Chelsea edged Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, with Enzo Fernández scoring the only goal of the match. The result meant the Blues completed a league double over their London rivals once again. Here are the key positives and negatives from the win:
Positives
1. Fortress Stamford Bridge
Thursday’s win marked Chelsea’s fifth consecutive Premier League home victory. While all five of those wins have come against bottom-six sides, they’ve been crucial in keeping Chelsea inside the top four during a difficult period. In moments when the team has struggled overall, that strong home form has helped keep Champions League hopes alive.
It’s now up to the squad to build on that foundation. Their upcoming home league games against Everton and Liverpool will be vital. If Chelsea are to finish in the top four, they must maintain their Stamford Bridge form while replicating it on the road.
2. Sanchez stepping up
Robert Sánchez has often been a source of concern for Chelsea fans over the past two seasons. His distribution and decision-making have regularly come under scrutiny. However, against Spurs, he delivered one of his more assured performances in a Chelsea shirt.
It wasn’t a spectacular display, but Sánchez avoided reckless passes or positioning errors. His long balls frequently found their targets, and he made a critical save late to deny Heung-Min Son.
That said, the goalkeeper was slightly fortunate as well, he mishandled a low-driven shot from Pape Sarr, which was eventually ruled out for a foul in the buildup. Had the goal stood, it would have undone much of the positive work he’d done. While his display was encouraging, it’s still clear that Chelsea will need to look for more consistency and reliability in the long term.