The Chelsea Chronicle

Reece James captained Chelsea to a 1-0 win against their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

It was a pretty quiet afternoon for James and the rest of Chelsea’s defence, with Spurs not creating much.

Thomas Frank was very critical of Tottenham after the game, stating that they did not match their opponents’ energy or intensity during the London derby.

In the end, it was a really good team performance from Chelsea. There was a real togetherness about them, especially at the half-time whistle.

Reece James made sure Chelsea players headed down tunnel together

After the referee blew his whistle to bring the first half of the match to a conclusion, James gathered all of his Chelsea teammates so that they could walk down the tunnel together.

It was “something new”, according to journalist Kieran Gill, who posted a video of the scene on social media.

James’ act was an interesting one. Perhaps the Chelsea captain did not want any of his teammates to face likely abuse from Tottenham supporters alone.

Whatever the case, Enzo Maresca can be happy with the leadership skills that the defender is showing right now.

During the week, Aston Villa star Matty Cash admitted that he watches James in an effort to improve his own game.

Reece James has grown into captain’s armband at Chelsea

The reason why Maresca will be so delighted with James’ recent conduct as a captain is because he has not always been convinced about the right-back in that role.

Last year, Maresca was very critical of James for not showing enough leadership. The Chelsea boss said: “Yes, I spoke with him and I expected from him more in terms of leadership, inside the changing room and for different kind of things.”

It is an area where the England international has really improved, though, with what he did at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being a fine example.

James is no longer getting silly bookings for lashing out and altercations either, instead acting as the peacemaker when things flare-up on the pitch.

It is what Chelsea need from their captain right now with the team having a bit of a disciplinary issue.

Liam Delap’s red card during the week was Chelsea’s sixth of the season, including Maresca’s against Liverpool.

Xavi Simons could have been lining up for Chelsea in their 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Chelsea were interested in signing Simons before his move from RB Leipzig to Tottenham during the summer transfer window.

At the time, plenty of Blues supporters were disappointed to see the club miss out on such a talented attacker.

However, Simons is yet to show that talent in the Premier League, and Chelsea fans now believe that not signing him may have been a blessing in disguise.

Chelsea fans claim club ‘dodged a bullet’ after not signing Xavi Simons

Chelsea supporters got to see Simons up close and personal on Saturday as their side took on Tottenham, and it is fair to say that they were not impressed with his performance.

After the attacking midfielder was substituted on and then brought off, many Blues fans claimed that their club “dodged a bullet” by not bringing him to Stamford Bridge.

One Chelsea supporter on the social media platform X posted: “We dodged a bullet with Xavi Simons.”

Another wrote: “Haven’t watched a lot of Spurs games this season but oh my we dodged a bullet with Simons.”

One other Chelsea fan shared: “Yeah, I’ll hold my hands up. We dodged a bullet with Xavi Simons.”

Another user on X went as far as to describe Simons as a “terrible player”. They said: “We actually dodged a bullet with Xavi Simons man. Such a terrible player.”

One Chelsea supporter never wanted Simons to begin with: “We well and truly dodged a bullet not signing Xavi Simons in the summer… I was never excited or keen on the idea of signing him.”

Forget a bullet, another fan believes the Club World Cup winners dodged a nuclear missile! “We dodged a nuke with Xavi Simons. Another “idea” player.”

It is early days. The 22-year-old still has time to adapt and become a success in English football. However, Chelsea fans remain unconvinced and mocked Simons after he was substituted on Saturday.

Alejandro Garnacho a much safer bet than Xavi Simons

In the end, it became a choice between Simons and Alejandro Garnacho for Chelsea.

According to the reliable Fabrizio Romano, Simons felt that Chelsea prioritised Garnacho over him, which probably left the Dutchman little choice but to join Tottenham.

Out of the two, though, Garnacho was the one with Premier League experience. He was always going to be the safer option.

Rob Green was amused by one Chelsea star in his former side’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Joao Pedro scored the Blues’ decisive goal, but the forward could have easily had a hat-trick.

After the match, former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves had some advice for Pedro, urging him to be more selfish.

However, the Brazilian was not the only Chelsea player who wasted some good opportunities at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Rob Green thought Jamie Gittens’ miss was comical

Towards the end of the match, Jamie Gittens had a glorious chance to score and put the game to bed. The winger, though, skied his opportunity, leaving Green and others in disbelief. Thankfully for Enzo Maresca’s side, it did not prove costly.

“It’s comical,” Green said while commentating on the London derby for the BBC. “It’s comical from everyone. It’s comical from Tottenham in attack and then the goal’s gaping, asking to be put away and Gittens blazes over.”

Gittens has made a slow start to life in the Premier League. He has made just two appearances from the beginning this season, failing to score a goal or provide an assist.

However, the winger has put in a couple of really good performances in the Carabao Cup and Champions League.

Maresca is happy with how Gittens is adapting, but Garnacho has been the Chelsea manager’s preferred option for the left wing in the Premier League.

Jamie Gittens should have started Tottenham game

Gittens’ miss was a bad one and Chelsea won the match with the 21-year-old having started on the bench. Many will feel that Maresca’s decision to leave him out of the first XI was justified in the end.

After his performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers midweek, though, dropping Gittens felt a bit harsh.

He was excellent at Molineux, scoring a goal that could end up winning Chelsea’s Goal of the Season award. The England Under-21 international also provided two assists as he absolutely terrorised Wolves’ backline.

It was the best individual performance from a Chelsea player this term and should have resulted in Gittens keeping his place in the starting XI.

With all of that being said, the competition between the former Borussia Dortmund man and Garnacho can only be good for the Blues.

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.