Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs surge through storm, beat 10-man Blues

“It’s a big moment for the fans, for the club, for the players also. They deserve this win. They prepared very well for the game but we are improving a lot. We are improving in the mentality, the relationships between the players, and then we are improving on the pitch in the quality of play and quality of players.”

“Listen, against Aston Villa, Everton, 30 minutes we were playing very well. Maybe no goals or finishing good enough to score. Maybe we’ve changed mentality — to much fragile, no? Now it’s a complete team.”

Tel surges forward into the Blues end and spins a shot to the near post that leaves Penders in a heap.

It’s difficult to say who has been a bigger part of this win — presuming no late Chelsea comeback — Mathys (Tel) or Mateus (Fernandes).

Palmer was lucky to avoid a straight red card early and there’s no benefit of the doubt on a second error.

The England star lunges for a loose ball and plants his boot firmly on an ankle. No hesitation here, as he’s shown a second yellow and a red.

Chelsea have the proverbial “all to do” now down a goal and a man.

Chelsea’s 21-year-old goalkeeper had been quite good today but those moments are a distant memory after a huge error.

Jan Paul van Hecke races toward an inswing corner kick and Penders’ punch of the ball squirts backward over his glove.

The wetness doesn’t help, for sure, but it’s not good enough and Spurs lead in the 77th minute.

The memories!

It’s a mini Battle of the Bridge, with Palmer needlessly crashing into Fernandes after the latter handled the ball to stop a promising attack.

Both benches piled in and De Zerbi is not happy as multiple yellow cards are handed out.

One each to Van de Ven and Fernandes for Spurs, while members of the coaching staff are booked too.

If you close your eyes for a second it could be Antonio Conte, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino piling in.

The rain, the stakes, and the derby make for an intense atmosphere, and Cole Palmer’s lost his mind for a minute.

Palmer walks over a prone Mateus Fernandes after the latter slapped away a ball after a foul. He knocks the Spurs player over with his hip.

On another day that’s a red card as it appeared there was some contact with Fernandes’ head. Fernandes’ exaggerated response may have helped Palmer.

Can Estevao be the hero late on?

The Brazilian winger is off the bench and Chelsea badly need some inspiration in attack.

Xabi Alonso had a long, intense talk with Estevao before sending him on.

Quenda is off and the youngster was very solid after being thrown in.

Sandro Tonali plays a loose pass between his left back and LCB, and Spurs are slow to react.

Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer are not, and the latter cues up the former for a hard shot that is right at Kinsky, who parries it.

Still scoreless, now in the 63rd minute.

Maxence Lacroix raised eyebrows at Wolfsburg, took the next step at Crystal Palace, and is now a star at his third and biggest club in Chelsea.

He wins his duels, is a monster in the air, and — as shown in the 55th minute — is willing to move forward once he’s intercepted a ball in an opportune position.

Really good stuff from Chelsea’s 26-year-old center back.

James Maddison is having a problem with his hip/adductor/groin area.

He’s been so good when healthy but this run of health is already done.

Conor Gallagher will take his place in the 51st minute.

Chelsea have been so clunky and look pretty lost without a proper number nine as Joao Pedro is out.

Spurs have been the better team, by far, and really should be ahead as Omar Marmoush didn’t make the most of their best chance.

Roberto De Zerbi will be delighted with that first half display, while Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso will be concerned and will likely turn to Danny Welbeck soon.

Here is your weather update, with a side of Chelsea vs Spurs analysis...

Antonin Kinsky has made a number of saves for Spurs, although a double save and another intervention came off his own errors playing out of the box.

Mike Penders, 21, is filling in for Emiliano Martinez and has looked comfortable for the Blues. He’s come out to make a couple of sweeper-keeper contributions in addition to a save (or two).

Penders has just denied Marmoush who had a great chance from close range and should have scored.

There’s a plan here, and it’s working on the left where Mathys Tel has been very active.

Andy Robertson is ready and willing to overlap, and both Omar Marmoush and James Maddison have dropped into spaces to turn central passes to the left wing.

Spurs have 72% possession, a 4-1 shot attempts advantage, and a 0.29-0.02 xG lead. They’ve registered 13 touches in Chelsea’s 18 as opposed to two the other way.

You can hear the rain hammering down on the roof of the stand here at Chelsea, it is pouring.

The weather conditions are definitely impacting this game.

Players are struggling to control the ball and when they do have the ball at their feet it is getting stuck under their feet.

It seems to suit Spurs more. They are going direct and getting a lot of joy out wide with Tel and Kudus.

Chelsea don’t seem to know what they are meant to be doing. There are big gaps opening up in midfield, and they are really missing Joao Pedro up top.

At the moment it looks like a mistake to not start a forward up top centrally with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers as a pair of false nines not working well.

Morgan Rogers is leading the line with youngster Quenda on the left.

Cole Palmer is drifting around and Chelsea have a back four in possession with Pedro Neto playing as a right winger.

It’s basically a 4-2-4 formation, which is very adventurous.

The rain is hammering down and swirling as we get underway here.

Let’s do this!

This is a big blow for Chelsea, as Joao Pedro is not in their matchday squad.

Chelsea’s top goalscorer is missing and we are yet to hear from Xabi Alonso as to why.

What a moment for youngster Geovany Quenda to start, while Danny Welbeck is on the bench presumably to close things out off the bench.

Roberto De Zerbi has made a few changes to the lineup with Dominic Solanke dropping out and Omar Marmoush leading the line.

Mateus Fernandes comes into midfield, while Tosin isn’t fit.

James Maddison keeps his place in the lineup, while Kulusevski is on the bench.

Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup

Kinsky; Gray, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Tonali, Fernandes; Kudus, Maddison, Tel; Marmoush

Joao Pedro is a surprise absence for Chelsea, with youngster Geovany Quenda, 19, starting in attack.

We will get the latest on Joao Pedro for you when we can.

Other than that it is expected for Chelsea, with youngster Mike Penders starting in goal with Emiliano Martinez out after surgery on his fractured jaw.

Chelsea starting lineup confirmed

Penders; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Caicedo, Henderson, Hato; Palmer, Quenda; Rogers

In Chelsea’s matchday programme, Xabi Alonso is not playing down how big of a game this is for fans of the Blues.

“I know how much this game, and this rivalry, means to the supporters and I think we can expect a big atmosphere here this evening, which will add something extra to the occasion,” Alonso said.

“It’s important to feel that but also to keep our focus on what we have to do in these situations, so we look forward to the challenge.”

Alonso also noted the growing momentum of Spurs and lauded the connection Chelsea’s players and fans are building.

“Our fans have been fantastic since the moment I arrived here,” Alonso added. “Now we want to keep that relationship strong... this gives us strength and it can make a big difference in our performance. It lifts us and motivates us, so keep it going, especially as we approach a big derby like this one.”

Safe to say Alonso wants a big atmosphere here at the Bridge today, and Chelsea’s fans won’t need a second invitation to be loud.

Lovely conditions for a big game here.

The rain is pouring down and the surface will be nice and slick.

Perfect to keep the tempo of the game high, passes zipping around lots of tackles will fly in.

In a word, it is soggy.

Well, Spurs fans, the run against Chelsea has to change sometime soon, right?

Chelsea have dominated this rivalry, especially at home.

The head-to-head record is not pretty reading for fans of Tottenham Hotspur.

All-time in the Premier League Chelsea leads 39-21-8.

Chelsea have also won their last six league games against Spurs and are unbeaten in their last 10 home games against Spurs in all competitions with eight wins in that run.

Spurs have won just one of their last 36 league games away at Chelsea.

Stamford Bridge is what we would call over here a “proper bogey ground” for Spurs.

There are plenty of storylines swirling around Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur, but the main focus for both teams this season is clear: qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

Both have a new-look to them with Xabi Alonso trying to find ways to get the defensive balance right. Going forward Chelsea have looked unstoppable at times. And the addition of veteran Jordan Henderson in midfield seems to have helped the overall solidity. Young goalkeeper Mike Penders is expected to start today with Emiliano Martinez out after surgery on his fractured jaw, so this is a big day for the 21-year-old Belgian stopper.

Spurs have plenty of injuries to contend with, but Roberto De Zerbi is clearly moving things in the right direction after a huge summer overhaul as so many new players arrived. Spurs have a clear style of play, they are intense with their pressing and believe totally in what they are doing. That combined with the return of creative duo James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski will make them very dangerous in this game to pick Chelsea off if they overcomplicate things at the back.

Here’s our full Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur video preview:

Chelsea are the favorites to win this game in terms of the odds and the eye test, but Tottenham Hotspur could provide plenty of value in terms of the betting odds.

Below are the latest odds, via our partners at DraftKings, on the outcome of the game, plus a look at the first goalscorer odds.

Chelsea win: -105
Tottenham Hotspur win: +275
Draw: +280

Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur select first goalscorer odds

Joao Pedro: +475
Cole Palmer: +600
Morgan Rogers: +700
Dominic Solanke: +850
James Maddison: +1100

Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur is always a tough game to predict given the intense rivalry.

And given the weather conditions, plus both Chelsea and Spurs very tough to predict with new systems and players, new managers and plenty of key injuries, it all adds up to a bit of a mess.

We love it.

The Pro Soccer Talk crew have consulted their crystal ball and here are the Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur score predictions.

Joe Prince-Wright: Chelsea 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Nick Mendola: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Andy Edwards: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Below is all of the information you need on how to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur live.

There are multiple ways to catch this game, and everything to do so is below.

How to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday (October 24)
Venue: Stamford Bridge — West London
TV Channel: Peacock/NBCSN
Stream link: Watch live on Peacock