Tottenham beat Chelsea as Cole Palmer sees red at Stamford Bridge
Tottenham Hotspur secured just their second Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge in 34 visits as a late Chelsea implosion handed Roberto De Zerbi a landmark 2-0 derby triumph.
An uninspiring encounter burst into life during the final quarter of an hour in West London, where goalkeeper Mike Penders suffered a nightmare moment before Cole Palmer received his marching orders.
Penders howler breaks Stamford Bridge deadlock
Chelsea had managed to hold the visitors at bay until the 77th minute, when Penders turned the ball into his own net to give Tottenham the lead.
Things quickly deteriorated for the home team when Palmer was shown two yellow cards in rapid succession, leaving Chelsea down to 10 men for the closing stages.
The England attacker earned his first booking for a reaction after Mateus Fernandes handled to break up a Chelsea attack, before receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on substitute Conor Gallagher.
Mathys Tel then sealed the three points for Tottenham 10 minutes from time, finishing off a brilliant individual run with a long-range strike to cap off a miserable evening for Xabi Alonso’s side.
De Zerbi hails complete transformation in squad mentality
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, De Zerbi described his team’s evolution following a difficult start to the Premier League campaign.
“Now it is a complete team. The players are playing better, we improved in the style.”
Speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference, De Zerbi explained how an honest squad meeting prior to their 1-1 draw against Manchester United triggered a shift in attitude.
“Before Manchester, we spoke a lot, a big, big meeting, removing the mask and speaking honestly, clearly in front of ourselves. From that moment I think it changed something in ourselves.”
The Italian manager emphasized the growing unity within his squad after watching them climb away from the lower reaches of the table following a £400 million summer expenditure.
“When we stay for dinner and stay together in the dressing room I see a different group, a different relationship and different atmosphere among the players.”
James Maddison injury casts shadow over derby win
The only major negative for Tottenham was an injury to James Maddison, who was forced off six minutes into the second half on just his second start in nearly 18 months following ACL surgery.
The midfielder pulled up off the ball with a suspected groin injury before being replaced by former Chelsea midfielder Gallagher to loud boos from the Stamford Bridge crowd.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the final whistle, De Zerbi expressed his hope that the playmaker will avoid another lengthy stint on the sidelines.
“I think it is not a big problem. We have to see.”
Tottenham face medical checks on Sunday to assess the severity of Maddison’s issue, while Chelsea must recover from their third defeat of the Premier League season.
