Don’t listen to Enzo Maresca. Chelsea really is a Premier League challenger this season.
In a wild London derby, Chelsea conceded twice in the opening 11 minutes before recovering brilliantly for a 4-3 win at Tottenham to move four points behind Liverpool on Sunday. Cole Palmer sealed the comeback with an impudent “Panenka” penalty — one of his two converted spot kicks in the match.
Liverpool, the league leader, was inactive this round after a storm forced the postponement of the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday. It gave Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool's closest challengers, an opportunity to apply some pressure.
Chelsea did so. Arsenal couldn't, however, after only drawing 1-1 with Fulham, despite adding to its lengthy list of goals from corners.
Maresca has been insisting Chelsea's youthful squad shouldn't be considered a contender to win the league this season. His players are too young and inexperienced, he maintains.
Few will accept that now.
After an unprecedented spending spree on players of over $1.3 billion over the last five transfer windows, Chelsea finally has a consistent team — led by Palmer on the field and with impressive direction from Maresca off it.
The Blues' only losses in the league have been to Manchester City — in the opening round, way before the champion's recent meltdown — and Liverpool. They've won their last four league games, scoring 14 goals in the process.
Arsenal, meanwhile, is getting most of its goals from set pieces.
William Saliba — one of two scorers from corners in the 2-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday — repeated the trick in the 52nd minute against Fulham to earn his team a point at Craven Cottage. Raul Jimenez put Fulham ahead in the 11th.
Arsenal trimmed the gap to Liverpool to six points but this will go down as a wasted opportunity.
Bukayo Saka had what looked like being a winning goal for Arsenal ruled out for offside against fellow winger Gabriel Martinelli in the buildup in the 88th.
**LATE GOALS**
Bournemouth and Leicester left it very late to pick up points from losing positions.
Jamie Vardy scored in the 86th and set up another goal for Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the first minute of stoppage time as Leicester staged a late recovery to draw 2-2 at home to Brighton in Ruud van Nistelrooy's second match in charge. He won his first, against West Ham, 3-1 on Tuesday.
Tariq Lamptey and Yankuba Minteh had given Brighton its two-goal cushion.
Bournemouth scored in the 87th, and again in the fifth minute of added-on time through Dango Ouattara, to win 2-1 at Ipswich, which stayed in the relegation zone with just one victory this season. Conor Chaplin put Ipswich ahead in the 21st.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.