Ten-man Chelsea fell to a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in their English Premier League (EPL) London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The final EPL match of the day was a feisty derby big on drama but short of chances and entertainment. Tottenham, however, won the encounter, thanks to an own goal and Mathyls Tel’s excellent late solo effort.
Chelsea started Mike Penders in goal in place of injured Emiliano Martinez, and the Belgian made excellent stops early on to deny Spurs, while his opposite number also did the same on Morgan Rogers’ effort.
However, Penders was at fault for the 77th minute opener, punching a corner kick delivery into his net to hand Tottenham the lead.
The match descended into chaos with tackles flying around, and Cole Palmer ended on the wrong side of aggression. The Chelsea talisman barged into Mathias Fernandes for his first yellow card, before stamping his boot on the midfielder’s ankle to collect a deserved second caution and the red card.
Roberto de Zerbi’s side pounced on the man advantage to seal the three points, with Tel leading a counter attack and finishing it off with a low drive from distance that fizzled into the net.
Xabi Alonso’s side suffered a first home defeat of the season, while Chelsea’s six-match winning streak against Tottenham came to an end. The visitors collected only their second league win of the season, five days after claiming the first.
Tottenham rise to 12th position on the log with nine points from eight matches, while Chelsea remain in fourth place.
In earlier matches, Manchester City lost their winning start to the season with a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa but remain top by goals difference. They have been closed down by Arsenal who defeated Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham also claimed only their second game of the season with a 1-0 win away at Coventry City, with Nigerian internationals Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey in the starting line-up.
RESULTS
Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-0 Everton
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City
Coventry City 0-1 Fulham