Cole Palmer celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s fourth goal against Tottenham.
Cole Palmer celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s fourth goal from the penalty spot.
It was Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham in microcosm. A couple of steps forward; more in the opposite direction. Where it left the manager was the biggest question as Chelsea roared back from 2-0 down to win yet again, surging into second place in the Premier League table.
They are ahead of Arsenal and only four points behind Liverpool, albeit the leaders have a game in hand. It is becoming increasingly difficult to believe the manager, Enzo Maresca, when he argues that Chelsea are not title contenders. They had so much good stuff here. Above all, they had Cole Palmer.
The TV cameras made the obligatory cut-aways to the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, with about 15 minutes to go, inviting everybody to wonder what he will do with Postecoglou, who had said two weeks ago that he would be in trouble if his team was still in mid-table at Christmas. They have only two matches to play before then – away at Southampton, home to Liverpool.
It is not just that they are now 11th. One of the main takeaways was how little belief they showed, even if they did manage a late goal for 4-3 from Son Heung-min. It was over by then.
Assurance is not a problem for Chelsea. Or Palmer. He had already equalised from the penalty spot for 2-2 when he mesmerised Destiny Udogie and three other Spurs defenders on the right before sending over a cross that deflected and found Enzo Fernández, who blasted Chelsea in front.
It looked as though Spurs had had enough of Palmer, driven to distraction. It was the only explanation for why Pape Sarr barged into the back of him on the right-hand side of the area. It was another clear penalty. Palmer pulled off an audacious Panenka; the ultimate snapshot of Chelsea’s supremacy.
After everything that happened between Postecoglou and the travelling Spurs support at Bournemouth last Thursday, it felt significant to see the manager applaud the South Stand at length before kick-off. Friends again? It was the case after 11 minutes, Spurs making the dream start. It never looked like lasting.
The opening exchanges had been the stuff of nightmares for Chelsea and especially Marc Cucurella, who lost his footing twice – with devastating consequences. The first was the real howler, Cucurella trying to turn onto a square pass from Levi Colwill and feeling no purchase in his studs. Brennan Johnson robbed him and raced up the right to cross but credit to Dominic Solanke, whose movement inside the area was too sharp for Colwill. The first-time finish was lethal.
Maresca could not believe the errors from his players at the outset, even though they looked menacing when they moved up the field. That was the case throughout. It was deja vu when Cucurella slipped again and Spurs regained possession, Dejan Kulusevski skating from right to left, along the edge of the area, before jamming a low shot inside the near post. It was the prompt for Cucurella to rush over and change his footwear.
Enzo Fernández scores Chelsea’s third goal against Tottenham.
Enzo Fernández fires Chelsea into the lead in the 73rd minute. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Chelsea never panicked. They never lost the feeling that they would have enough to come back. The first half was wild, end-to-end, so open and it was no surprise when Chelsea pulled one back. Spurs had been boosted by the returns of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven from injuries; the latter was the surprise. Romero did not last long. He appeared to feel something in his thigh in the eighth minute after pulling off a high-risk back heel inside his own area and he found that he could not continue.
On came Radu Dragusin and he was one of the Spurs defenders who could not get out to the excellent Jadon Sancho as the Chelsea winger sliced inside from the left. Sancho’s low shot was a beauty, shaped into the far corner. Van de Ven would be forced off before the end, another injury added to the insults.
There was controversy before the interval and we are not talking about the South Standers who threw screwed-up bits of tifo cardboard at Chelsea’s corner-takers, including Palmer. They were told to pack it in at half-time, which was a bit late. Perhaps Palmer took it personally.
Moisés Caicedo was a lucky boy when he followed through hard into Sarr’s lower shin. Anthony Taylor missed the flashpoint and the VAR, Jarred Gillett, deemed there was no serious foul play and therefore no red card. Kulusevski would also get away with an elbow on Roméo Lavia. Again, there was no action.
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Chelsea, quick and enterprising in possession, had the chances to equalise before the break, the big one being created by Fernández for Palmer; incredibly, he missed his kick from close-range. Pedro Neto extended Fraser Forster after jinking and banging low for the near corner.
Spurs had their first-half opportunities, too. Son curled just past the far top corner; Sarr headed against the crossbar from a Son corner; Solanke could not finish from a low Son cross.
Maresca made a change for the second-half, Malo Gusto on at right-back, Caicedo into midfield on a full-time basis. Previously, he had been there only in possession. Lavia made way. It was to shore up against the threat of Son.
Chelsea piled forward. They could sense vulnerability in Spurs as a defensive entity. Everybody could. Probably even Postecoglou. It was one-way traffic after the restart. Sancho drew an excellent save out of Forster. Fernández bent a shot just wide.
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Spurs lost Johnson to a muscle injury and it was clear that the equaliser was coming. Postecoglou’s team were jittery. The stadium was a sea of anxiety. When the goal for 2-2 came, it was because of a rush of blood by Yves Bissouma. He had lost the ball initially on the Spurs left and when Sancho, back on the other side, worked it through for Caicedo, Bissouma leapt in to scythe him down. The Spurs substitute, Timo Werner, had his head in his hands before the penalty was given.
The outcome was never in doubt with Palmer. He was outstanding in the second half and there would be plenty more to come from him. Son and Van de Ven would go close at 2-2 but there was only inevitability about the result.