Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, condemning Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou to a record he’d rather forget – the first Spurs boss to lose his first four Premier League encounters against the Blues.
Enzo Maresca’s side started brightly at Stamford Bridge, nearly breaking the deadlock within the opening minute. A dangerous ball from Trevoh Chalobah almost found Nicolas Jackson, with the ball ultimately hitting the post after a deflection.
Tottenham’s defence looked shaky throughout the first half. Marc Cucurella’s through ball found Malo Gusto, whose shot grazed the side netting.
Jackson then had a golden opportunity in the penalty box but fired his effort over the bar. Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had a nervy start, but he made a good save to tip over Jadon Sancho’s cross, after the Manchester United loanee was picked out by Pedro Neto. Despite Chelsea’s dominance, the first half ended goalless.
The breakthrough for Chelsea finally arrived in the 50th minute. Cole Palmer delivered an inviting cross into the box, and Enzo Fernández rose highest to power a header past Vicario, giving the visitors a well-deserved lead.
Chelsea thought they had doubled their advantage when Moisés Caicedo struck a superb volley following a Fernández set piece, but a lengthy VAR review ruled out the goal for an offside in the build-up.
Tottenham briefly believed they had snatched an equaliser when Pape Matar Sarr’s speculative shot squirmed past Robert Sánchez. However, VAR intervened once again, penalising Sarr for a foul on Caicedo in the process.
Despite offering very little in attack, Tottenham had a late chance to level the score. Brennan Johnson’s cross found Son Heung-min at the far post, but Sánchez was on hand to make a crucial save with his feet.
Ultimately, it wasn’t a classic derby encounter, lacking the thrilling edge of previous meetings between these two London rivals. Nevertheless, Chelsea won’t be complaining as they secured their 10th Premier League victory in their last 13 matches against Tottenham.
For Tottenham, this marks their ninth away Premier League defeat of the season. Only Leicester City and Southampton have suffered more losses on the road, leaving Postecoglou’s side languishing in 14th place in the table. The win is a significant boost for Chelsea as they aim to secure a Champions League spot, while Tottenham will need to regroup quickly after another disappointing performance.
