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Chelsea piled the pressure on Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou after coming back from 2-0 down to win 4-3 in a pulsating encounter.
The home team and their Australian head coach looked set for a morale-boosting victory when they took an early lead with goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.
But Chelsea proved why they are very much in the title race with a brilliant comeback to claim a win that moved them within four points of leaders Liverpool.
Cole Palmer scored two second-half penalties to add to goals from Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea continued their impressive revival under the wily management of Enzo Maresca.
“Colness PERSONIFIED” 🥶
Cole Palmer puts the game beyond doubt with Panenka’s penalty kick! pic.twitter.com/JE96MpFUrr
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
Son Heung-min pulled one back late on but it was another afternoon to forget for Postecoglou with returning centre-backs Cristiano Romero and Micky van de Ven – the latter a surprise inclusion – both failing to see out the 90 minutes.
The transformation was not in sight at the start as two mistakes by Marco Cucurella handed the initiative to Spurs.
His first slip led directly to Spurs’ opener. The Spain full-back lost his footing on the slick surface, allowing Brennan Johnson to pick up the ball, carry it down the right flank before cutting low for Solanke, whose clever dart in front of Levi Colwill gave him a yard of space to slot home.
Then, six minutes later, Cucurella’s boots let him down again with another slip seeing him lose possession of the ball. The ball was played back to Kulusevski and he raced across the Chelsea penalty area before sending a low shot past Roberto Sanchez’s left post.
Cucurella immediately ran to the touchline to change his boots, but the damage was done.
Cucurella slipped AGAIN, and Kulusevski doubled Tottenham’s lead! 🤯
The Chelsea defender immediately runs off the pitch to change his boots 🫣 pic.twitter.com/R1enDM5PGp
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
Spurs were in complete control but the first sign that it wasn’t going to be easy came after 13 minutes when Romero, making his first appearance since mid-November, was forced off after suffering discomfort while taking a complex shot inside his own penalty area.
And four minutes later, Chelsea hit back when Sancho cut in from the left and flicked a brilliant shot past Fraser Forster.
Palmer should have made it 2-2 inside 20 minutes, but missed the ball completely when trying to head in Fernandez’s shot.
A frenetic half continued with Son writhing inches at one end before Forster pulled off a brilliant double save to keep out Palmer and Pedro Neto at the other.
Moises Caicedo was lucky not to see red after a challenge on Pape Sarro that VAR deemed not to have ‘excessive force’, as was Kulusevski for an unnecessary elbow on Romeo Lavia before half-time.
Were Moises Caicedo and Dejan Kulusevski happy that they were not sent off in the first half? 👇 pic.twitter.com/7ItrHvtDqh
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2024
In between, Sarr headed towards the bar and Solanke shot straight at Sanchez from a yard out.
Chelsea started from the front in the second half and only a great save from Forster prevented the dangerous Sancho from equalizing after 48 minutes.
An equalizer looked to be coming and it arrived after 58 minutes when Yves Bissouma carelessly pounced on his former Brighton team-mate Moises Caicedo in the box. Palmer made no mistake from the spot, coolly slotting into the left corner of the net.
Son somehow missed the target midway through the half when he went through and it proved to be a costly miss as five minutes later Chelsea completed the comeback. After some neat moves from Palmer on the right, a shot was deflected into the path of Fernandez, and the Argentine World Cup winner left-footed Forster.
Sancho was denied a fourth goal by a brilliant cross from Pedro Porro, but that didn’t stop Chelsea scoring again with eight minutes remaining after Sarr foolishly tackled Palmer in the area.
The England international showed all his incredible talent with a cool Panenko to beat Forster and prompt the first chorus of whistles from the home faithful.
They cheered deep into injury time when substitute James Maddison cut the ball back for Son to score, but it was not enough as Chelsea held on.