The Chelsea Chronicle

Thomas Frank has been very honest about Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to London rivals Chelsea on Saturday.

Spurs were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea after Joao Pedro’s first-half strike at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While it was the Brazilian who scored his side’s winner, Moises Caicedo is the one being lauded after a terrific display in north London.

Frank, though, thinks Chelsea’s team performance as a whole was excellent and has explained why his side lost to them.

Thomas Frank claims Tottenham ‘couldn’t match’ Chelsea’s energy and intensity

Frank feels that Enzo Maresca’s men were deserved winners on Saturday, claiming that his team could not compete with their energy and intensity.

“First and foremost, I think Chelsea performed very well,” the former Brentford manager told Tottenham’s official club website after the game. “We were the second-best team today. There’s no two ways about that. It was a bad performance.

“So, we’re frustrated about that in a London derby against Chelsea, a game that means the world to the fans, we’re very irritated about it. I think we lacked the energy and intensity. We couldn’t match, for whatever reason, Chelsea on the day.”

Maresca surprised some Chelsea supporters with his team selection for the London derby. Despite scoring midweek, the Chelsea head coach decided to drop Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian.

In came Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto, with the latter being a key player for Maresca this season. He has started all 10 of the Blues’ Premier League games so far, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

Heading into the match, Neto had never netted against Tottenham, and he was unable to end that record this weekend.

However, the winger and the rest of the Chelsea team will just be delighted that they were able to beat Frank’s side and move up the table.

Enzo Maresca’s warning to Chelsea after Tottenham win

While it was a big win for his side, Maresca is not getting too carried away. Despite being able to keep a clean sheet, the Italian has reminded his side that their defending overall has not been good enough during the current campaign.

Chelsea have conceded 11 goals in 10 games so far, which is not a bad record. Maresca, though, thinks they can do better.

“In any case, I’m happy with the 1-0 and the three points, easily because we kept a clean sheet because it’s what we need for the future,” he told Chelsea’s official club website following the full-time whistle.

“We know that we are a team that is going to score goals but we need to do better defensively.”

Moises Caicedo played a significant role in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

It was the midfielder who set up Joao Pedro’s winning goal for the Blues after a great bit of pressing, while his overall performance was spectacular.

Jason Cundy described Caicedo as “immense” during the game, and it is hard to disagree with the former Chelsea defender.

Yet there was one player on the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium who arguably had an even better game than the Ecuadorian.

Robert Sanchez was Chelsea’s best player in 1-0 win over Tottenham

In terms of shot-stopping, Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez did not actually have much to do.

However, when he was called upon to fulfil his other duties as a No.1, he did not let Enzo Maresca’s side down. In fact, everything that the 27-year-old did was perfect.

For example, Sanchez was flawless when it came to coming to collect crosses and corners. According to Sofascore, he made five high claims on the afternoon.

What really stood out, though, was his distribution. Sanchez created several dangerous counter-attacking opportunities from his own goal, completing a total of seven long balls.

The Spaniard has not had a better game in a Chelsea shirt, and had Tottenham forced a couple of saves out of him, he may have won the Player of the Match award.

Last month, it was reported that Chelsea see Marc-Andre ter Stegen as an upgrade on Sanchez. But if the former Brighton & Hove Albion man puts in more performances like his latest one in north London, Chelsea fans will start to disagree.

Daniel Sturridge thought Robert Sanchez was ‘exemplary’

One person who is not letting Sanchez’s performance go under the radar is former Chelsea and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge.

The retired England international was really impressed with how he dealt with crosses in the London derby.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Sturridge said: “The goalkeeper Sanchez imposed himself. He used his size, used his strength — I thought he was exemplary on crosses.”

Caicedo certainly deserves plenty of credit for Chelsea’s win against their fierce rivals, but so does Sanchez.

At a time when set-pieces are in again, Sanchez made sure they were not a problem for Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It was another fruitful trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Chelsea getting a convincing 1-0 win.

It was a comfortable day at the office for Enzo Maresca and co.

Joao Pedro scored Chelsea’s first and only goal in the 34th minute, and that was enough to sink Thomas Frank’s side. Chelsea dominated possession, created plenty of chances, and should have scored more. But three points takes them level with Spurs, so no complaints.

As the game was winding down, Frank was looking to find inspiration from the bench, making a triple substitution. That’s when the away end erupted.

Chelsea fans mocked Xavi Simons as he was subbed off

In the final weeks of the window, Tottenham and Chelsea were battling to sign Xavi Simons.

He was a name that dominated headlines all summer, and he ended up in North London. But Chelsea may have dodged a bullet with Simons, who has struggled to adjust to life in the Premier League.

He didn’t start this match, but came on after just seven minutes when Lucas Bergvall sustained a head injury.

Chelsea’s press stifled him and his Spurs teammates for the majority of the game.

When his number came up on the fourth official’s board, Chelsea fans made sure to get a dig in at the player who turned them down.

They jeered and mocked the Dutchman, clearly taking his summer decision to heart.

Chelsea own Tottenham in this London derby

It’s yet another win for the Blues over the Lilywhites.

That makes it ten wins from their last 12 meetings, proving yet again that Chelsea have their number.

The scenes of jubilation that followed the final whistle show how much this win means to Maresca and his players. It’s another convincing performance that they can now build on and gain back the ground they lost in the table.

That’s what it means in a wider context. In terms of the win against this opposition in a vacuum, it’s just business as usual.

Onto the next.

Chelsea found themselves 1-0 ahead at half-time during their Premier League fixture away to Tottenham.

The Blues have certainly enjoyed their recent trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so perhaps it’s no great surprise that they went in front against Spurs during a one-sided opening 45 minutes.

After a recent goal drought, Joao Pedro put the visitors 1-0 up with an easy finish that he tucked away inside the penalty box.

Pedro, who’s been struggling with injury problems, had failed to score in his previous six league appearances. Hopefully, the Brazilian forward can now rediscover his scoring boots.

Jamie Carragher hails Moises Caicedo role in Joao Pedro opener

Jamie Carragher showered Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo with immense praise for his role in the opening goal against Spurs. The relentless midfielder pressed high to win back the ball with two tackles before assisting Pedro.

When reacting to Chelsea’s opening goal against Spurs, Carragher said via the Sky Sports Main Event channel (18:05pm, 1 November): “This was one of those goals when it’s not about the goalscorer… This is all about Caicedo. He’s an absolute monster in midfield that man. Challenge after challenge.”

Yet again, Caicedo reminded everyone why he’s one of the world’s best midfielders right now.

It must be a joy for his teammates to play alongside him because he does a bit of everything, both offensively and defensively.

Even though recent history suggests Chelsea will beat Tottenham this weekend, pundits Ally McCoist and Chris Sutton have disagreed with their pre-match predictions.

Chelsea are currently on an impressive streak against Spurs, beating them in the previous four consecutive meetings. In fact, they’ve won nine of the previous 11 games between the clubs across all competitions.

There has been some fascinating talk off the pitch to stir up the heat ahead of Saturday evening’s London derby.

Blues legend John Terry ripped into the claim that Spurs are bigger than Chelsea, taking a dig at their trophy cabinet. Elsewhere, Cole Palmer uploaded a cheeky message on Instagram before his side face Spurs.

Ally McCoist and Chris Sutton disagree on Tottenham vs Chelsea predictions

According to Ally McCoist, Chelsea’s strong record against Spurs will lead them to a narrow away victory this weekend.

McCoist told TNT Sports: “They say that Chelsea always do well at Tottenham, don’t they? I was at Chelsea last week and I wasn’t overly impressed with them, although they played against an impressive Sunderland team. I don’t think there will be an awful lot in this game and I can just see Chelsea sneaking it in the end.

“Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Chelsea.”

Meanwhile, Chris Sutton disagrees with his pre-match prediction, tipping a stalemate between Spurs and Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Sutton told BBC Sport: “This is always a bit of a grudge game because the two sets of fans don’t really like each other.

Chelsea need the result more, and they also have a much better record in this fixture, but their home defeat against Sunderland was another example of how flaky they are at the moment…

“I don’t really know which way to go with my prediction, so I am going to for a draw. I feel like I am turning into AI.

“Sutton’s prediction: 1-1.”

Chelsea’s record vs Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank, who’s praised Chelsea prior to Saturday’s showdown, will now face the Blues for the first time as the Spurs manager. We suspect he’ll learn quickly about the intensity of the fixture.

The former Brentford boss has an interesting record against Chelsea during his managerial career:

As for Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, it feels like his team could desperately do with a win because they’ve struggled with inconsistency so far in the 2025-26 season. It is imperative they bounce back after last weekend’s league defeat at home to Sunderland.

The best way to get the feel-good factor back in the Chelsea fanbase is by collecting three points against Spurs.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has some crucial decisions to make with his team selection against Tottenham.

On Saturday evening, Chelsea travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face rivals Spurs in a Premier League fixture.

Liam Delap’s red card in midweek during the Carabao Cup victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers means he’s unavailable. Even so, there are still some fascinating choices to make in the attacking third of the pitch.

Goalkeeper – Robert Sanchez

Of course, Robert Sanchez kicks off the predicted line-up between the sticks, keeping up his record of starting every league match so far this season.

Even though Paul Scholes insists Chelsea need a new goalkeeper, the Spanish shot-stopper has actually been a lot better than people give him credit for recently.

Defence – Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Marc Cucurella

It’s the usual suspects in the full-back positions with Reece James and Marc Cucurella.

However, the centre-back partnership is not so straightforward. If you look at how regularly Maresca has rotated in central defence this season, it tells you he still doesn’t know his preferred combination.

We’ve gone with Wesley Fofana next to Josh Acheampong in the heart of the defensive line, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if either Trevoh Chalobah or Tosin Adarabioyo starts instead.

Midfield – Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez

If Chelsea win the midfield battle against Spurs, it should go a long way to three points, which is why we are expecting them to start all three big hitters.

Romeo Lavia could start as the deep-lying playmaker to dominate on and off the ball, while Moises Caicedo may be allowed freedom as the roaming box-to-box midfielder to do a bit of everything.

That leaves Enzo Fernandez to play a bit higher in the advanced number 10 role.

Lavia admitted he loves playing alongside Caicedo and Fernandez, which, on paper, should be strong enough to dominate in the central midfield area against Spurs.

Attack – Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho

Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens, who both scored in midweek against Wolves, are the two Chelsea wide players with compelling cases to start the weekend showdown away to Spurs.

Although we would lean towards starting the exciting pair, both are absent from the predicted XI.

Instead, Maresca could prefer to go with Pedro Neto on the right wing and Alejandro Garnacho on the left wing, his favoured pairing for the league fixtures.

Even though Cole Palmer won’t feature in Chelsea’s upcoming trip to Tottenham, he’s still making his presence known beforehand.

Chelsea travel across London to face Spurs on Saturday evening, which is usually one of the most entertaining games in any Premier League campaign.

Ahead of the league showdown, Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has praised Chelsea and opposite number Enzo Maresca, but they will clash on the sidelines this weekend.

The Blues go into the fixture desperately needing three points because they’ve already lost three of their opening nine league matches this season. Therefore, a positive sign is that they’ve won their previous four consecutive meetings with Spurs.

Cole Palmer uploads cheeky post

On Friday afternoon, Cole Palmer cranked up the excitement before tomorrow’s London derby.

The Chelsea playmaker uploaded a cheeky post on his Instagram story with a picture of him scoring a Panenka penalty against Spurs from last season. He included a laughing emoji as part of the message, too.

Last season, Chelsea recorded a dramatic 4-3 victory over Spurs, which was their most recent visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Blues star Palmer, 23, lit up the December clash by scoring two penalty kicks, including the Panenka, to ultimately clinch the win.

Palmer is sidelined through injury until the end of November, so it’s agonising that he can’t play in the latest instalment of this fixture.

Although Chelsea’s results have been steady without him, his knack of turning up in the crunch games could be a huge miss.

Estevao Willian can bring the Cole Palmer magic

If Chelsea are looking for a match-winner at Spurs, 18-year-old wonderkid Estevao Willian could be just that. Of course, he’ll need Maresca to put his faith in him in such an important contest.

The teenage attacker has looked so composed during his first few months at Stamford Bridge, making the transition from Brazilian football to English football look quite easy.

Estevao has already produced some real magic in Chelsea colours, including a late winner against Liverpool earlier in October, but he’s still not a nailed-on starter. In fact, he’s only started four Premier League games so far this season.

Based on what we’ve seen, Estevao is more than ready to be in the XI against Spurs and make the difference.

Alan Shearer has predicted the result for the upcoming showdown between Tottenham and Chelsea this weekend.

Spurs host London rivals Chelsea on Saturday evening, with three important points up for grabs in the Premier League fixture.

Recent history would suggest that the Blues should travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with real confidence. Remarkably, Chelsea have won nine of their previous 11 games against Spurs across all competitions.

Paul Merson tips Chelsea to beat Spurs to stretch their impressive record against them. If they do, the clubs will be level on points after 10 league games this season.

Alan Shearer predicts Tottenham vs Chelsea

According to Alan Shearer, Chelsea will only manage a point away to Spurs on Saturday.

Shearer has told The Metro: “This game is always a tough one to call, always a bit of spice, always really interesting, and always chucks up some incidents. We’ll have to wait and see, but with it being a London derby, I’m going to say a score draw in this one, and a point each.

“One thing Chelsea can’t afford is another red card. Losing a player in these games can make a huge difference, but it wouldn’t surprise me because there’s always a bit of needle in this game.

“Prediction – Draw.”

Chelsea must improve league form

As you can see below, Chelsea’s league form has been too inconsistent in the opening quarter of the 2025-26 campaign.

Maresca’s side sneaked into fourth spot on the final day of last season. On paper, this squad should be comfortably in top four without being sucked into a tough race for Champions League qualification.

Even though Chelsea’s target from the owners is another top-four finish this year, the talented young group should be striving for more.

Chelsea play Spurs (away), Wolverhampton Wanderers (home) and Burnley (away) in their next three top-flight matches. It feels like a perfect opportunity to build some momentum to help climb the division table. They certainly don’t want to go into the home fixture at home to Arsenal on 30 November still languishing in mid-table.

Chelsea winger Pedro Neto is usually on the winning side when he plays against Tottenham Hotspur.

Since moving to England back in 2019, Neto has only lost one game against Chelsea’s London rivals.

Nevertheless, there is still one reason why Spurs are unlikely to be the 25-year-old’s favourite opposition despite his success when taking them on.

Neto is thriving at Chelsea right now, scoring a couple of goals for Enzo Maresca’s side this season, but he has found firing into Tottenham’s net impossible.

Chelsea star Pedro Neto has never scored against Tottenham

Neto has played Spurs a total of seven times and won five of those games, which is quite impressive.

However, in the seven matches that the Portuguese played in, he was not able to score a single goal, which is not a good sign ahead of Saturday.

Of course, there is a first time for everything. Hopefully Neto can find the back of Tottenham’s net if he is given an opportunity to play.

A bigger concern for Chelsea fans, though, will be how the team are defending right now, especially when it comes to set-pieces.

Maresca’s side conceded three goals to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Thankfully, they were still able to make it to the quarter-finals thanks to goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea made history against Wolves as a result of the quartet scoring. It was the first time a Premier League club had four different goalscorers aged 21 or under in a match.

What Chelsea’s attack could look like on Saturday

Maresca has some decisions to make for the Tottenham match following Estevao’s and Gittens’ excellent performances.

Neto is someone the Chelsea boss really trusts, but Estevao is really pushing for a start after his impact in recent games.

Of course, with Cole Palmer injured, the Brazil international could always be deployed in the No.10 position while Neto keeps his place on the right. That would allow Joao Pedro to lead the line, with Gittens taking up the final attacking spot on the left.

Paul Merson insists Chelsea winger Pedro Neto must start this weekend during his prediction for their trip to Tottenham.

On Saturday evening, Spurs host rivals Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The visitors should feel confident that they have won the previous four consecutive meetings between the clubs.

Enzo Maresca’s side just edged a memorable 4-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, but they desperately need a response in the Premier League, losing last weekend at home to Sunderland.

Danny Murphy’s verdict on Chelsea is that their rollercoaster season will continue because they have some obvious flaws in their squad.

Paul Merson says Pedro Neto must start in Tottenham vs Chelsea prediction

According to Paul Merson, Chelsea will edge out winners on the road against Spurs, but Pedro Neto must be in the starting line-up.

Merson told Sportskeeda: “This is the biggest game of the season for both teams. After this, Chelsea face Wolves and Burnley in the league. If they can beat Spurs this weekend, they will be confident of going into them games feeling like they can make it three straight wins before the international break…

“Chelsea must start with Pedro Neto in this game. It’s a big pitch at Tottenham and he’s quick as anything. I’m almost certain Estevao will also start the game. Both wingers must track back though. Spurs have full-backs who love to go forward, so if the Chelsea wingers do not help out in defence, their team will get overrun. I expect Enzo Maresca to make his team selection based on who he trusts more to do the defensive work down the flanks, otherwise Chelsea are in trouble.

“Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Chelsea.”

Similarly, Theo Walcott predicts a Chelsea win against Spurs, even though they are three points behind them after the opening nine Premier League matches this season.

In terms of Neto, 25, we do expect him to start at Spurs. In fact, the winger has started every single league game in the 2025-26 campaign so far.

Of course, the Portuguese attacker possesses the pace and skill to hurt any opposition, especially if there’s any room to counter-attack.

Earlier in the season, Jose Mourinho called Neto one of the world’s best wingers, which is some gigantic praise. We still want to see him be a little bit more consistent with his performances, and that means turning up for a crucial trip to Spurs.

Where Pedro Neto must improve

Neto’s record of two goals in nine league appearances this term is underwhelming for an individual with his ability. Without a doubt, we’d love to see the left-footed winger be more selfish in front of goal.

Here is a look at Chelsea players with the most shots per 90 in the 2025-26 Premier League season via FOTMOB:

It is slightly concerning to see Neto in the middle of the pack for shots per 90, so it is an area of his game that he can definitely improve on.