The Mirror

Nicolas Jackson did Chelsea team-mate Enzo Fernandez a huge favour - but inadvertently stopped one gutted fan from scooping more than £1,000.

Players are the last people you’d expect to be killjoys amid goal celebrations. But quick-thinking Jackson was just that after Fernandez’s winner in Sunday night’s dramatic 4-3 victory over Tottenham.

After being 2-0 down early on, Argentine midfielder Fernandez gave his side a 3-2 lead in the 73rd minute and understandably wheeled away in sheer joy towards the jubilant Chelsea fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As he did so, the record-breaking £106.8m signing started to peel his shirt over his head. But, as Fernandez attempted to complete the process, thoughtful team-mate Jackson was behind him, grabbing the back of the shirt to keep it down in all the hysteria.

Knowing his pal would gain an instant yellow card for removing his jersey, Jackson’s smart-thinking gained plenty of love on social media.

It’s not something you often see on a football pitch and it could save Fernandez a suspension later down the line with players picking up a one-match ban after five yellow cards.

However, one fan on X wasn’t as impressed by Jackson’s antics. He had placed a ten-leg bet at odds of 200/1 and had seen nine out of nine come good. With a fiver bunged on, he stood to collect £1,005 if the last piece of the jigsaw fell into place.

Other parts of his wager included both teams to score, Romeo Lavia to get a yellow card, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie to commit fouls. But the last segment was Fernandez to be booked, too, meaning the gutted supporter was left empty-handed.

More than two and a half million people have seen his message on X which simply stated ‘all timer’ alongside a split image of his coupon with the pic of Jackson pulling down Fernandez’s shirt.

Ange Postecoglou still has the support of Tottenham’s players despite their wretched form.

Spurs have slumped to 11th in the Premier League table after back-to-back defeats and the pressure is mounting on Postecoglou. Spurs boss Postecoglou admitted himself that he will be under “a lot of scrutiny” unless the team’s position improves by the end of the month.

There is an acceptance at Tottenham about the club’s injury problems and also hope that they can get into the Champions League places.

They will face Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday with Cristian Romero facing a fresh injury lay-off while the hope is that Micky van de Ven suffered tightness after being thrust into a quick return in the defeat to Chelsea. But the Tottenham players have publicly backed Postecoglou who remains convinced he can turn the club’s season around.

Defender Radu Dragusin said: “Obviously we are going through a difficult period but we have to stick together and play our football. For sure, the results will come. It is a league where anyone can beat anyone. I don’t think there is a reason for that.

"We are playing against some good quality players. Sometimes they have a better day in the office than us.Sometimes we have days when we play incredible football so we will keep going and stick to our principles.”

Romero told Telemundo: “He's a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one, we've suffered a lot of injuries. Players are the first ones to be criticised, then if we lose 10 games, the staff can be changed, but nobody talks about what is actually happening. We are very happy with this staff, me and my colleagues. We love how they work and the football they try to play. We'll try to move on quickly.”

Should Spurs stick with Ange Postecoglou? Have your say in the comments section

Postecoglou was asked about Spurs' injury worries after the Chelsea setback. "We started the game really well but as our season has been going, we lose [Cristian] Romero after 20 minutes and that disrupts us a bit and they score straight after," he told Match of the Day on Sunday.

"Obviously Romero was really disappointing. He felt something in his quad after 20 minutes and couldn't continue. Brennan [Johnson] wasn't well and he tried to sort himself out at half time but he just wasn't up to going out there.

"Micky [van de Ven] was just a bit tiredness. The plan today was always to try and give him 60 or 70 [minutes]."

Jamie Carragher has been left aghast at Ange Postecoglou's suggestion his Tottenham side played well in defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs crumbled as they fell to a 4-3 defeat having earned a two-goal advantage in the opening half. The Lilywhites conceded two penalties as Enzo Maresca's team were allowed back into the match after Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevksi opened the scoring following errors from Marc Cucurella.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr each conceded a penalty in the second period at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with rash and costly challenges. Cole Palmer dispatched both, as Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez also found the back of the net, to ensure Son Heung-min's goal counted for little.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher was in disbelief at the suggestion Spurs played well despite conceding four goals. The ex-central defender rubbished the notion that teams should not adapt their way of playing.

"Ange said how well they played. I can't imagine any Liverpool manager I played for - and we conceded four in a game - would say in the interview we played well," Carragher said on Sky Sports. "If you play this way you'll get the result like at Manchester City but you'd also get results like this one where you're 2-0 up. I've never got my head around managers saying we play a 'certain way and we will never change' - I think it started with Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.

"This idea that wherever they play, they will play their way. But that was the best team I've ever seen. Pep Guardiola then had to change his Man City team who were winning the leagues every season, putting centre-backs at full-back. This idea that you can't change is alien to me. The game-state dictates how you play, not all the time but if you go away to a tough away ground you shouldn't play the same way as you do against a team at the bottom.

"There's this idea of playing a pure game and the Tottenham fans singing 'We've got our Tottenham back' but you won't win anything, you won't challenge.

"I wake up every morning hoping the sun is shining, so I can put some shorts and a T-shirt on but if it's raining, you put your coat on. You can't have this idea about playing one way, it won't work. If it doesn't change, he won't be here next season."

Postecoglou did admit his team need to show more discipline. The Australian manager was pleased with his side's improvement from defeat to Bournemouth, but acknowledged key moments cost them.

We started really well and then we lose Cristian Romero - nothing has run smoothly for us and we have to reshuffle before they get a goal. I thought we had big moments to get a third. Second-half was a ding-dong and we had a big chance with Son to swing the game our way. Then the two penalties weren't great on our behalf - we need more discipline in the box.

"We didn't play well against Bournemouth but we played well today. They're a good side. A top team. We got disrupted in key moments and the key moments decided the game.

"When we are playing our football we are tough to stop and we need to maintain our discipline. There was no need for them as the game was in the balance. When you play these top teams these momentum shifts can happen quickly."

Tottenham could be fined by the Football Association after their supporters threw objects onto the pitch during the defeat by Chelsea.

Spurs were beaten 4-3 by their London rivals on Sunday evening in an action-packed Premier League match. The home side raced into a 2-0 lead inside 11 minutes thanks to goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski before Chelsea roared back.

Jadon Sancho’s powerful strike, two penalties from Cole Palmer and a goal from Enzo Fernandez put them 4-2 up before Son Heung-min’s late consolation. There were plenty of other incidents on the pitch, too, with Kulusevski and Moises Caicedo perhaps fortunate to escape red cards in the first half. The match was played in a loud atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which spilled over during the first half.

Before the match, Spurs fans in the South Stand were issued with pieces of paper to create a giant tifo which read "audere est facere" – Latin for “to dare is to do”, the club’s motto. Those pieces of paper were then thrown onto the pitch by some fans when Chelsea’s players came to take corners at that end of the ground.

The FA is understood to be investigating the incidents and will review footage as well as referee Anthony Taylor’s match report before potentially taking further action. To compound a poor result against their rivals, Tottenham could be fined for the actions of their fans.

Palmer, Fernandez, Sancho and Pedro Neto were among those targeted while they tried to take set pieces. Taylor was called over to deal with the issue, with stewards helping Chelsea’s players to clear the pitch of the objects which had been thrown in their direction.

“Where are the people in the stands, the stewards? Don't just stand there watching, get in there,” an irritated Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “What are these Tottenham stewards doing? There's three of them behind Cole Palmer just stood there watching him.”

The behaviour of the Spurs fans didn’t seem to affect Palmer, who calmly picked up the material and kicked it off the pitch while waiting for order to be restored before taking his corner. It took him until the second half to really come alive and influence the match for the Blues.

He coolly converted his first penalty, sending Fraser Forster the wrong way, after Yves Bissouma slid in and fouled Caicedo in the area. The 22-year-old England star dinked his second spot-kick down the middle to make it 4-2 after Pape Sarr clumsily barged him over in the box.

Victory moved Chelsea up to second place, past Arsenal who are held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham on Sunday. Tottenham, by contrast, are 11th following their seventh defeat from 15 league matches this season.

Tottenham were left fuming after Chelsea star Moises Caicedo escaped a red card in North London before going on to win a game-levelling penalty in the Blues' comeback win.

Caicedo went in high on Pape Matar Sarr during the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the Video Assistant Referee deeming it not worthy of a red card. "VAR checked for a potential red card following a challenge by Caicedo on Sarr and confirmed the referee’s call of no serious foul play," the Premier League Match Centre account posted on social media.

It was one of two contentious incidents during rhe first period, with Spurs winger Dejan Kulusevski escaping punishment after catching Romeo Lavia with a high arm. According to Sky Sports, it was deemed accidental, allowing the Swede to stay on the field.

The Caicedo decision proved costly for Ange Postecoglou's side. Having been allowed to stay on the field, the Ecuadorian was felled in the box by Yves Bissouma just before the hour mark and Cole Palmer equalised from the penalty spot.

Spurs had raced into an early two-goal lead, with Dominic Solanke opening the scoring and Kulusevski doubling their lead. However, they were dealy a blow when Cristian Romero's comeback from injury lasted just 15 minutes.

Jadon Sancho brought Chelsea back into the game, scoring for the second time in as many matches, before Palmer made it 2-2. Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea in front 17 minutes from time, while the Blues won a second penalty as Sarr felled Palmer.

Chelsea's top scorer converted from the spot for a second time for Chelsea's fourth, with Son Heung-min's late goal not enough for Spurs, but some were left baffled by the earlier VAR call. After reading the justification for Caicedo staying on, it wasn't just Spurs fans raising concerns.

Should Moises Caicedo have been sent off? Have your say in the comments section

"Someone needs to define serious foul play, because how is studding someone’s shin not that?" one response read. "It’s the most obvious red card of the season, it’s high it’s late and it’s excessive force," was the reaction from another fan.

Others compared the Caicedo challenge to one made by Romero in the same fixture last season. The Argentina international was sent off on that occasion after a high challenge on Fernandez, with Chelsea also awarded a penalty in the incident.

"I'm not surprised this resulted in a red as well as a penalty," former Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg wrote for The Mail at the time. Romero flew into a challenge and took a huge risk, even though he clearly won the ball. Football has changed so much and now playing the ball is not enough to save someone from red."

Chelsea came from 2-0 down to win and go second in the Premier League with a statement win over sorry Tottenham.

Spurs were 2-0 up inside 11 minutes as two Marc Cucurella slips helped aided Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski. But Chelsea hit back swiftly when Jadon Sancho halved the deficit with a powerful strike off the inside of the post from the edge of the box.

The frantic nature of the match continued, with both teams intent on playing in a carefree end-to-end style. Cole Palmer missed a glorious chance before Fraser Forster made an impressive double save to deny Palmer and Pedro Neto.

Pape Sarr hit the crossbar with a header from a corner shortly after being caught by a Moises Caicedo tackle which could easily have warranted a red card. Kulusevski also avoided VAR intervention after catching Romeo Lavia with an elbow before the half-time whistle blew.

Forster was called into action again after the break, keeping out Sancho, but couldn't prevent Palmer from making it 2-2 from the penalty spot after Yves Bissouma caught Caicedo in the box.

It got even worse for Tottenham when Enzo Fernandez smashed in a loose ball to make it 3-2 before Sarr pushed over Palmer to allow him to show off with a panenka penalty to rub salt in the wounds before Son Heung-min netted to cut the deficit in added time. Here are the talking points from an eventful match in north London as Chelsea leapfrog Arsenal into second, going within four points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in-hand after Saturday's Merseyside Derby was postponed.

Cucurella had one of the most ludicrous starts to a Premier League match you’re ever likely to see. From a neutral perspective it was pure comedy – think Sideshow Bob standing on rake after rake. From a Chelsea perspective it looked like self-sabotage. From a Tottenham one, it was absolutely ideal.

First, the Chelsea left-back slipped over to present the ball to Brennan Johnson, who raced clear and crossed for Solanke to make it 1-0. Then, just six minutes later, he was at it again, this time watching as Kulusevksi found the bottom corner.

To make it even more enjoyable/ridiculous/embarrassing (delete as appropriate), Cucurella then ran straight over to the sidelines, shrugging his shoulders, to change his boots. “Don't blame anyone else – it's your own fault son!” an incredulous Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “Absolutely schoolboy stuff. Embarrassing.”

Sancho has been in the football wilderness for so long that it has been easy to forget just how incisive and exciting he can be at his best. But this is a player who not long ago cost £73million after dazzling for Borussia Dortmund.

It must be good, considering Chelsea felt the need to bring him in on loan from Manchester United, despite already having an embarrassment of riches in wide areas. After 17 minutes of this game, it all started to make sense: Sancho received the ball wide on the left, skipped inside and unleashed a powerful and accurate shot which cannoned into the back of the net via the inside of the post. His strike dampened the raucous atmosphere, but thankfully only for a brief moment.

On another day, there could easily have been two red cards in the first half. But in the end, referee Anthony Taylor kept his cards in his pocket and left the game as 11 vs 11, rather than 10 vs 10, as VAR decided not to intervene.

Caicedo flew into a challenge on Sarr, missing the ball and catching the Spurs midfielder on the shin with his studs. The stand-in Chelsea right-back probably feared the worst, but after a brief check, the VAR said there wasn't "excessive force" and Caicedo survived.

Minutes later and there was a very similar decision at the other end of the pitch. Kulusevski caught Lavia on the side of the head with his elbow as he tried to close him down. The Chelsea midfield went down holding his head, but VAR quickly dismissed the claim for a lack of "excessive force" again - much to the bemusement of Carragher on commentary.

A game this open suited Palmer down to the ground, but it took two penalties for him to make his mark on it. Bissouma did his best to create a new dictionary definition for 'stonewall penalty' and Palmer did the honours, sending Forster the wrong way with ease. His second spot-kick was even better: a cheeky panenka straight down the middle to sit the Spurs goalkeeper down.

Pressure doesn't seem to affect the Chelsea playmaker and he overtook Yaya Toure's record of 11 perfect penalties in the Premier League by making it 12 out of 12. His form over 2024 is ridiculous: the 22-year-old has been involved in 37 Premier League goals (25 goals, 13 assists)this year - that is the best record of any Chelsea player in the competition's history and there are still plenty of games to come.

After such a dream start, it turned into a nightmare afternoon for Ange Postecoglou. He started it with the boost of having Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven back in the starting line-up following injuries, but finished it with both of them having been forced off with injuries.

Much has been made of Postecoglou's easy-on-the-eye playing style, but there is simply no consistency. You have no idea which Spurs is going to turn up week after week. The one that turned up on Sunday was naive and was punished for it.

Tottenham now have just one win from their last seven games in all competitions. Postecoglou isn't responsible for Bissouma and Sarr's challenges, but he is responsible for the gung-ho ethos of the side.

Trust maximum-action Nicolas Jackson to put his dabs all over today’s London derby.

In a crowded field of Chelsea attacking talent he’s leading the way ahead of the trip to Tottenham (4.30pm).

Chelsea’s rebirth as a serious Prem force has spoiled the “billion pound bottle jobs” fun a bit, but the compensation for punters has been lumpy.

The Blues score fistfuls of goals, and Spurs clean sheets are an occasional treat, so the angles look straightforward.

If this one finishes 0-0, I’ll buy a hat and eat it.

Back Jackson to put another feather in his cap this afternoon – 9/5 (Unibet) ‘anytime scorer’ is a must-have when he’s an Evens shout for that on his raw numbers.

Jackson ‘OVER 0.5 assists’ at 6/1 (Bet365) is too big as well on what we’ve seen so far this season.

The last time today’s whistler Anthony Taylor reffed a Blues game he booked everyone and the groundsman’s cat.

Yes, he can blow hot and cold – Taylor, not the cat – but Noni Madueke is a value shout at 13/2 (Skybet) ‘to be shown a card’, assuming he starts.

You would back the bookies to have learned how to defend against Arsenal corners even if no one else has – but the prices at Fulham (2pm) say otherwise.

The Gunners were Stoke-ing it up again in midweek, notching twice from corners with what we might fairly record as 1.9 headed goals. That’s a hefty 10.9 headed goals already this season.

Take Thomas Partey at 80/1 and Gabriel – if he starts – at 14/1 (both Bet365) ‘scores a header’, plus ‘OVER 0.5 assists’ for main corner kickers 11/4 Bukayo Saka and 13/2 Declan Rice (both Hills).

Bournemouth can be our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow armband at Sam Morsy’s Ipswich.

The hosts (2pm) are top-six for conceding Prem pens – punt the 10/3 (Unibet) for spot king Justin Kluivert ‘anytime scorer’ and 11/2 (Bet365) ‘Bournemouth score pen’.

Brighton dazzler Joao Pedro is fair at 11/10 (Unibet) ‘score or assist’ for the trip to Leicester (2pm).

Over in Spain, take UNDER 2.5 goals at 11/10 (Unibet) when goal-shy Sevilla visit Atletico Madrid (8pm), who have Champions League looming

Last week: Winners at 10/11, 7/4 and 15/2

Manchester United are considering muscling in on Chelsea and Tottenham target Patrick Dorgu.

The 20-year-old left-back, who was recently crowned Denmark's Young Player of the Year, is expected to leave Italian side Lecce at the end of the season.

And United sent club representatives to Italy to watch the highly-rated starlet last weekend when Lecce snatched a late draw against Juventus courtesy of a stoppage-time leveller.

Ruben Amorim is keen to strengthen at left-wing back and Dorgu, who has recently been operating as a right winger, is the latest player to be subjected to scouting checks.

Sources believe the Red Devils were also keeping a watchful eye over Juventus' attacking starlet Kenan Yildiz during the match.

Leece are understood to have rebuffed approaches from both Chelsea and Tottenham for Dorgu during the summer transfer window which fell short of their valuation.

The big-spending Blues were considering signing the versatile defender and loaning him to sister club Strasbourg to aid his development, though discussions failed to bear fruit.

Dorgu, who has three goals in 13 Serie A appearances this season, is expected to cost up to £35million but Lecce chief Pantaleo Corvino has already ruled out a January sale, telling Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this week: “A player like that has admirers, of course. And, for him, there are certainly many, even abroad. But Dorgu will stay here and then, in the summer, we’ll talk about it because his destiny is set. The future belongs to him.”

However, the talented Dane is not the only name on United's radar amid Luke Shaw's ongoing injury struggles with Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez and Benfica starlet Alvaro Carreras - a Carrington academy graduate - also on their radar.

United appear ready to play the long game with Davies, who remains in talks with Bayern over a contract extension but an agreement is yet to have been tied up between the parties.

Reports in Germany this week suggest Bayern have made progress during negotiations with the Canada international over fresh terms but United and Real Madrid are both watching developments from afar and can enter formal talks with Davies in January when he enters the final six months of his deal.

The 24-year-old, who has long been open to a Premier League move, ticks many boxes but his salary demands could prove problematic for United if he is to depart Bayern on a free transfer as INEOS continue to implement various cost-cutting measures in a bid to tighten up their finances.

It's understood scouting of Kerkez has been an extensive process which began long before the appointment of Amorim but interest, at this stage, has not gone beyond that.

Meanwhile, ex-United starlet Carreras was sold to Benfica in a deal worth around £7.5million including add-ons last summer but crucially, the Red Devils have a buy-back clause worth just shy of £17m as the Spaniard continues to flourish in Lisbon.

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur star Kieran Trippier believes the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino marked the beginning of Dele Alli's decline.

Trippier, who played alongside Alli for four years at Spurs, previously shared his thoughts on why the 28-year-old's career has struggled to regain momentum since Pochettino's departure from the north London club.

Alli is currently training with Everton, despite not having a contract with the club, as he works to revive his career. However, his progress has been hindered by injuries, having suffered a setback in October. He's since suffered a hamstring injury last month in his latest set back. It's been over 18 months since his last competitive match, which was during his loan spell with Besiktas in the 2022/23 season.

Once touted as a key player for England, Alli's form began to dip after Pochettino was replaced by Jose Mourinho in November 2019, just six months after Spurs' 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League final.

In an interview with Under The Cosh, Trippier, who left Spurs for Atletico Madrid in July 2019, discussed Alli's close relationship with Pochettino during their time at Tottenham. He said: "Poch was brilliant with Dele to be fair and Dele was flying at Tottenham.

"It's one of those where I left and went to Atletico Madrid and he was there for two years after. But even during my last season there he was flying, he's a great lad, but Poch was brilliant with him."

In the final year and a half of his Spurs career, Alli found himself on the fringes under Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Antonio Conte, managing to net just five goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.

Spurs ended up parting with Alli, who joined Everton on loan in January 2021. The England international made his Toffees switch permanent a year later. Despite the change of scenery, the midfielder remained out of form and played just 13 games before he was sent on loan once again to Besiktas with the Turkish giants having an option to make the move permanent.

Alli managed just 15 games in Turkey before he returned to Everton in April 2023 after picking up a hip injury. He hasn't played a game since coming back to England with his deal with the Blues having expired at the end of the last season.

While he remains without a contract, he's been at work at the Toffees' training ground at Finch Farm in order to earn a contract under Sean Dyche. Should the 28-year-old find a remarkable return to form and fitness in Merseyside, the struggling Premier League side will surely enjoy having a player of Alli's calibre on their hands.

After 13 games played, Everton sit a lowly 15th with two wins in 13 games and take on Liverpool on Saturday (December 7) in the last Merseyside Derby ever to be played at Goodison Park.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has defended Ange Postecoglou's strict adherence to his principles at Tottenham, but admitted he will attempt to exploit the weaknesses in his side.

The Blues meet Spurs on Sunday for Maresca's first derby against the Lilywhites, with the sides in contrasting form. Chelsea sit second in the Premier League while their rivals lie 10th, eight points behind, after drawing with Fulham and falling to defeat against Bournemouth.

Postecoglou saw fiery criticism from the stands following the latter, with frustration mounting over the team's inconsitency having also recently comprehensively defeat Manchester City. The Aussie manager has seen his unrelenting style of play condemned when Spurs have endured difficult results since his arrival in the summer of 2023.

Last season Chelsea came away 4-1 victors at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium when Spurs maintained their high line despite seeing two men sent off. Maresca empathised with Postecoglou's approach.

"When you believe in something, you struggle to change, when you are convinced that way is the right way," he said. "You struggle to change your ideas. I was not here. It was 1-4. Tottenham with nine players so it was very difficult. But it was a good day for the fans."

Maresca believes than it can be beneficial to cement principles into a team however, but flexibility for each opponent is requite. "You can change the structure but you maintain the same principles," Maresca added.

"We usually change our structure or game plan depending on the opponent. The Brighton game, it was one way, and against Aston Villa, completely different. You cannot use the same plan for both games. Brighton were high-pressing and they leave a lot of space in behind. Villa, they were low block, just waiting, so if you do the same plan for both games, probably one of them is not the right one."

Chelsea's Italian coach believes his adversary is doing well in north London despite the side's current position. "I think he is doing well. They are playing in European competition so that means last year they finished well. Then there are some moments where you get more results or less but overall I think he is doing well."

Maresca will be well-versed in Spurs' performances. Postivie and negative results have been scrutinised ahead of Sunday's game.

"We pay attention to both games," he said. "We see the reason why they were good against City, we see the reason why the lost last night."

"We try always to exploit, no matter on the other team or the defenders they have there," Maresca added when asked about Spurs' defensive injury problems. "I think [Cristian] Romero can be back, so probably Romero can be the solution for them in this moment but we will see."

The Italian coach could not help but offer a flicker of a smile when asked if the Blues had seen areas to take advantage of against the Blues' fiercest rivals but gave nothing away. "They are a very good team, It will be a tough, tough game," he said.