Chelsea piled the pressure on Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after hitting back from 2-0 down to win 4-3 in a pulsating encounter.
It seemed the home side, and their Australian head coach, would get a morale-boosting win when they surged into a commanding lead early on through goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.
But Chelsea proved why they are very much in the title race with a brilliant comeback to claim a win that moves them to within four points of leaders Liverpool.
Cole Palmer scored two second-half penalties to add to goals from Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea continued their impressive resurgence under the shrewd leadership of Enzo Maresca.
“Coolness PERSONIFIED” 🥶
Cole Palmer with a Panenka penalty to put the game beyond all doubt! pic.twitter.com/JE96MpFUrr
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
Son Heung-min pulled one back late on but it was another afternoon to forget for Postecoglou with returning central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven – the latter a surprise inclusion – both failing to see out the 90 minutes.
The transformation was not on the cards in the early going as two slips from Marc Cucurella handed Spurs the initiative.
His first slip led directly to Spurs’ opener. The Spain full-back lost his footing on the greasy surface, enabling Brennan Johnson to take the ball, carry it down the right flank before crossing low for Solanke, whose clever dart in front of Levi Colwill gave him a yard of space, to prod home.
Then, six minutes later, Cucurella’s footwear let him down again with another slip seeing him lose possession. The ball was recycled to Kulusevski and he ran across the Chelsea penalty area before directing a low shot that crept inside Robert Sanchez’s left-hand post.
Cucurella immediately sprinted over to the touchline to change his boots but the damage had been done.
Cucurella slips AGAIN and Kulusevski doubles Tottenham’s lead! 🤯
The Chelsea defender immediately runs off the pitch to change his boots 🫣 pic.twitter.com/R1enDM5PGp
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
Romero blow
Spurs were in complete control but the first sign that it would not be plain sailing came after 13 minutes when Romero, making his first appearance since mid-November, was forced off having suffered discomfort in the act of making an elaborate flick inside his own penalty area.
And four minutes later, Chelsea hit back as Sancho cut in from the left and curled a brilliant shot past Fraser Forster.
Palmer ought to have made it 2-2 inside 20 minutes but missed the ball completely when trying to slot home Fernandez’s cut-back.
A frenetic half continued with Son curling inches over at one end before Forster produced a brilliant double save to deny Palmer and Pedro Neto at the other.
Moises Caicedo was fortunate not to see red after a challenge on Pape Sarr that VAR deemed lacked ‘excessive force’, as did Kulusevski for a needless elbow on Romeo Lavia before halftime.
Were Moises Caicedo and Dejan Kulusevski fortunate to not be sent off in the first half? 👇 pic.twitter.com/7ItrHvtDqh
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
In between those moments, Sarr headed onto the bar and Solanke scuffed a shot straight at Sanchez from a yard out.
Chelsea started the second half on the front foot and only a brilliant save from Forster prevented the dangerous Sancho from equalising after 48 minutes.
Poor decision-making costs Spurs
It seemed the leveller was coming and it duly arrived after 58 minutes when Yves Bissouma recklessly lunged into a challenge on his former Brighton team-mate Moises Caicedo inside the area. Palmer made no mistake from the spot, slotting coolly into the left-hand corner of the net.
Son somehow missed the target midway through the half when clean through and it proved a costly miss as five minutes later Chelsea completed the comeback. Some neat footwork from Palmer down the right was followed by a shot that deflected into the path of Fernandez and the Argentine World Cup winner lashed past Forster with his left-foot.
Sancho was denied a fourth by a brilliant Pedro Porro tackle but that did not deter Chelsea who scored again with eight minutes to go after Sarr stupidly barged into Palmer in the area.
The England international displayed all his prodigious talent with a cool Panenka to beat Forster and prompt the first chorus of boos from the home faithful.
They were cheered deep into injury-time when substitute James Maddison cut the ball back for Son to score but it was not enough as Chelsea held on.
