There are days when things just go wrong at Stamford Bridge, and there are days when Tottenham come to town and win. When it comes to the latter, those days have happened just twice since 1992. Saturday evening was the second time.
Xabi Alonso’s men fell to a rain-soaked 2-0 defeat at the hands of Roberto De Zerbi’s side, undone by a Mike Penders own goal and a late effort from Mathys Tel. In between, there was a red card for Cole Palmer, because apparently nothing could go our way.
Chelsea struggled without Joao Pedro, managing just seven shots and an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.43. They also lost the possession battle, with Spurs dominating the ball at 68%. This was Tottenham’s first league victory at the Bridge since April 2018 and only the second in their 35 Premier League games there.
Here’s how all the players performed:
Mike Penders – 4/10
Penders put in two great saves in the first half, including a point-blank stop to deny Omar Marmoush. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old was caught out trying to punch an inswinging corner and put the ball into his own net. He now joins Petr Cech as the only two Chelsea goalkeepers to score an own goal in the Premier League.
Josh Acheampong – 5.5/10
Acheampong struggled against the pace of Tel and Andy Robertson’s overlapping runs down the right. The centre back put in three tackles and fought hard throughout the game, but his passing accuracy was poor (45%).
Maxence Lacroix – 7/10
Lacroix was the best defender for Chelsea and played a vital role in this game. He was strong in the air, showed good anticipation, and even made a good forward run after winning the ball in the second half. He couldn’t hook Penders’ punch away, but I’m not blaming him.
Levi Colwill – 6.5/10
Colwill had an okay game, playing his usual calm self down the left of the back three. He put in three tackles and had an 84% passing accuracy. However, he couldn’t stop the late collapse.
Pedro Neto – 7/10
Neto was the only real, tangible attacking threat for Chelsea. He forced two saves from Antonin Kinsky, one in each half, and worked hard to track back against the overloads down Spurs’ left. The 79th-minute booking was harsh, but the game seemed entirely out of our grasp by that point.
Moises Caicedo – 7/10
Caicedo was in a dominant mood, running into tackles on the wet pitch. He won the ball back numerous times and kept the team in the game. However, he was not influential with the ball, and his passing accuracy was poor.
Jordan Henderson – 5/10
Henderson came into the game as Chelsea’s highest-rated available player in the league this season. Unfortunately, at 36, he struggled to keep up with Mateus Fernandes for the full 90 minutes. He forced one save and made a block, but his passing accuracy was a messy 64%.
Jorrel Hato – 5.5/10
Kudus gave Hato a long and difficult evening down the left. The Dutchman showed good pace and work rate but won only 4 of his 10 duels. He has had much better performances this season.
Cole Palmer – 3/10
Palmer received a yellow card in the 71st minute for barging into Fernandes, and I felt he was lucky not to get sent off. Nine minutes later, he was sent off after putting his studs on Conor Gallagher. He created two chances but showed no composure whatsoever.
Geovany Quenda – 5/10
Quenda was given his first Premier League start due to Joao Pedro’s injury, and it was a big ask. He won a few early fouls but only had 30 touches before being substituted. He didn’t make much of a difference before being replaced by Estevao.
Morgan Rogers – 5/10
Rogers was asked to play as a false nine, meaning he spent most of the game all alone between Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven. He forced one decent save in the first half but faded quickly. He received a stoppage-time booking for kicking out at an opponent.
Marco Palestra – 5/10
Palestra came on in the 65th minute, replacing Hato. He made a couple of good blocks late on but didn’t do much else.
Estevao – 6/10
Estevao was brought on in the 72nd minute to a roar from the crowd. He hit the side netting immediately, but then Palmer was sent off, which affected how much he could attack. He didn’t create any magic and chased shadows for the rest of his cameo.
Danny Welbeck – N/A
Welbeck came on in the 88th minute, replacing Neto and barely getting wet before the match ended. Many fans will be wondering why he wasn’t playing up top from the first whistle.