The Sun

Here's how the Blues players rated...

Robert Sanchez - 4

The home fans were on to him for the entirety of the first half after he lumped the ball out of play early on.

Not an awful lot he could've done about the goals, and he did recover well in the second half.

Moises Caicedo - 6

Chelsea's best defender on the day, he put in some strong challenges inverting into midfield and put in a solid performance once again.

Fortunate to escape a card for a late challenge on Pape Matar Sarr, before a brilliant second half.

Benoit Badiashile - 4

Looked uncomfortable playing as a left-footed centre-back on the right-hand side.

Often didn't help Robert Sanchez by playing him into trouble, and looked awkward when trying to progress from the back.

Levi Colwill - 6

Allowed Solanke to get in front of him and finish brilliantly at the near post for the opening goal.

Didn't have an awful lot to do in the second half, which was perhaps a good sign, as the whole defence was improved.

Marc Cucurella - 4

Slipped at the vital moment to practically set Spurs through and open the scoring within five minutes, before slipping AGAIN which saw Kulusevski double the lead.

Recovered really well after swapping his ice skates for football boots, nabbing the assist for Sancho's goal and giving a solid showing for the whole second half.

That said, he has to be marked down for the two goals.

Romeo Lavia - 8

Energetic, strong and smooth on the turn in midfield, with some brilliant line-breaking passes too.

Much the same as Caicedo, he is becoming a dependable, impressive body in the Chelsea midfield.

Came off at half-time for Malo Gusto, which must have been a tactical switch.

Enzo Fernandez (c) - 9

Didn't misplace a single one of his 28 passes in the first half, the same as Lavia - before adding a stunning, game-winning, left-footed volley to his myriad of impressive actions.

His best game in a Chelsea shirt came in one of their biggest matches of the season, as he continues his remarkable run of goal contributions.

Pedro Neto - 7

A threat on the right wing in the first half for Chelsea, he pressed well and came close to scoring Palmer's deflected effort.

A constant danger, he was creative but slightly lacked in end product if you're being critical.

Cole Palmer - 9

Mis-kicked a chance in the first twenty minutes you would usually bet your house on him scoring, before coming close again with a shot from range moments later.

Calmly dispatched his equalising penalty into the bottom corner, before setting up Enzo Fernandez to put his side in the lead.

Added the cherry on the Chelsea cake with an ice-cold panenka from the penalty spot.

Jadon Sancho - 8

Excellent finish to pull one back for the Blues and spark hope among supporters.

Generally sharp in build-up, and tricky feet as always, with a great slide-rule pass to see Caicedo win the penalty for Chelsea's equaliser.

Nicolas Jackson - 6

Looked a threat going forward for Chelsea in spells, but failed to get himself on the scoresheet on this occasion.

Seemed troubled as he departed the pitch for the oncoming Christopher Nkunku.

SUBS…

Malo Gusto (Romeo Lavia, HT) – 5

Was more direct and definitely an improvement on Malacia, albeit on the opposite flank.

However, still wasn't able to be the difference which Ruben Amorim would've been looking for in this one.

Christopher Nkunku (Nicolas Jackson, 76)

Got in some good positions and pressed well, remaining an outlet for the Chelsea attack when they countered.

Ultimately not enough time to have the impact he would've liked.

Noni Madueke (Pedro Neto, 86)

Not enough time to impact the game in any way.

Renato Veiga (Marc Cucurella, 90)

Not enough time to give a solid review, hardly touched the ball.

Here's how the Blues players rated...

Robert Sanchez - 4

The home fans were on to him for the entirety of the first half after he lumped the ball out of play early on.

Not an awful lot he could've done about the goals, and he did recover well in the second half.

Moises Caicedo - 6

Chelsea's best defender on the day, he put in some strong challenges inverting into midfield and put in a solid performance once again.

Fortunate to escape a card for a late challenge on Pape Matar Sarr, before a brilliant second half.

Benoit Badiashile - 4

Looked uncomfortable playing as a left-footed centre-back on the right-hand side.

Often didn't help Robert Sanchez by playing him into trouble, and looked awkward when trying to progress from the back.

Levi Colwill - 6

Allowed Solanke to get in front of him and finish brilliantly at the near post for the opening goal.

Didn't have an awful lot to do in the second half, which was perhaps a good sign, as the whole defence was improved.

Marc Cucurella - 4

Slipped at the vital moment to practically set Spurs through and open the scoring within five minutes, before slipping AGAIN which saw Kulusevski double the lead.

Recovered really well after swapping his ice skates for football boots, nabbing the assist for Sancho's goal and giving a solid showing for the whole second half.

That said, he has to be marked down for the two goals.

Romeo Lavia - 8

Energetic, strong and smooth on the turn in midfield, with some brilliant line-breaking passes too.

Much the same as Caicedo, he is becoming a dependable, impressive body in the Chelsea midfield.

Came off at half-time for Malo Gusto, which must have been a tactical switch.

Enzo Fernandez (c) - 9

Didn't misplace a single one of his 28 passes in the first half, the same as Lavia - before adding a stunning, game-winning, left-footed volley to his myriad of impressive actions.

His best game in a Chelsea shirt came in one of their biggest matches of the season, as he continues his remarkable run of goal contributions.

Pedro Neto - 7

A threat on the right wing in the first half for Chelsea, he pressed well and came close to scoring Palmer's deflected effort.

A constant danger, he was creative but slightly lacked in end product if you're being critical.

Cole Palmer - 9

Mis-kicked a chance in the first twenty minutes you would usually bet your house on him scoring, before coming close again with a shot from range moments later.

Calmly dispatched his equalising penalty into the bottom corner, before setting up Enzo Fernandez to put his side in the lead.

Added the cherry on the Chelsea cake with an ice-cold panenka from the penalty spot.

Jadon Sancho - 8

Excellent finish to pull one back for the Blues and spark hope among supporters.

Generally sharp in build-up, and tricky feet as always, with a great slide-rule pass to see Caicedo win the penalty for Chelsea's equaliser.

Nicolas Jackson - 6

Looked a threat going forward for Chelsea in spells, but failed to get himself on the scoresheet on this occasion.

Seemed troubled as he departed the pitch for the oncoming Christopher Nkunku.

SUBS…

Malo Gusto (Romeo Lavia, HT) – 5

Was more direct and definitely an improvement on Malacia, albeit on the opposite flank.

However, still wasn't able to be the difference which Ruben Amorim would've been looking for in this one.

Christopher Nkunku (Nicolas Jackson, 76)

Got in some good positions and pressed well, remaining an outlet for the Chelsea attack when they countered.

Ultimately not enough time to have the impact he would've liked.

Noni Madueke (Pedro Neto, 86)

Not enough time to impact the game in any way.

Renato Veiga (Marc Cucurella, 90)

Not enough time to give a solid review, hardly touched the ball.

YVES BISSOUMA has taken full responsibility for Tottenham's defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs were beaten by the Blues in the Premier League 4-3 at home on Sunday.

The North London outfit had raced into a two-goal lead before the visitors pulled off a stunning comeback.

Jadon Sancho fired in a brilliant goal before Chelsea were handed the opportunity to level proceedings.

Bissouma, 28, was penalised for a reckless foul on Moises Caicedo in the Spurs box in the 59th minute.

Cole Palmer converted the chance to equalise before he and Enzo Fernandez scored to make it 4-2.

Son Heung-min netted a late consolation, but by then, the result was Chelsea's.

After the game, Bissouma took to social media to apologise to fans as he was "burning" by his error.

He wrote: "I'm so sad for that mistake. It's burning me because we lost the game today from this mistake.

"I feel sorry for my teammates, staff, and fans. I take all the responsibility for that one.

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"l'll learn from this one. It's time now to show the real me.

"Thanks for all the support."

Jamie Carragher slammed the midfielder on Sky Sports for his foul and labelled the decision as "braindead".

He said: "I've said all day that some of the things Tottenham players do is absolutely ridiculous.

"It's a certain penalty, and it was his [Bissouma's] mistake initially on the far side, losing the ball to Neto.

"And he maybe comes flying across thinking I've got to try and rectify this in some way.

"He was really poor on the first challenge on Neto. That is absolutely braindead. I mean, who'd be a manager?"

Palmer's brace of penalties in the match saw him break a Premier League record.

He has now scored 12 spot-kicks in a row, which has surpassed Yaya Toure's record of 11.

Spurs started the game in fine form as they took advantage of Marc Cucurella's poor boot choice to go two goals up.

During the match, Palmer had to contend with being pelted with cards from the home crowd.

Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson was also involved as he stopped Fernandez landing himself a yellow card after his goal.

UGLY scenes erupted in the stands in Tottenham's heated home derby with Chelsea.

Some Blues' supporters were escorted out following their exuberant celebration of a Jadon Sancho goal.

Meanwhile, Chelsea heroes Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez were pelted by objects thrown from home supporters.

Tottenham fans reacted furiously to the antics from a few of their Chelsea counterparts after Sancho cut the visitors' deficit to 2-1.

Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulesvski had netted inside the first 11 minutes to leave Spurs flying.

But Sancho cut in from the left to fire home a low shot in off the post.

And the loanee from Manchester United continued to menace Spurs down the same flank.

Only Fraser Forster denied him early in the second period.

Palmer and Fernandez earlier had to delay taking set-pieces as missiles rained down.

Tottenham stewards intervened to quell the troublemakers in the stands.

England attacker Palmer was happy to laugh off the animosity.

And he later ignited more wild rejoicing - with a penalty equaliser on 61 minutes.

Fernandez too then took his own revenge - putting Chelsea in front with a screamer.

Palmer scores his second penalty of the game with a cheeky Panenka on 84 minutes for 4-1, before Son scored Tottenham's third as it ended 4-3 to the visitors.

Supporters of the two clubs have clashed in the past.

And that apparent acrimony has at times also extended to the dugouts.

Two years ago then-Chelsea chief Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte, who managed Spurs three years after bossing the Blues, were caught up in an unsightly exchange over a handshake.

CHELSEA's stars were pelted by missiles from Tottenham's fans as they lined up to take corners.

Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez had to delay taking their set-pieces as pieces of card rained down on them.

Tottenham's stewards intervened to calm the fans down, while removing the objects from the pitch.

It is believed the card came from the tifo used before the game.

As Palmer lined up for a corner towards the end of the first half, it got far worse.

The game had to be momentarily halted as stewards remonstrated with fans.

Palmer, to his credit, laughed and smiled off the animosity shown his way.

But Blues fans had the last laugh - chanting “it’s happened again it’s happened again, Tottenham Hotspur it’s happened again.”

Tottenham raced into a two-goal lead - before a monumental collapse ended with a 4-2 home defeat.

Tottenham fans have previous when it comes to missiles hitting Chelsea players.

Back in 2022, Antonio Rudiger appeared to be struck by missiles in ugly scenes involving a section of away supporters at Stamford Bridge.

udiger appeared to be targeted by Spurs fans in a fiery London derby.

The Germany international could be seen turning towards away fans as an object was thrown in his direction.

A Spurs spokesperson said: "With regards the Rudiger incident, we will work with Chelsea to review the footage and take any appropriate action."

London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea's fans share a bitter relationships.

And if it's not the fans, it's their managers too.

CHELSEA ace Marc Cucurella endured a horror first 10 minutes in the London derby against Tottenham.

The Blues visit Spurs in a crucial Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And Cucurella, 26, was at fault for both of the North Londoners' goals as he slipped.

The full-back lost his balance after just five minutes when Dominic Solanke opened the scoring for Tottenham.

And the Spain international did the same just six minutes later, leading to Dejan Kulusevski's strike.

Cucurella was then seen storming towards the Chelsea bench to change his boots.

It seems like the ex-Brighton star no longer had faith in his gear as he kept falling on the wet surface.

The versatile defender appeared to have regained his footing as he helped Chelsea reduce the deficit with Jadon Sancho's strike on 17 minutes.

Fans were left stunned by that peculiar sight as they took to social media.

One fan tweeted: "Like Cinderella, Cucurella needs slippers that fit - Peter Drury."

Another commented: "How can he had not realised from warm up how wet it is."

A third wrote: "What a nightmare."

And that one stated: "Nightmare is right."

'We deserved to win'

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was clearly delighted with the win - and could even joke around about Cucurella's boot issue.

He told Sky Sports: "For the fans and for us, I said in the week that we were working to make the fans happy, and today they can be happy."

On Cucurella, he added: "He said to me after the game that he was trying to bring emotion to the game.

"No, being serious, to come this stadium against this team and be 2-0 down, but continue then with the same plan on and off the ball and then second half we changed things tactically. I think overall we deserved to win.

"It's more a question for Marc. They are mature enough to decide what boots they need for the game. The most important thing is that we were 2-0 but we continued the same way to create chances."

Better than Zola?

Jamie Carragher made a bold claim after the game, stating Palmer has already done more than the Italian magician did in his iconic years in Blue.

Carragher said: "He gets the penalties and he is involved in the Enzo Fernandez goal as well. People fear when he has the ball.

"He hasn't been playing for the best team. When you look at Chelsea over the years, you look at flair players you look at Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard. He has probably done more than Zola already in his 18 months at the club.

"He is going to go down as one of the biggest players for Chelsea if he keeps doing what he is doing. He is a very special player, and that's not just in the Premier League it is in Europe and world football as well."

'We needed to win and we did'

Cole Palmer had the coollest head in north London when he stepped up to score an outrageous Panenka penalty and seal the win.

Palmer scored his second of the game to take his tally for the season to nine for the season - plus six assists.

Speaking after the game, he told Sky Sports: "We knew it was going to be tough so to win is good.

"When I stepped back and looked at the clock I thought it's a bit frantic, the game is all over the place and I thought the keeper was ready to dive so I just chipped it.

"I'm just trying to score and thankfully it went in."

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IT could be a long afternoon for Tottenham against Chelsea on Sunday.

We all saw how some Spurs fans booed Ange Postecoglou at the end of the Bournemouth game on Thursday, which shows what they are thinking.

But I just don’t know what his best team is or what we will get from them.

Yes, Postecoglou has had a few injuries, especially at the back. He’s lost the two centre-halves Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, as well as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Despite this they had that really great performance against Manchester City but either side of that they had Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Bournemouth . . . really poor performances.

They’ve now had the injury to Ben Davies as well.

Spurs are not a settled team. Even when they’re all fit you are not sure who is going to play.

It leaves them very short at the back and if they end up putting Archie Gray alongside Radu Dragusin, I wouldn’t fancy that much especially because the two full-backs love to attack and those two would be exposed.

Archie is a fantastic young talent but playing centre-half against a Chelsea side in great form is a brave one.

If I was Ange I would look to play a much more defensive-looking team.

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I wouldn’t be sitting here thinking, "Right, let’s go and attack them". It’s not a day for him to be going gung-ho.

He will have to make sure he puts in a really solid midfield and maybe forgoes his attacking instincts to get defensive stability in front of that pair at the back.

That could mean playing five across the midfield and Dominic Solanke on his own up top. Ange cannot afford to be open.

The full-backs will have to be told they can’t just bomb forward willy-nilly but have to keep a solid base.

You have to stay in the game and be patient. Maybe just take the opportunities when they come — if they get them.

I know how much it matters to fans of both teams because this is a huge rivalry now. But if Tottenham fans put pressure on the players, that could play right into Chelsea’s hands.

The Blues will have seen what happened on Thursday night and will try to dominate the early exchanges.

Chelsea are definitely going there as favourites. They are full of confidence with a spring in their step. Yet at the start of the season they looked a bit of a mishmash and I really couldn’t see them doing anything.

It can be a big problem when you have too many players who all think they should be playing. That can lead to a very difficult dressing room.

But they seem to have sorted that out and things are going great. The manager is doing a good job and now people are suddenly saying, "Hang on, it’s not impossible".

When you see the team they put out to score five at Southampton in midweek, that shows everybody is buying into what they’re trying to do.

Cole Palmer is the main man. He would be the X-factor for any team. But we’re seeing it with Enzo Fernandez as well now. He’s a World Cup winner and starting to show the form they bought him for.

It’s the same with Moises Caicedo. Now he’s really showing what he is capable of and they are looking strong in midfield.

But I also look at Nicolas Jackson. I have to be honest, when they bought him I thought, "He is just not good enough".

He was going to Bournemouth for £20million but that didn’t happen because he had an injury and I really thought the Cherries had saved themselves £20m.

Now Jackson is looking a very useful player. Full credit to the manager because he has given him a bit of self belief and he’s delivering the goods.

If Chelsea can continue this run, they will put themselves bang in the picture.

D-DAY FOR GARY AND JULEN

IT will be a nervous night for both bosses at the London Stadium on Monday.

For me, it’s a bit early to be thinking about pulling the trigger but West Ham and Wolves are sides that are struggling.

I know Gary O’Neil well and feel he’s done a great job, even though it’s been difficult with the injuries and the players he lost.

He did a fantastic job at Bournemouth but now he needs a result or two at Wolves.

I’ve watched a lot of their games and I feel they have been really unlucky in many of them, but the pressure is growing. The fans seemed to turn on him for the first time at Everton last week. It can get difficult when that happens — and the players sense it.

What I do know is that Gary has so much to offer. He’s very good, bright as a button.

I saw a lot of what he did at Bournemouth — that was fantastic — and then last year at Wanderers, but he definitely needs some luck to turn it around now.

It feels a bit similar for Julen Lopetegui at the Hammers. A lot of it comes down to recruitment. I thought their signings looked good in the summer but German striker Niclas Fullkrug has barely played because he has been injured since he arrived — although he did score that late goal at Leicester.

I reckon both managers would take a draw, keep their jobs and get a bit of time, because if anyone does lose the game they’re going to be under severe pressure.

If Wolves can keep the crowd quiet and the fans start to get edgy and turn a bit, then it could be a tough night for the hosts.

GUNNERS ARE SET TO WIN

THERE have been a few people rushing to criticise Arsenal because they are scoring so many goals from set-pieces.

Dimitar Berbatov said they were just a modern version of Stoke after the Manchester United game.

What it comes down to is that they have people who want to attack the ball with a bit of movement.

Their centre-halves, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, have got a bit of size but REALLY want to score.

Rather than moaning about them, you have to put your best markers on their best attacking weapons.

I see too many set-plays where forwards are put up against defenders — but forwards can’t defend and they get done. You have to make sure your centre-halves are on their ones.

You want a good header of the ball at the near post, someone at the back post and sometimes you can have a spare man and just tell him to go wherever the ball goes

At West Ham I had Julian Dicks, a fantastic header of the ball. I would leave him free to start in the middle, attack the ball and nod it away.

If I had to play against this Arsenal side I’d love to have Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin, who played for me at Portsmouth, as my two centre-backs.

Sol was a powerhouse and if he was marking you, you were never going to get ahead of him to that ball. Sylvain was also a big, strong athlete.

But with Arsenal you’ve got to be aware of everything because they can hurt you from all over the place.

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are fantastic players. Odegaard pulls all the strings while Bukayo is so dangerous. They are why I think Arsenal will battle Liverpool all the way.

They’re definitely not just a good set-piece team. They are a really good team who are great at set-pieces.

And when that ball comes in, they’ve got people who want to score. Fulham will have to be at their very best when the Gunners visit.

REWIND the clock just over a year and Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs were being applauded off the pitch by supporters, despite losing 4-1 at home to Chelsea.

This Sunday, Tottenham host the Blues again and if it goes badly for the North Londoners, you fear for the Aussie boss and the reception he might get from the terraces.

It has been a marked turnaround in 13 months.

From fans serenading Postecoglou with their twist on Robbie Williams’ classic ‘Angels’ of “I’m loving Big Ange instead”.

To many of them falling out of love with the 59-year-old due to the wild inconsistency of his approach and some even wanting him gone.

The fact that Spurs pulled off one of their greatest Premier League results ever with the 4-0 win at Manchester City just 13 days ago but now we are in this situation is remarkable.

But in a way that landmark victory at the Etihad only heightened the frustration felt by fans because it showed just what this team is capable of… yet are regularly failing to reproduce against so-called smaller teams like Crystal Palace, Ipswich and last night, Bournemouth.

Andoni Iraola’s Cherries completely outclassed Spurs and were it not for some horrendously wasteful finishing from their forwards, it would have been 3-0 or 4-0 rather than 1-0.

So what has sparked this reversal in fortunes for Postecoglou’s Spurs?

There is an argument to say it all began with that Chelsea game in November last year.

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Spurs had made an electric start to his tenure, going unbeaten in their first ten league games and flying high at the top of the league.

Things were going so well that Postecoglou had won a hat-trick of manager-of-the-month awards for the first three months of the campaign.

But then disaster struck against the Blues.

Spurs went down to nine men due after Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were sent off, but more significantly they lost James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to long-term injuries.

Amazingly, Postecoglou persevered with a high line and an attacking approach which led to Son Heung-min coming very close to a 90th-minute leveller for 2-2.

He missed, and after that Nicolas Jackson went on to complete a hat-trick.

The scenes afterwards were unforgettable though as fans belted out songs of praise for their brave team and their fearless manager for continuing to take the fight to the opposition despite their two-man disadvantage.

But since then, that passion has dwindled due to how enormously patchy Postecoglou’s side have been.

Their league record since Chelsea has read 17 wins, six draws and 18 defeats.

The collapse towards the end of last season cost them a Champions League spot.

While this term the dismal nature of displays at Selhurst Park, the second half at Brighton and the Vitality on Thursday night has irked supporters no end.

At Bournemouth, Postecoglou even exchanged words with angry supporters seemingly calling him names and shouting expletives from the stands at full-time.

Just over 12 hours on at Friday morning’s press conference back in Enfield, Postecoglou said he had no issue with the fans’ venting their fury.

That what matters is that they are behind the team - not him.

He said: “They're not behind me, they're behind the club. I've got no interest in who's behind me.

“You got to figure the ones who travel to Bournemouth are pretty hardcore supporters.

“They weren't happy with what they saw, they felt like they needed to give me some feedback, I took the feedback on board and we move on.”

Injuries have been killing Postecoglou’s side over the last year.

Maddison and Van de Ven getting crocked in the 4-1 against Chelsea last term derailed their progress completely.

While right now he is without his first-choice centre-back pairing of Romero and Van de Ven, his No1 goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and is light up top with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert out injured.

Ben Davies also injured his hamstring against Bournemouth.

Barring the £65million purchase of Dominic Solanke - the most a Premier League club spent on a player this summer - Spurs opted for youth in the last window.

The decisions we made around signing young players are the right decisions for where we are at right now and will bear fruit

Ange Postecoglou

Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, both 18, 19-year-old Odobert and Yang Min-Hyeok, also 18 and who will join next month, were all brought in.

While experienced pros like Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso were let go.

The injury to Odobert in particular has hit hard because Spurs looked in desperate need for more strength in the attacking areas.

But the teenage kicks approach has left some fans thinking the club were too focused on building for the future, rather than the here and now.

Yet Postecoglou defended the transfer policy today, commenting: “It is still the right decision and I own them [transfers] because I believe they are the right decisions for this club.

“I have said numerous times, I make these decisions with the kind of background that I’m going to be here for a while to see this through.

“To be honest, if I was worried about my own existence I would have fought tooth and nail to block Harry Kane leaving but it wasn’t the right decision for the club because he was in the last year of his contract. That is not what drives me.

“The decisions we made around signing young players are the right decisions for this club for where we are at right now and they will bear fruit.”

That may be the case further down the line, but whether Postecoglou will still be at the club in time to see it seems in jeopardy right now.

His Spurs are capable of beating the best, as they have proven in the past, so seeing off Enzo Maresca’s in-form Chelsea is doable.

Lose, though, and the ex-Celtic boss could have a crisis on his hands - with a hostile trip Rangers in Glasgow coming just days after.