Alonso ‘out-coached’, ‘petulant’ Palmer and Penders howler: Chelsea’s horror night

They say bad things come in threes. That was certainly the case for Chelsea on a miserable evening at Stamford Bridge as they lost 2-0 to Tottenham in a game where they were described as “awful” by Gary Neville.

Spurs had won only one of their previous 36 league visits to Chelsea but dominated Xabi Alonso’s side from start to finish, with an own goal from Mike Penders and a stunning late strike from Mathys Tel securing a well-deserved win for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

To add to their woes, on an evening where the dismal weather matched their performance, Cole Palmer was sent off for a second bookable offence after already escaping a straight red card earlier in the game, having barged into Spurs midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

“Tottenham outplayed Chelsea. Out-coached, everything. None of us expected Tottenham to come here and win today, but after 10-15 mins, that confidence did start to grow,” Gary Neville said while on commentary duty, in a game that was also described as the worst performance of Xabi Alonso’s short tenure so far.

“Chelsea have been awful, really. On the ball, they’ve been well short. Nowhere near the level. I am stunned.”

Chelsea started the game without a recognised striker due to the surprise absence of regular starter Joao Pedro.

Both Danny Welbeck, who started as the striker in the 3-0 loss to Brentford when Joao Pedro was also absent, and Estevao were on the bench. Welbeck was not introduced until the 88th minute, when Chelsea were 2-0 down.

Neville added: “Welbeck must be thinking ‘how do I get a game here?’ Disciplinary problems have cost him [Alonso] today, but I don’t think that’s the biggest problem.

“The biggest problem is that Tottenham have come and outplayed them. They’ve made them look really ordinary.

“Where Tottenham have absolutely battered Chelsea is in midfield. Cole Palmer, [Morgan] Rogers, [Jordan] Henderson and [Moises] Caicedo have been able to get nowhere near. Spurs’ midfield has run the game.

“They absolutely bossed the game. I usually say when it’s bad weather and teams are getting pressed, knock it long. I think it’s mad.

“But you could just see that Chelsea wouldn’t be able to keep that pressure on. Tottenham’s combinations and patterns in midfield were really good.”

‘Petulant’ Palmer and Chelsea’s overall frustration

The frustrations for Chelsea – and Palmer specifically – were clear to see throughout. After being stopped in his tracks on the counter by a deliberate handball from Fernandes, Palmer confronted the Spurs midfielder when the whistle had blown.

The England international then barged into Fernandes, sparking a melee between the two sides. Sky Sports News understands the incident was checked and cleared by official John Brooks on VAR.

“I think that could be a red. If this wasn’t at Stamford Bridge, I think it’s a red,” Neville said at the time of the incident, which ended in a first yellow for Palmer.

Jamie Redknapp said the reaction was “petulant” and out of character for a player who is usually known for his cool and composed nature.

Just three minutes after Penders’ own goal, the forward then caught Conor Gallagher late and was swiftly shown a second yellow by referee Chris Kavanagh.

“They started to lose their heads. It was frustration as they couldn’t get near them,” Redknapp continued. And that spread across the team as a whole, not just with their talisman Palmer.

Morgan Rogers was also booked after catching Gallagher, the same player who was on the receiving end of Palmer’s second tackle, in an incident which Neville believed could have reduced Chelsea to nine men.

“I think that’s a red. I do,” Neville added. “He’s absolutely wellied him with no intent. That’s ludicrous from Rogers. They have lost it. Xabi Alonso needs to get them off.”

‘Monumental’ error from Penders – but he’s their only option

The howler from Penders, tipping the ball into his own net after failing to claim a corner, came in his first start in place of the injured Emiliano Martinez.

After going 1-0 down, Chelsea unravelled. But with Martinez set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future after undergoing facial surgery having fractured his jaw against Everton, the goalkeeper will need to bounce back quickly ahead of facing Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.

“He made a monumental mistake; it’s as simple as that. The ball comes in and where he goes wrong is that he comes with no authority,” Redknapp said.

“He, to a certain extent, gets bullied. There is hesitation. It’s hard. It has to become character building for him. He has to fight within himself.

“They will need to put their arm round him; he is going to play again next week.

“Of course you will make mistakes but it is how you handle it. He has to get on with it and show some character.”

Chelsea sanctioned the loan move of Robert Sanchez to Como following the arrival of Martinez from Aston Villa in the summer.

Their other option in goal in the match-day squad against Spurs was 23-year-old Teddy Sharman-Lowe, who spent last season on loan at Bolton and has not made a competitive senior appearance for the Blues.

Gabriel Slonina remains at the club but has not been named in the squad since pre-season.

The stats behind Chelsea’s horror-show vs Spurs

• Spurs gained just their second away win in 35 attempts against Chelsea in the Premier League (D11 L22) and their first since April 2018 (3-1).
• Spurs have beaten Chelsea in all competitions at Stamford Bridge while keeping a clean sheet for the first time since December 1986 (also 2-0).
• Chelsea failed to score at home in a Premier League London derby for just the second time in their last 17 such games, after a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on MD1 last season.
• Chelsea’s Mike Penders (21yrs 85d) is the second-youngest goalkeeper to score an own goal in the Premier League, after Illan Meslier (20yrs 354d) for Leeds against Wolves in February 2021.
• Chelsea have conceded eight goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season, double the amount of any other side.
• Cole Palmer’s sending-off was the 100th red card Chelsea have been shown in the Premier League (excluding rescinded cards), becoming the third team to reach this milestone after Everton (113) and Arsenal (110).
• Mike Penders became just the second Chelsea goalkeeper to score an own goal in a Premier League match, after Petr Cech against Everton in December 2009.
• Chelsea had just seven attempts against Spurs, their fewest in a Premier League game this season and their fewest at home in the competition since January against Brentford (6).

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