Cole Palmer scored twice from the penalty spot as Chelsea roared back from two goals down after 11 minutes to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 away in a frenzied London derby and close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
Two comical slips by Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella led to Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski giving the hosts a dream start but their joy turned to despair. Jadon Sancho rifled in a shot after 17 minutes to give Chelsea momentum and Palmer equalised from the spot just past the hour mark as Chelsea dominated the second period.
Enzo Fernandez powered home a shot to put Chelsea ahead and Palmer effectively wrapped it up with his second penalty late on before Son Heung-min scored a stoppage-time consolation goal. Chelsea are in second place with 31 points from 15 games, four points behind Liverpool whose game at Everton was postponed because of high winds on Saturday.
Tottenham v Chelsea latest
Full-time
18:31 , Alex Young100min: There’s the whistle!
Incredible game.
98min: We’re into added time on added time...
GOAL!
18:24 , Alex Young96min: A late lifeline for Spurs as Son pulls one back with a minute to go.
91min: Seven minutes added on.
90min: Palmer and Cucurella are off, replaced by Veiga and Felix.
87min: Madueke is on, a former Spurs player, replacing Neto.
GOAL!
18:13 , Alex Young84min: Palmer with the Panenka penalty!
He’s had the last laugh tonight.
PENALTY!
18:10 , Alex Young83min: Spurs have imploded, again.
79min: Gray is on, replacing Van de Ven.
Maddison and Bergvall replace Kulusevski and Bissouma.
78min: Looks like Van de Ven may be down with a hamstring injury, or it could be cramp.
Either way, he’ll be coming off.
76min: Nkunku is coming on for Chelsea, with Jackson making way.
GOAL!
18:02 , Alex Young73min: Turnaround complete as Fernandez drills it home!
Superb skill from Palmer in the build-up.
72min: Porro finds Van de Ven... but he’s stretching for it and heads wide.
71min: Badiashile fouls Kulusevski on the edge of the area.
One for Porro...
70min: Pause in play as Colwill comes off worse from a challenge with Solanke.
Again, he’ll be fine.
69min: Son has to bury that!
The Chelsea defence stops as everyone thinks Udogie is offside, but the Spurs skipper isn’t, runs through and then bends a shot the wrong side of the far post.
He simply has to score.
68min: Palmer looks in a bit of pain after Solanke catches him on the foot. He’ll be fine though.
65min: It’s all Chelsea on the ball, prodding and probing in possession.
Dan Kilpatrick at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:54 , Alex YoungBig ask now for Spurs, who have already lost two players to injury, to muster the reserves to go again, though they have been woken up by the goal.
They started the second half so poorly, lacking all the intensity of the first 45 minutes, which will be a huge frustration to Postecoglou.
61min: Spurs just haven’t got started this half. They cannot afford to lose this after being two goals up.
GOAL!
17:49 , Alex Young60min: Palmer makes no mistake.
All square!
PENALTY TO CHELSEA!
17:48 , Alex Young59min: Bissouma flies in on Caicedo! That was awful from the Spurs man.
58min: Cucurella and Udogie are tussling as Chelsea prepare for their next corner, with Bissouma needed to intervene.
Eventually, the delivery comes in and comes to nothing.
56min: Slack from Udogie to give away a corner.
Chelsea take it quickly, giving Gusto a go at goal which forces another corner.
53min: Another injury for Spurs as Johnson is replaced by Werner.
51min: Kulusevski races clear of the Chelsea midfield has the freedom of their half, before trying to find Solanke with the outside of his boot. Sanchez collects.
49min: Big save from Forster after Sancho is fed into the area by Cucurella.
Chelsea have started the second half on top.
47min: That’s tactical for Lavia’s removal, not an injury.
Second half!
17:34 , Alex Young46min: Gusto replaces Lavia.
Malik Ouzia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:27 , Alex YoungLooks like Malo Gusto will be on at half-time. The Caicedo right-back experiment hasn’t worked anything like as effectively as it did at Aston Villa last weekend.
Spurs raced into an early lead through Solanke and Kulusevski before Sancho pulled one back from distance.
A huge 45 minutes to come. Again, next goal is huge.
Half-time
17:19 , Alex Young48min: Breathless!
46min: Kulusevski connects with Lavia, the referee takes a look but nothing doing.
Spurs man lucky, too.
45min: Two minutes added on.
43min: Palmer finally takes the corner, which is cleared by Solanke at the near post.
42min: Palmer is getting pelted with paper every time we goes to take a corner.
41min: More great defending from Dragusin on Jackson, running back and blocking the shot in the area.
Dan Kilpatrick at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:11 , Alex YoungSpurs have had plenty of chances to get a third goal, with Solanke and Sarr going close in the last few minutes.
With confidence and energy levels as they are at present, you feel they need it. If Chelsea get the next one in this match, it is easy to imagine Spurs going to pot.
38min: Chelsea win a corner off Dragusin, who tracked Jackson well.
35min: Oh, Solanke should score!
Son finds the striker around six yards out but the pass has a little too much spice so Solanke can’t get it out of his feet and Sanchez gratefully smothers on his goal line.
CROSSBAR!
17:05 , Alex Young34min: Sarr meets the Spurs corner and heads against the crossbar!
Chances at both ends.
33min: Caicedo catches Sarr full on on the shinpad... and gets nothing from the referee or VAR.
Looked like a clear yellow card.
31min: Huge double save from Forster as Palmer and then Neto are denied.
Spurs defenders not quick enough to close down Chelsea’s main man, there.
Malik Ouzia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:01 , Alex YoungA nice bit of needle in this one.
Meanwhile, Maresca is fuming with some of Robert Sanchez’s distribution.
29min: Fernandez gets it all wrong and sends the delivery straight out of play.
28min: Chelsea free kick about 30 yards out after Neto is felled by Udogie.
27min: Another half-chance for Spurs after more fine work from Johnson on the right - who has Cucurella on the spin tonight - but his pass inside for Kulusevski flicks up and hits a hand so the referee calls a halt.
24min: Son usually buries those!
The Spurs skipper gallops clear of the Chelsea defence down the left, cuts onto his right and looks to bend a shot from 25 yards past Sanchez... but the ball fizzes over the angle of post and bar.
Close.
23min: An exhausting end-to-end game, this. Thrilling.
Malik Ouzia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:53 , Alex YoungEnzo Maresca talks a lot about wanting control in his team’s performances and no the kind of “basketball” back and forth that leaves you open in transition. Afraid that’s exactly what he’s got here.
21min: Palmer usually buries those! A great run from Fernandez to find Palmer in space in the area but he miskicks the ball.
A big let-off for Spurs.
18min: Spurs will start to get nervous now. We’re not even 20 minutes in and the next goal is already so key.
GOAL!
16:49 , Alex Young17min: Wow, game on!
Sancho with a stunner, cutting inside and beating Forster from distance.
A corker of a strike. Out of nothing!
14min: Romero’s return has last less than 15 minutes as he hits the deck.
Dragusin is on.
Malik Ouzia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:44 , Alex YoungCucurella was straight over to the bench after that goal for a change of footwear. A bit late now, pal.
GOAL!
16:42 , Alex Young11min: Oh my! Another mistake from Cucurella and Spurs score again!
Kulusevski takes the ball on the half turn and fires inside the near post.
9min: It’s been a poor start from Chelsea, to say the least. A number of mistakes in defence.
Malik Ouzia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:40 , Alex YoungA stinking moment for Marc Cucurella, who has been so reliable for Chelsea this season. A big test now of Enzo Maresca’s side, with the crowd up.
Dan Kilpatrick at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:39 , Alex YoungJohnson still had a lot do after being gifted a great position by Cucurella's slip. But the winger's cross was outstanding and Solanke showed great desire to get ahead of Colwill and steer home. Spurs off to a flier.
GOAL!
16:36 , Alex Young5min: Cucurella slips near the halfway line, and that’s all the invitation Johnson needs to fly down the right flank and find Solanke in the centre to flick home!
First blood, Spurs!
4min: First Chelsea corner, won by Sancho, is delayed after debris thrown from the Spurs fans nearby.
Palmer eventually takes, plays in short to Fernandez, who plays back to Palmer to drill a cross in for Colwill to head wide.
2min: Corner comes in but Chelsea crowd out Spurs.
2min: Spurs pressure Badiashile into a mistake, which Kulusevski picks up in acres in the middle of the pitch but opts against shooting and instead finds Johnson, who wins a corner.
Kick-off!
16:31 , Alex Young1min: Here we go.
Anything could happen for the next two hours, but goals are surely a guarantee.
Here come the teams.
Dan Kilpatrick at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:23 , Alex YoungThe returns of Van de Ven and Romero - as well as dropped points for Arsenal - will have given Spurs fans a major boost going into a match against a rival they almost never beat.
The club is attempting to ramp up the pre-match atmosphere even more with a light show and a tifo in the single-tier Park Lane stand before kick-off.
Malik Ouzia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:22 , Alex YoungChelsea have exceeded all expectations so far this season but they are probably still missing that showpiece victory against one of their traditional rivals.
They lost to Man City and Liverpool and drew with Man United and Arsenal. Will this be the day for Enzo Maresca?
Enzo Maresca ahead of the game
16:18 , Alex Young"It's an opportunity as we can improve, and see how we are doing things in these types of games, but no more than that.
"Liverpool didn't play, City dropped points, but this game is about us."
More from Ange Postecoglou
16:16 , Alex Young"We've been in this position before and we've got a result against a top side.
"But irrespective, it's a bit test against a big side ... when we play our football, we're on top."
Final prep.
So two big points dropped by Arsenal at Fulham in the early London derby.
Can Chelsea capitalise?
Ange Postecoglou on Romero and Van de Ven
15:58 , Alex Young"It's a welcome boost for us. Romero was close. Micky we kind of thought probably next Thursday but he's trained really well.
Both were really keen to play and obviously with us losing Ben in midweek it's a good opportunity for them to get out there.
“Obviously a boost because they're important players for us."
Dan Kilpatrick checks in
15:55 , Alex YoungOur man in north London.
"Chelsea are increasingly growing in confidence, while Spurs are really wobbling."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) December 8, 2024
Here is @Dan_KP ahead of the game.
LIVE: https://t.co/0l7EDvLSd7#TOTCHE pic.twitter.com/gvlpLVWSDA
A huge game for both teams, but in particular Spurs amid the most inconsistent of runs.
A draw with Fulham and defeat at Bournemouth has seen the pressure grow on Postecoglou for the first real time. His interaction with angry travelling fans on Thursday was telling.
There is no reason to think he is under the threat of being sacked, but a defeat today could be costly.
Van de Ven surprise
15:36 , Alex YoungMaybe we should have seen this coming. Earlier this week, Micky van de Ven posted some footage on social media of him training individually with the caption “on the way”.
A huge boost for Spurs and, hopefully, not a risky one.
Quite the surprise from Spurs, then, as both Romero and Van de Ven are deemed fit enough to start. Romero has been close to a return for a week or so, but Van de Ven was not expected back for a little while.
It's two of three changes from the loss at Bournemouth, with Son coming in for Maddison as the other.
Chelsea make the customary seven changes, with the likes of Sanchez, Jackson, Neto and Colwill returning. Sancho also starts, after scoring his first goal for the club in midweek.
Team news in full
15:22 , Alex YoungTottenham XI: Forster, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Johnson, Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Solanke, Son
Subs: Austin, Reguilon, Dragusin, Spence, Maddison, Gray, Bergvall, Werner, Lankshear
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Subs: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Gusto, Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, Felix, Nkunku
Tottenham XI
15:16 , Alex YoungVan de Ven and Romero start!
COME ON YOU SPURS.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 8, 2024
🔢 @krakenfx pic.twitter.com/mYStQVh8xT
Chelsea XI
15:15 , Alex YoungHere’s how the Blues look!
Your Blues to face Spurs. 📋💙#CFC | #TOTCHE pic.twitter.com/1Yej5GwbTU
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 8, 2024
Team news is imminent. Will Romero be fit for Spurs? Will Son start?
Who will be at the back for Chelsea? Has Madueke done enough to start?
We’ll find out in five minutes.
Maresca: 'Cole Palmer FC' tag proof of Chelsea progress
15:01 , Giuseppe MuroEnzo Maresca believes Chelsea have shed their ‘Cole Palmer FC’ tag after watching his side become the Premier League’s most prolific outfit.
Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over Southampton took Chelsea’s goalscoring tally to 31 in 14 Premier League games this season, two more than table-toppers Liverpool.
“Yeah, and we are very happy,” Maresca said, when asked whether Chelsea now free of that ‘Cole Palmer FC’ moniker.
“If you remember in my first press conference, I said that we cannot rely on Cole for every game because it is not correct.
“He has to enjoy football, but if we prepare the season thinking Cole is the only solution then we are wrong.
“We work every day to allow Cole to be in situations where he can be the best and be good. You see that we move him from the right side to the left side, or from one side to the other side, because we want to put players in situations where they can be the best.”
Postecoglou doubles down on Spurs fan confrontation
14:53 , Giuseppe MuroAnge Postecoglou has said he does not regret his confrontation with supporters at Bournemouth on Thursday, insisting he will never back down from doing "the right thing".
Postecoglou exchanged heated words with fans in the away end after full-time of Spurs' 1-0 loss at the Vitality Stadium.
“No, they felt like they needed to give me feedback, so I thought I’d get close enough for them to make sure they were heard,” Postecoglou said.
“Hopefully after 18 months, you [the media] have realised that I am who I am. I don’t really care.
“Whether people think I’m an easy target, soft target. I’m going to shy away from it. I’ve fought my whole life and I’m not going to race down the tunnel because some people feel like they need to give me some direction. It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t.
“From my perspective, what motivates me and what drives me on a daily basis is to continually stay true to my values and what I believe is the right thing to do in every situation. Maybe people thought it wasn’t the right thing to do. My wife certainly didn’t.
“So I got some feedback there as well. But that’s ok. I’m not going to change. It’s who I am, mate. I’ve been like that my whole career and I won’t change.”
Stats
14:46 , Giuseppe Muro- Spurs have lost eight of their past 11 Premier League clashes with Chelsea, drawing two and winning one
- Chelsea have won on five of their seven visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in all competitions, drawing one and losing the other
- Spurs have conceded the opening goal in 13 of their 16 Premier League matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2024
- Chelsea have scored 57 times in 22 matches this season, the most of any top-flight club
Tottenham vs Chelsea latest odds
14:39 , Giuseppe MuroTottenham to win: 21/10
Draw: 29/10
Chelsea to win: 11/10
Odds via Betfair and subject to change.
Head to head history and results
14:31 , Giuseppe MuroTottenham wins: 56
Draws: 42
Chelsea wins: 79
Prediction
14:24 , Giuseppe MuroIt’s difficult to know what to make of Spurs, who have tended to raise their level in the biggest games this season.
Still, Chelsea are looking the much more consistent.
Chelsea to win, 2-1.
Chelsea team news
14:17 , Giuseppe MuroEnzo Maresca has some big selection calls to make.
Maresca made a surprising seven changes for Wednesday’s trip to Southampton but watched his much-changed team emerge with a comfortable 5-1 victory.
That included a first Premier League start for goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who has impressed in the Conference League, but Maresca confirmed immediately that Robert Sanchez remains his first-choice and will start against Spurs.
Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia are also expected to return to the side, but the big win at St Mary’s has given Maresca a nice headache.
The Blues will remain without defenders Reece James and Wesley Fofana because of hamstring problems, while Mykhailo Mudryk is still struggling with illness.
Tottenham team news
14:10 , Giuseppe MuroTottenham hope Cristian Romero will be fit to return from injury.
Romero has not played for Spurs for a month and they desperately need him to return to action after Ben Davies was their latest defender to succumb to a hamstring injury in Thursday's defeat at Bournemouth.
If the Argentine does not feel able to play, teenager Archie Gray is likely to fill-in at centre-half alongside Radu Dragusin.
Micky van de Ven is getting closer to full fitness and working outdoors but is not expected to face the Blues.
Ange Postecoglou will again be without the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), forwards Richarlison, Wilson Odobert (both hamstring) and Mikey Moore, who continues to recover from an energy-sapping virus.
How to watch
14:03 , Giuseppe MuroTV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Sky Go app.
Good afternoon!
14:02 , Giuseppe MuroHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tottenham vs Chelsea!
A huge afternoon in north London, as Spurs bid to get back on track and Chelsea look to close to within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 4.30pm GMT from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
