Victory implications: What Spurs result means for Chelsea

Wow, wow, wow—this fixture once again delivered goals galore, but this time, almost evenly split. Chelsea mounted an incredible comeback to win 4-3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, overturning a nightmare start. Coming into the match, Spurs had lost to Bournemouth midweek and added Ben Davies to an already packed injury list that included Cristian Romero and Mickey van de Ven.

Ange Postecoglou hinted that the pair wouldn’t have enough time to train and prepare for Enzo Maresca’s Blues, but through some miracle, the Argentine and Dutch defenders made the starting lineup. Spoiler alert: it did not end well—because, apparently, rushing players back early from injury has consequences.

The opening 15 minutes were a disaster for Chelsea, with Marc Cucurella slipping and gifting Brennan Johnson possession, who squared it to Cobham graduate Dominic Solanke to beat Levi Colwill and Robert Sanchez. Just six minutes later, Cucurella slipped again, losing the ball, and Dejan Kulusevski had all the time in the world to shoot through Romeo Lavia’s legs and past Sanchez.

Chelsea looked rattled and unable to bypass Spurs’ press, but they finally found their rhythm. Jadon Sancho cut the deficit in half with a beautiful shot from outside the box, kissing the bottom corner of Fraser Forster’s net.

The second half belonged to Chelsea. A Cole Palmer penalty, drawn by Moises Caicedo, leveled the score at the hour mark. Then, in the 73rd minute, Enzo Fernández fired home on the half-volley after a ridiculous Palmer move in the buildup—unfortunately not credited with the assist.

Comeback complete—how ‘Spursy’ of them! Palmer wasn’t done, though, as he won another penalty and calmly slotted a record-breaking panenka to surpass Yaya Touré’s Premier League record for most consecutive penalties scored with 12. Son Heung-Min grabbed a late consolation, but it was meaningless. Chelsea’s turnaround earned them two points on Arsenal, four on Manchester City, and moved them within four points of the summit.

The Jadon Sancho of old is back

Jadon Sancho is thriving at Chelsea, a world away from his struggles at Manchester United. With two goals and five assists since his arrival, the Englishman is rediscovering the form that once made him one of Europe’s brightest talents.

His journey to west London wasn’t smooth—Sancho found himself banished to the reserves at United after publicly claiming on social media that Erik ten Hag had used him as a scapegoat for poor performances in training. Though he deleted the post, his refusal to apologize sealed his fate, leading to a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in January 2024 and eventually another loan to Chelsea this season.

Since then, Sancho has been making his mark. He scored his first Chelsea goal in a 5-2 win over Southampton and followed it with a brilliant finish cutting in from the left in their thrilling 4-3 comeback against Tottenham. While United falters, Sancho is loving life at the Pride of London, proving there’s plenty left in the tank.

"From the very first day, [Chelsea] made me feel welcome. I know I have a lot of people to prove wrong, and I’m just working hard every day in training. When I get my opportunity, I try to show what I can do. Today, I am happy that I scored and helped secure three points for the team […] Again, I’m just taking it game by game, and hopefully, I can continue this form. I have to say thank you to the whole Chelsea team and the staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play."

Jadon Sancho on SuperSportTV

Shocking defensive display

While the attack definitely deserves its due, the defending—especially in the first half—was all over the place. Cucurella’s performance improved after swapping boots following his two costly slips, but we got lucky this time. There will come a day when we won’t be as fortunate, and it could cost us. Benoit Badiashile looked uncomfortable on the right side, and Levi Colwill didn’t seem much better.

There was even a moment where he nearly gave away the ball as the last man, and that would’ve been unforgivable. Robert Sanchez should’ve done better on the goals conceded and, while he made some big stops, his distribution was awful, and that’s something our keepers really need to be better at.

The substitution of Malo Gusto for Romeo Lavia—who had a solid first half but was the unfortunate sacrifice—saw Badiashile return to his preferred left-center-back role, with Gusto on the right. But even with that change, the defending still had its issues.

There was one key moment where the team stopped thinking a ball to an offside Udogie would be flagged, but the Italian left-back stayed one step ahead and let Son Heung-Min slip through undetected. Luckily, Son missed the target, but had he scored, it would’ve completely changed the narrative, especially after the score was leveled at 2-2. Another lesson learned—let’s hope it’s one that sticks.

Title race, yay or nay?

This is a completely new Chelsea compared to what we’ve seen over the past two years. The squad has the talent and the depth to compete, but there’s still a clear issue with immaturity—particularly in defense—that needs to be addressed. You can see the potential in the attack, but defensive frailties are always lurking, and until that gets sorted, it’s hard to say they’re truly ready for a title challenge.

Enzo Maresca continues to downplay Chelsea’s chances in the title race, and while many fans back the manager’s cautious approach, it’s clear the squad is capable of more. Results like this win against Tottenham only serve to fuel optimism for the future, as fans begin to feel a sense of belief again. Gone are the days when every match felt like a potential disaster. Instead, there’s a growing sense of excitement and confidence that, with time, this team can compete at the very top again.

Chelsea fans are starting to look ahead with a sense of hope, not fear, and while we’re not there yet, it’s hard to ignore the progress being made. The title race may still be a step too far for now, but the pieces are falling into place, and the Blues are heading in the right direction.