Tottenham secured a rare Premier League victory at Chelsea on Saturday, benefiting from a disastrous own goal by Blues goalkeeper Mike Penders and Cole Palmer’s late red card to claim a 2-0 win at a rain-soaked Stamford Bridge.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side made it back-to-back league victories after Penders’s costly error broke the deadlock in the 77th minute. Palmer was sent off just three minutes later before Mathys Tel produced a superb solo goal to complete Tottenham’s memorable triumph.
The result ended Tottenham’s long wait for success at Chelsea, where they had won just once in 41 previous away meetings in all competitions since 1990.
It also marked only their second victory in their last 16 league encounters with Chelsea, home and away, and their first since 2023.
After a dismal start to the campaign, Tottenham have climbed to 12th in the table, building on Monday’s victory over Coventry that ended their wait for a first league win of the season.
For fourth-placed Chelsea, the defeat was a bitter setback after consecutive victories over Bournemouth and Everton. The Blues were booed off at full-time as they continued to search for consistency under Spaniard Xabi Alonso in his first season in charge.
With Joao Pedro ruled out by a late injury, Morgan Rogers was deployed as Chelsea’s central striker, but the hosts lacked a cutting edge despite enjoying promising spells of possession.
Palmer came close to opening the scoring early on after Rogers set him up following Pedro Neto’s dispossession of Mateus Fernandes. The England international curled towards goal, only for Antonin Kinsky to tip the effort over with an excellent full-stretch save.
Tottenham responded with a spell of sustained pressure, and Omar Marmoush forced Penders into action after meeting Andy Robertson’s cross.
Chelsea then fashioned the best move of the first half, combining with a series of slick one-touch passes to find Jordan Henderson on the edge of the penalty area. However, Kinsky got down well to palm away the midfielder’s low drive.
Spurs seize their chance
Neto tested Kinsky with a fierce strike, but the Tottenham goalkeeper was again equal to the task, producing a sharp save at his near post.
Tottenham suffered a setback when injury-prone midfielder James Maddison limped off, cutting short only his second start since May 2025.
Maddison had already missed training sessions following his long-awaited return against Coventry, and his latest fitness problem raised further concerns about his ability to regain regular playing time.
Chelsea continued to threaten but lacked composure in the final third. After Palmer capitalised on a wayward pass from Sandro Tonali, Neto fired straight at Kinsky from a promising position.
Palmer was fortunate to escape with a yellow card after Fernandes halted his run with a handball. The Chelsea forward then barged aggressively into the Tottenham midfielder, sending him crashing onto the sodden turf.
But Tottenham had the final say.
In the 77th minute, Fernandes swung in a corner that should have been comfortably dealt with by Penders. Instead, the 21-year-old goalkeeper mistimed his attempted punch and diverted the ball into his own net in a costly error.
It was a nightmare moment for Penders, who was making his first Premier League start in the absence of Emiliano Martinez, who was recovering from jaw surgery.
Chelsea’s afternoon deteriorated further three minutes later when Palmer was dismissed for a stamp on Conor Gallagher, leaving the hosts with 10 men for the closing stages.
Tel then put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute, bursting past Chelsea’s flat-footed defence before drilling a superb finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.
The goal capped a remarkable afternoon for Tottenham, who left Stamford Bridge with a historic victory and renewed momentum after their troubled start to the season.
