Chelsea staged a thrilling comeback from two goals down to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 in a high-octane derby, securing their third consecutive Premier League victory over their rivals.
As is often the case in derby matches, there was little room for sympathy, and Marc Cucurella’s early slip was swiftly punished. Brennan Johnson sprinted forward, delivering a cross that Dominic Solanke met before Levi Colwill, sending it into the net. Cucurella slipped again less than 11 minutes later, and once more, Chelsea were made to pay. Dejan Kulusevski calmly slotted a shot inside Robert Sánchez’s near post. While Cucurella went off to change his boots, the hosts celebrated, but their joy was short-lived as Cristian Romero was forced off due to injury just 15 minutes into his return. Jadon Sancho then produced a stunning strike, curling in off the post to level the score.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer missed a chance to equalize before Son Heung-min came close to finding the top corner. Fraser Forster was in fine form, pulling off brilliant saves to deny Palmer and Pedro Neto, while Pape Matar Sarr’s header hit the crossbar, and Solanke failed to make proper contact with Son’s dangerous cross. The match became briefly interrupted when Spurs fans threw objects onto the pitch, but Radu Drăgușin made a crucial block to stop Nicolas Jackson’s effort just before halftime.
The Blues came out with determination after the break, pressing to level the score. Sancho combined well with Cucurella, only to be denied by Forster, while Enzo Fernández’s curling effort agonizingly missed the post. Tottenham were dealt another injury blow as Johnson limped off, and things worsened for Spurs when Yves Bissouma fouled Moisés Caicedo with a reckless tackle in the box, conceding a penalty that Palmer coolly converted to make it 2-2 with 30 minutes to play. Son then missed a golden chance due to confusion over an offside call, and Micky van de Ven headed wide as Spurs pushed to regain the lead.
However, it was Chelsea who moved ahead. Palmer weaved through the defense, and his pass deflected into the path of Enzo Fernández, who smashed it home. Tottenham’s misery continued as Van de Ven also went off injured, and Sarr fouled Palmer inside the box, giving Chelsea another penalty. Palmer made no mistake, scoring with an audacious Panenka, and despite a late goal from Son, Spurs suffered back-to-back defeats. Chelsea’s win lifts them to second in the Premier League, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions, leaving Spurs nine places behind them.
