Penders Own Goal and Tel Strike Give Tottenham 2-0 Win at Chelsea as Palmer Is Sent Off
Tottenham beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 24, in a match that saw Blues star Cole Palmer sent off. A Mike Penders own goal and a late solo strike from Mathys Tel gave Roberto De Zerbi's side a rare and deserved win in west London.
The first half was tentative. Chelsea's best early chance came on 14 minutes, when Palmer forced Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky into a fine save. Jordan Henderson also had a big chance before the break, and Kinsky denied Morgan Rogers, though a goal would have been ruled out for offside. Tottenham grew in the second half and began to dictate the pace. Chelsea lost James Maddison to injury, and former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher came on in his place.
The breakthrough came midway through the second half. Penders, who was in goal for the injured Emiliano Martinez, tried to deal with an inswinging corner but misjudged the flight and punched the ball into his own net. Chelsea's problems then grew. Palmer, already on a yellow card, went in on Gallagher and was shown a second yellow at 80 minutes. Reports say he had escaped a straight red earlier in the match. It was the first time Palmer had been sent off in his career.
Tottenham made the extra man count. In the 87th minute, Tel took the ball and produced a superb solo goal to seal the result. Chelsea had one more good chance through Pedro Neto before Palmer's dismissal, but Kinsky stopped him again.
It was only Tottenham's second Premier League win at Stamford Bridge, and a statement result under De Zerbi after a slow start to the season. They have now won back-to-back league games, following a 3-1 home win over Coventry earlier in the week. The defeat is a setback for Xabi Alonso's Chelsea, who remain in the top four with 13 points. They host Manchester United next Saturday, October 31.