Chelsea lost 2-0 to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge after a troubled evening in which Cole Palmer was sent off, goalkeeper Mike Penders scored an own goal and Xabi Alonso’s side were heavily criticised for their performance.
Tottenham controlled the match and secured only their second Premier League away win at Chelsea in 35 attempts, with Mathys Tel’s late strike adding to the hosts’ misery. The result was Roberto De Zerbi’s side’s first league victory at Stamford Bridge since April 2018.
Gary Neville described Chelsea as “awful” and said they had been “outplayed” and “out-coached” by Spurs, who dominated the midfield and repeatedly exposed the home side’s lack of fluency in possession.
“Chelsea have been awful, really. On the ball, they’ve been well short. Nowhere near the level. I am stunned,” Neville said.
Chelsea’s problems began before half-time, when Penders failed to claim a corner and punched the ball into his own net. It was the goalkeeper’s first start in place of Emiliano Martinez, who is expected to be sidelined for some time after undergoing surgery on a fractured jaw.
Jamie Redknapp called the error “monumental”, saying Penders had approached the cross without sufficient authority and had been hesitant under pressure.
“Of course you will make mistakes but it is how you handle it. He has to get on with it and show some character,” Redknapp said.
Penders is Chelsea’s main remaining option after Robert Sanchez was allowed to join Como following Martinez’s arrival from Aston Villa. Teddy Sharman-Lowe, the other goalkeeper in the match-day squad against Tottenham, has not made a competitive senior appearance for the club.
Cole Palmer sent off as Chelsea lose control
Palmer’s dismissal compounded a disjointed display. The England international had earlier confronted Mateus Fernandes after the Tottenham midfielder deliberately handled the ball to halt a Chelsea counter-attack.
Palmer then barged into Fernandes, an incident that was checked by VAR and resulted in a yellow card rather than a straight red. Neville believed the decision could have gone against the Chelsea forward.
“I think that could be a red. If this wasn’t at Stamford Bridge, I think it’s a red,” he said.
Palmer was eventually dismissed for a second bookable offence after catching Conor Gallagher late. The red card was Chelsea’s 100th in the Premier League, excluding cards that were later rescinded.
Morgan Rogers was also booked for a challenge on Gallagher, with Neville suggesting Chelsea could have been reduced to nine men. Redknapp said the frustration had spread through the team as Spurs continued to dominate.
“They started to lose their heads. It was frustration as they couldn’t get near them,” Redknapp said.
Chelsea had started without a recognised striker following the surprise absence of Joao Pedro. Danny Welbeck and Estevao were both named on the bench, but Welbeck was not introduced until the 88th minute, by which point Chelsea were already two goals behind.
Neville said Chelsea had been unable to match Tottenham’s midfield combinations, with Palmer, Rogers, Jordan Henderson and Moises Caicedo struggling to influence the game.
“Tottenham’s combinations and patterns in midfield were really good,” he said. “They absolutely bossed the game.”
Alonso accepted responsibility for a collective failure, saying: “I feel for everyone. This is collective, this is a team thing. We are all disappointed, but we need to move on.”
