Spurs beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, only their second win there since 1990
Tottenham had won once in their previous 41 visits. Players jumped around the changing room in their boots, and the win lifted them to 12th…
Spurs players could be heard jumping up and down in the changing room, still wearing their boots, after beating Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. The sound reached the press room, according to CNA, while the away fans celebrated at the final whistle as if they had just won a trophy.
You can see why. Tottenham Hotspur had won just once in their previous 41 visits to Chelsea in all competitions, a run going back to February 1990, when Gary Lineker scored the winner.
The win was only their second at Stamford Bridge since Margaret Thatcher was Britain's prime minister. The only other one in that 36-year drought was a 3-1 victory in 2018.
Spurs climb out of the bottom spot
This result matters for Spurs' season too. Roberto De Zerbi's men were bottom of the Premier League before they beat fellow strugglers Coventry City 3-1 at home on Monday. Saturday's win lifted them to 12th place, pending the rest of the weekend's fixtures.
Their coach, players and fans all greeted the win as a turning point in their season.
"I think we are playing well, not just today," De Zerbi told BBC Radio. He said: "Maybe now there is another atmosphere, there is another union amongst the players. With these two wins in a row they can believe more and more in themselves."
He later told reporters: "We have suffered enough."
A lucky break, then a Chelsea red card
Spurs did get a bit of help. The game looked headed for a 0-0 draw until Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders, on his full Premier League debut, punched the ball into his own net from a Matheus Fernandes corner.
Mathys Tel sealed the win with a breakaway strike 10 minutes later.
"It's very special because we have come to Chelsea so many times and not got a win," the French striker told Sky Sports. "We showed great mentality today and we need to enjoy this win."
Between the goals, Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer was sent off for the first time in his senior career, after being booked twice in nine minutes.
Spurs had 70 per cent of the ball over the match and took 15 shots to Chelsea's seven.
Chelsea's coach wants more self-control
Chelsea remain fourth in the table ahead of Sunday's matches, but looked far from their fluent best. They also missed top scorer Joao Pedro, who was injured in training on Friday and is due to undergo tests in the coming days.
"We need to be self-critical. We need to be at a better level," Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso told the BBC. "Sometimes you feel good and today, collectively and individually, we were not at our best."
Asked about Palmer's two yellow cards in quick succession, Alonso said he wanted to see more self-control among his players, who racked up eight reds last season.
"In those situations, the first yellow card can be decisive," he said. "It's a process of the maturity of the team and of the individual players as well."
