Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 win at London rivals Chelsea – only their second at Stamford Bridge since Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s prime minister – was greeted by their coach, players and fans as a turning point in their season.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men were bottom of the Premier League before they beat fellow strugglers Coventry City 3-1 at home on Monday, and Saturday’s victory propelled them to 12th place pending the rest of the weekend’s fixtures. The north Londoners had won once in their previous 41 visits to Chelsea in all competitions – a run stretching back to February 1990 when Gary Lineker scored the winning goal. There was a touch of luck to the result – the match seemed to be heading to a 0-0 stalemate before Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders, on his full Premier League debut, punched the ball into his own net from a Matheus Fernandes corner. Spurs dominated possession with 70% of the ball over the match and 15 shots to Chelsea’s seven.
The Blues, who remain fourth in the table ahead of Sunday’s matches, looked far from their fluent best and missed the focal point of top scorer Joao Pedro, who was injured in training on Friday and is due to undergo tests in the coming days. In between the goals, Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer was sent off for the first time in his senior career when he was booked twice in nine minutes.
