Chelsea FC

Jackson has made an excellent start to the campaign, with eight goals scored and three assists registered in 14 Premier League matches. Those contributions have been significant too; the 23-year-old has broken the deadlock on six occasions, a feat only bettered by one player.

That Jackson didn't find the net against Tottenham caused personal disappointment – no bad thing for a forward. Yet it was his involvement after Cole Palmer had levelled the contest from the penalty spot that left a lasting impression on Maresca.

‘Nico was upset and sad because he didn’t score,' Maresca explained ahead of our Premier League clash against Brentford. 'But Nico – and it’s something important for you to highlight – did the most important thing in the game against Tottenham.

'After we scored to make it 2-2 with the penalty from Cole, everyone went to be with Cole, but only one player went to get the ball and bring it back to the middle to start the match again. That was Nico.

'That shows the desire of Nico to win. Ten players go to celebrate, one brings the ball back to the halfway line. That shows how Nico is there, and that moment for me is the most important of the game.'

Another contribution from Jackson highlighted by supporters came after Enzo Fernandez fired the Blues ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Argentine midfielder attempted to remove his shirt in jubilation, but Jackson pulled it back down to ensure that wasn't possible.

It meant Fernandez avoided a yellow card, something Maresca says was important.

‘Some yellow cards we deserve, some we didn’t deserve, some were because we did something wrong,' said the Blues head coach.

'For sure, if we can avoid yellow cards then it’s much better. That Nico and Enzo moment was a good example.’

This time last week, Sancho was looking for his first goal since joining the Blues on loan from Manchester United. Now, he has two to his name, after finding the net in memorable wins over Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.

The second of those came yesterday in our 4-3 derby victory in north London, and showcased the best of his talents, as the winger glided past defenders to carry the ball into danger and fire into the bottom corner off the base of the post.

Head coach Enzo Maresca had spoken recently about wanting to see the 24-year-old pose more of a threat to goal, and it turns out he wasn’t the only one.

Discussing his crucial strike, Sancho said: ‘It was a one-v-one and I saw the opportunity to cut inside, then I saw the space opened up and just thought 'why not?'.

‘It’s definitely very satisfying. In training recently I’ve been working on my shooting a bit more, just working on hitting the far corner, so I’m delighted that it came off.

‘The staff and the players have been telling me to be a bit more selfish in front of goal and shoot when I get in those positions. I’ve been working on that, so I’m delighted.

‘I know I have a lot of people to prove wrong and I’m working hard every day in training. Once I get my opportunity I just try to show what I can do, so I’m happy that I scored and we got the three points for the team. I’m just taking it game-by-game and hopefully I can continue this form.’

His latest goal sparked our brilliant response following an early setback at Tottenham, and its significance was not lost on Sancho, even if he always believed the Blues had the quality to turn things around.

Sancho said: ‘Obviously going 2-0 down in the first half was not ideal, but I have a lot of trust in this squad so I wasn’t too fazed. Once we got our first goal I knew we would come back into the game and get a result.

‘Going in at half-time, the gaffer kept telling us that we’re still in the game and I have so much belief in the players, so I knew we would come back out firing.

‘Tottenham are very aggressive and we knew we would catch them if we broke the lines and beat their press. The gaffer told us in training to stay wide, especially the wingers, to create the one-v-one and the overlaps for two-v-one.

‘It was a great win, a great comeback, so I’m just happy we got the four goals and three points.’

Spurs took their lead by ruthlessly punishing a pair of slips by the unfortunate Marc Cucurella on a greasy surface.

However, Sancho was quick to jump to his team-mate’s defence, believing he is one of the many talented players that makes this Blues squad so strong.

‘After the mistakes, I thought he played fantastic, he got himself back in the game,’ continued Sancho. ‘We believe in Cucu, he’s a great player for us, and we didn’t really think anything of it when he slipped, because we know how great he is as a player.

‘We’ve got so many talented players, in training it’s very hard, everyone’s competing. I feel like to have a strong squad like ours, to push each other every day in training, it’s fantastic because when we get results like this, it shows that we’ve earned it in training.

‘So I’m thankful that I’m here, grateful to the players and the staff for making me feel welcome, believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play.’

Following a dramatic opening that saw Spurs take a 2-0 lead, the Blues fought back with Jadon Sancho bringing us in range before Cole converted from the spot after the break to equalise.

After Enzo Fernandez’s incredible strike put us into the lead, Palmer coolly dispatched his second spot-kick using the Panenka technique – chipping the goalkeeper – to help his side claim a vital three points on the road.

Reflecting on the game, Palmer acknowledged the team’s slow start but he was pleased with how we responded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

‘It’s good we got three points, but we started slow,’ he opened. ‘We knew we would create chances, and we did that to get the three points. We knew those two mistakes were silly, and we can’t do anything about that now. They didn’t create much other than from our mistakes.

‘The squad morale is great at the moment and we just want to keep going. To be on the winning side is good.’

The defining moment of the match came in the dying stages when Palmer audaciously chipped in a Panenka penalty to seal the win. Our No. 20 explained the confidence behind his decision.

‘When I put the ball down and stepped back, I knew what I was going to do,’ Palmer said. ‘I thought it was late in the game and it was a bit crazy, so I just went for it.’

Palmer’s brace and the victory felt even sweeter in the context of the league table as the Blues took a step further in the points tally compared to our rivals, and he expressed his delight in seeing the supporters’ joy after the match.

‘They’ve had a tough couple of years before I got here, and last season was tough in parts as well,’ he noted. ‘But I’m happy to see them smiling and enjoying it – that’s what it’s all about.'

Full Match: Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea | Video | Official Site  Chelsea FC

Highlights: Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea | Video | Official Site  Chelsea FC

Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski had our hosts 2-0 up inside the opening 11 minutes, but the Blues didn’t panic during a fast and furious first half.

Jadon Sancho quickly halved the arrears with a fine long-range effort, and only Fraser Forster stopped us levelling matters up, Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto among those denied.

While Spurs were not without chances of their own, we still looked the more likely to get the game’s fourth goal. It arrived from a pinpoint Palmer penalty on 61 minutes.

Enzo Fernandez then completed the comeback as he continued his rich vein of form in front of goal, before another Palmer spot-kick – this time a Panenka – had the away end in dreamland.

A very late Son Heung-Min consolation was about as good as it got for Tottenham after the break. Enzo Maresca and his players’ celebrations at full-time underlined the significance of this London derby win, and in particular the team’s goalscoring threat and ability to recover from adversity.

Seven changes once more

Just as at Southampton on Wednesday, the head coach made seven changes to his starting XI, with plenty of our Premier League regulars returning. Robert Sanchez was back in goal, and Benoit Badiashile joined Levi Colwill in the heart of defence.

Moises Caicedo operated in the inverted right-back role he took up against Villa, while Neto, Sancho and Nicolas Jackson freshened up our attack. Romeo Lavia accompanied Enzo in midfield.

Slips prove costly

Both teams had already looked lively going forward by the time Tottenham took a fifth-minute lead. Marc Cucurella slipped, allowing Brennan Johnson to roam forward down the right and cross for Solanke, who beat Colwill to turn it on the slide.

History repeated itself six minutes later. Cucurella slipped on the sodden turf as he went to pass the ball and it was worked to Kulusevski, who drifted across our 18-yard-line and snuck his shot through a crowd and inside Sanchez’s left-hand post.

Cristian Romero, a pre-match doubt for Tottenham, was forced off on the quarter-hour, replaced by Radu Dragusin. With the hosts’ backline still adjusting, Sancho halved the deficit in style.

A Sancho special

He received a pass from Cucurella wide on the left touchline, drove inside Pedro Perro and blasted a 20-yard strike past Fraser Forster and in off the post.

We nearly made it 2-2 instantly, but Palmer missed his kick after good work from Jackson and the enterprising Enzo.

There was no let-up in the goalmouth action as both teams effectively turned the ball over inside the opposition half. Son shot not far over and then Forster made two excellent saves in quick succession, first getting down low to parry a fierce Palmer drive, and then keeping out Neto’s follow-up with an outstretched boot.

The chances kept coming. On 35 minutes, Pape Matar Sarr headed a corner against the top of the crossbar and over. We were caught playing out again and were grateful Solanke, a few yards out, couldn’t get a clean contact on Son’s pass.

Pushing hard

We finished a high-octane first half the stronger. Jackson was twice released and twice thwarted by a sliding Dragusin challenge as he got his shot away, but all the evidence pointed to the fact the scoring was not done.

For the second 45 minutes, Lavia made way for Malo Gusto. The Belgian had taken a blow to the face on the stroke of half-time. Caicedo moved into midfield, with Cucurella Maresca's choice to step forward and bolster our numbers going forward.

Only another superb Forster stopped us drawing level a couple of minutes after the restart. Cucurella and Sancho deftly combined inside the box, with the latter’s strike clawed away by Tottenham’s keeper at point-blank range. We couldn’t quite force home the loose ball.

At the end of a prolonged spell of possession, Enzo whipped a 20-yarder just wide with Forster worried, before the keeper got two hands to Gusto’s sweet strike.

Patience pays

The Chelsea fans in that corner of the stadium sensed a goal was coming, and it duly arrived on the hour!

Sancho silkily slipped a pass into the box for Caicedo to run on to, and he reached it a fraction before the sliding Yves Bissouma. Penalty Chelsea, which Palmer fired into the left-hand corner, Forster diving the other way.

Midway through the second half, there was almost a moment of high controversy. The ball was played forward to Destiny Udogie, clearly offside. The assistant raised his flag, spotted by Neto who stopped running. Udogie also halted his run, and Son raced into the empty space but couldn’t beat Sanchez one-on-one. It would have been an interesting decision for VAR had the South Korean scored.

It preceded a brief spell of Tottenham pressure, Micky van de Ven heading wide from a free-kick, before the Blues completed the turnaround.

Palmer danced his way into the box with the home side’s defence terrified to tackle him, and though his shot was blocked it fell invitingly to Enzo, who powered the bouncing ball past Forster with his left. 3-2!

We quickly hunted a fourth. A magical Palmer flick from Gusto’s aerial pass freed Neto, who moved it on Sancho. Porro got across to block his shot, but we weren’t to be denied another.

Palmer again!

Again it was a quick break from back to front that created the opening, and although we didn’t initially make the most of the empty space, Palmer was needlessly brought down by Sarr as headed away from goal.

This time Palmer opted for a Panenka. It was immaculately executed! Once more those in blue could revel in the moment in front of the travelling faithful. Palmer's 12th converted penalty out of 12 makes him the Premier League player to have taken the most spot-kicks and not missed, while he also matches Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's flawless record for us in blue.

A late Son consolation from close range couldn't dampen another excellent day's work, with supporters, players and coaching staff revelling in a huge three points as the rest of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium emptied out.

What it means…

After Arsenal’s draw at Fulham earlier in the day, Chelsea move two points clear of the Gunners in second place in the Premier League table.

A booking for Neto late on will rule him out of our next game, against Brentford.

What’s next…

Before then, the Blues will now prepare for our long trip to Kazakhstan to play Astana in Almaty on Thursday. After that European expedition we host the Bees in the Premier League a week today.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Sanchez; Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella (Veiga 90+1); Lavia (Gusto h/t), Fernandez (c); Neto (Madueke 86), Palmer (Joao Felix 90+1), Sancho; Jackson (Nkunku 76)

Unused subs: Jorgensen, Disasi, Tosin, Dewsbury-Hall

Scorers Sancho 18, Palmer 61 (pen), 84 (pen), Fernandez 73

Booked Lavia 21, Neto 85, Sanchez 90+8

Tottenham (4-3-3):Forster; Porro, Romero (Dragusin 15), Van de Ven (Gray 79), Udogie; Johnson (Werner 53), Sarr, Bissouma (Bergvall 79); Kulusevski (Maddison 79), Solanke, Son

Unused subs Austin, Reguilon, Spence, Lankshear

Scorers Solanke 5, Kulusevski 11, Son 90+6

Booked Sarr 30, Bissouma 59

Returning to the team are many of the players that have been regulars in our Premier League fixtures this season, after Maresca introduced the same number of fresh faces in the midweek win at Southampton.

As the head coach promised, Robert Sanchez returns in goal, and there are places in the backline for Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile, both unused in midweek.

Moises Caicedo is expected to continue in the inverted right-back role, with Marc Cucurella on the opposite side and Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia in midfield.

Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto come in on the flanks either side of Cole Palmer. Nicolas Jackson leads the line.

For our hosts, centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero return to the side after injury.

Chelsea's starting XI: Sanchez; Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Fernandez (c); Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Gusto, Disasi, Tosin, Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix, Madueke, Nkunku

Tottenham XI: Forster; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Johnson, Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

That work continues this afternoon, when his Chelsea team make the short trip across the capital to north London for a Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Ahead of that game, our head coach discussed his approach to man-management, continuing on the theme he has spoken about repeatedly since joining the club in the summer, of developing individuals to improve the team.

That is why he and his squad are in agreement that hard work in training and out on the pitch on matchdays is non-negotiable.

‘The only thing that I don’t allow them, no-one in the squad no matter who it is, is to drop in terms of intensity and in terms of hard work, because the only way to reach something is to work very hard day-by-day,' he said.

‘I’ve said before that this squad is full, full, full of talent. If you put the 25 players in a room and you close your eyes and pick one, you’re going to pick one who is full of talent.

‘But it’s not enough if you don’t put together more things. Without the rest you are not going to win games and have a good moment. This is what they have to understand and, fortunately, at the moment they are all aware of that.’

Maresca also hasn’t been afraid to single players out who he believes need an extra push to keep them on their toes and continue their development, with Reece James and Noni Madueke among those to benefit from the Italian’s tough love this season.

Our head coach isn’t worried that approach could upset any of his players, though, as they also understand it is a sign of the high regard he holds them in.

‘I think when you have a good intentions you don’t have to be careful. You have to be careful when you have bad intentions,’ Enzo explained.

‘My intentions with Reece or my intentions with Noni or my intentions with the next one – I don’t know who it will be, it depends on what I see day-by-day in our sessions – is not because there is any bad intention. It is because I really care for them and I really want the best for them.’

The Ecuadorian has been one of Chelsea’s stand-out performers so far this season, playing a key role in our rise up to second place in the table, going into tomorrow’s London derby away at Tottenham Hotspur.

Maresca clearly knows Caicedo’s value to the team, as he is one of just two players – alongside Cole Palmer – who has been named in the Italian’s starting XI for all 14 of our Premier League fixtures in 2024/25.

Declan Rice of Arsenal and Manchester City’s Rodri are often considered to be among the Premier League’s leading players in the holding midfield role, but our head coach seems to be in no doubt Caicedo deserves to be in the conversation too.

‘For sure, he’s now at that level, no doubt,’ insisted Maresca, with no hint of hesitation.

‘Unfortunately now Rodri has an injury, but Declan is playing and I think Moi can sit at that table with that kind of midfielder.’

Of course, Caicedo has not always featured in that midfield role for the Blues under Maresca.

Occasionally, the 23-year-old has taken on the inverted full-back role which has become such a cornerstone of Enzo’s Chelsea side, and our head coach said he will continue to look for ways to tailor his tactics to the opposition we face on a game-by-game basis.

‘I change my tactics every game, because I think the opponents are not the same, they are all different, they all set up in different ways,’ he continued.

‘Even if they have the same structure, like 4-4-2, they don’t behave in the same way. They can be more aggressive, less aggressive, so I think you need different tactics. It depends on the other team. You can change the structure, but you maintain the same principle.

‘The Brighton game was in one way and the Aston Villa game was completely different. You cannot use the same plan for both games. Brighton were high-pressing and gave us a lot of space in behind, but Aston Villa had a low block and were just waiting.

‘So if you do the same plan for both games, probably for one of them it is not the correct one. We try to adjust our plan depending on how the other team attacks or defends.’

Only time will tell what tactical adjustments Maresca has in mind for tomorrow’s London derby at Tottenham.

Maresca has already experienced London derbies in the Chelsea dugout, beating West Ham United 3-0 on a great afternoon at the London Stadium and drawing 1-1 with Arsenal and Crystal Palace already this season, but Sunday will see him face Spurs for the first time as a senior head coach.

The Italian may not have experienced the Chelsea-Spurs derby first-hand yet, but he is well aware of what the rivalry means to our fans.

Maresca said: 'Hopefully we can give our fans a big day and they will enjoy it. We will prepare for the game thinking this will be a big game because it is a derby and it is Tottenham but, at the end, three points against Southampton, three points against Aston Villa or three points against Tottenham, the number of points are exactly the same. But we are completely aware how important Sunday's game is.'

Chelsea Academy graduates like Levi Colwill and former Spurs youngster Noni Madueke have grown up knowing about the passion of the rivalry.

Maresca rejected the notion his players might need to be more aggressive or have an edge on Sunday afternoon, stating: 'No, we don't change the way we want to be aggressive in defence'. High-energy pressing has been a hallmark of his Chelsea side thus far.

The Italian also highlighted that in the era of multi-national squads, many of his players will not have to be concerned about letting their emotions get the better of them.

'I know we have many English players but most of them also come from abroad and maybe are not aware about the derby and these kind of things,' he said. 'The only thing we can try to make sure is they are focused and they give everything.'

This will be the first time Maresca comes up against Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou, although the pair did spend some time together after Leicester City's pre-season friendly with Spurs in the summer of 2023 was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.

The north London club finished fifth last season, three points above Chelsea, to secure a Europa League spot, but are currently in 10th position, eight points below the second-placed Blues.

Maresca was asked about Postecoglou by journalists on Friday afternoon and replied: 'I think Ange has been doing well since last year. They are playing in a European competition this year so that means they finished well last season. There are some moments where you get more results or less results, but overall I think he is doing well.'

The question came because Spurs have enjoyed mixed results of late. While there have been 4-0 and 2-1 victories over Manchester City, plus a 4-1 win over Aston Villa, there have also been defeats to Galatasaray, Ipswich Town and Thursday night's 1-0 loss to Bournemouth.

It was put to Maresca that maybe he had been focusing more on the wins over Manchester City, rather than this week's defeat to Bournemouth, during his pre-match work with the Blues squad.

However, Maresca explained: 'We will pay attention to both games. We will see why they were good against Manchester City and the reasons why they lost on Thursday night, but overall we try to watch all of the games and try to understand why they were good in a game or why they were not good enough.'

So 'has he seen some things he might want to take advantage of?' - came the question from one journalist.

After a brief pause and a chuckle, Maresca - clearly wary of giving anything away - thoughtfully replied: 'They are a very good team and it will be a tough, tough game for sure.'

Of that, there is no doubt.