By Samuel A. December 9, 2024
Chelsea came from two goals behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 and move second in the Premier League table. Cole Palmer was on target twice from the penalty spot, as Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez scored in another blockbuster between the London rivals.
Much like this fixture last season, it was an entertaining and enjoyable opening 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs took control of the early stages following two key mistakes by Marc Cucurella.
Brennan Johnson made the most of the defender’s first mistake, snatching the ball from him following a slip and driving down the right, before crossing for Dominic Solanke to open the scoring excellently inside the first five minutes.
Six minutes later, Cucurella fell victim to the slippery surface for the second time when he went down again, this time allowing Spurs to find Dejan Kulusevski on the edge of the box, and he fired the hosts two goals ahead. He then went down the touchline to change the boots he was wearing, which were apparently the reason behind the two clumsy mistakes. Tottenham, however, could not hold on to the two-goal lead for long, as Sancho drilled home from 20 yards to put Chelsea back in the game four minutes later.
A major talking point in the first half before the comeback was when Moises Caicedo caught Pape Sarr with his studs high in a late challenge, but after a swift VAR check, the midfielder was surprisingly cleared.
Chelsea started the second half on the front foot and their persistence paid off on the hour mark as Caicedo won a penalty following a reckless challenge from Yves Bissouma. Palmer was on hand to slot home the spot kick and pull Enzo Maresca’s side level.
In another moment of madness, Sarr shoved Palmer in the back to gift the visitors another penalty, which was dispatched with a Panenka by Palmer. Spurs grabbed a consolation through Son Heung-min in the final stages, but Chelsea held on for all three points while Spurs slumped to a third game without a win. Further bad news for Ange Postecoglou and Spurs, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were passed fit to start the match, but both were forced off with injuries.
Maresca looks to have sorted the mess out that was Chelsea and now he has them in contention for the Premier League. It is only December, and they may not go on and win it, but they have proved they are definitely in the race and are currently Liverpool’s strongest contenders.
Postecoglou on the other hand has called for January signings, as the inconsistency of some players, as well as injury crisis, have cost them several times this season already.
