate attempt to clear it off the line, the goal was given, and it was yet another example of a goalkeeper howler to add to Chelsea's nightmarish long list of cases. From there, Tottenham never looked back. -- Tom Hamilton

Chelsea toothless without João Pedro

Chelsea were without Brazilian forward João Pedro, their top scorer this season, and it showed.

Chelsea missed their focal point up front, and there's precedent here. Pedro has sat out just one other league match this season for Chelsea, which was their trip to Brentford back on Sept. 18. Chelsea lost that match 3-0 and lacked any attacking power. Back then it was Danny Welbeck who led the line in Pedro's absence, but with Spurs, it was Rogers who was the spearhead in a 4-2-3-1.

The new-look forward lineup struggled to jell as Palmer had a decent effort saved by Antonín Kinský, Pedro Neto was a constant nuisance and had a couple of efforts that were well saved.

But Geovany Quenda, on his first start, struggled to get into the game in attack, but did do well to prevent Tottenham attempts at counterattacks. Rogers didn't have the same impact leading the line as we've seen when he's been playing behind Pedro and alongside Palmer. And it all left the baffling question as to why Welbeck was left on the bench. -- Hamliton

Palmer and Chelsea lose their discipline

We've been here before. Chelsea's lack of discipline was one of the main talking points of last season, when they had 11 red cards in all competitions across both players and nonplaying staff. Palmer's was their first under Alonso, but it was a far too familiar feeling watching a Chelsea team lose their heads.

Palmer's first yellow card in the 71st minute was a loss of composure, as he barged Fernandes to the turf after the Spurs midfielder swiped away the ball on the ground. It was an act of sheer frustration. Just 10 minutes later, he left a foot in on Gallagher, and referee Chris Kavanagh had very little option but to give him a second yellow.

It summed things up for Chelsea: a maddening performance that never quite clicked. And Palmer's lack of discipline hurt matters even more. Chelsea were meant to have left these instances in previous regimes, but that ugly side of their game reared its head again. -- Hamilton

Maddison's injury nightmare resurfaces

It can be a cruel game. James Maddison started his first game in almost 18 months following ACL surgery against Coventry City on Monday and marked that milestone with a superb opening goal in a much-needed 3-1 win.

De Zerbi admitted at Friday's news conference that he was unsure if Maddison would recover sufficiently to make back-to-back starts but he did so here and had a strong case for being the best player on the pitch in the opening 45 minutes.

It was particularly disappointing for both him and Spurs, then, when he sat down in the center circle just a few minutes into the second period before walking off to be replaced by Conor Gallagher.

The decision to start Maddison again will obviously have been informed by a medical department De Zerbi sought to defend despite the club suffering so many injuries in the past two seasons.

"I am convinced our medical staff this season is high level," De Zerbi said Friday. "I believe in them. I have big confidence because I know how they are working and I think they are good enough to believe in them."

However, losing Maddison for any significant period of time would be another blow to their reputation. -- Olley