LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 win at London rivals Chelsea – only their second at Stamford Bridge since Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s prime minister – was greeted by their coach, players and fans as a turning point in their season.
Roberto De Zerbi's men were bottom of the Premier League before they beat fellow strugglers Coventry City 3-1 at home on Monday and Saturday’s victory propelled them to 12th place pending the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
The north Londoners had won once in their previous 41 visits to Chelsea in all competitions - a run stretching back to February 1990 when Gary Lineker scored the winning goal.
Their only previous win at Chelsea during that 36-year drought was a 3-1 victory in 2018.
No wonder the away fans celebrated at the final whistle as if they had just won a trophy and the Spurs players could be heard from the Stamford Bridge press room jumping up and down in the changing room still wearing their boots.
"I think we are playing well, not just today," De Zerbi told BBC Radio once the celebrations abated.
"Maybe now there is another atmosphere, there is another union amongst the players. With these two wins in a row they can believe more and more in themselves," the Italian said before later telling reporters: "We have suffered enough."
There was a touch of luck to the result - the match seemed to be heading to a 0-0 stalemate before Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders, on his full Premier League debut, punched the ball into his own net from a Matheus Fernandes corner.
Spurs made sure of the win with a breakaway strike by Mathys Tel 10 minutes later.
"It's very special because we have come to Chelsea so many times and not got a win," the French striker told Sky Sports. "We showed great mentality today and we need to enjoy this win."
In between the goals, Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer was sent off for the first time in his senior career when he was booked twice in nine minutes.
Spurs dominated possession with 70% of the ball over the match and 15 shots to Chelsea's seven.
The Blues, who remain fourth in the table ahead of Sunday's matches, looked far from their fluent best and missed the focal point of top scorer Joao Pedro who was injured in training on Friday and is due to undergo tests in the coming days.
"We need to be self-critical. We need to be at a better level," Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso told the BBC. "Sometimes you feel good and today, collectively and individually, we were not at our best."
Asked about Palmer picking up two yellow cards in quick succession, Alonso said he wanted to see more self-control among his players, who last season racked up eight reds.
"In those situations, the first yellow card can be decisive," the Spaniard said. "It’s a process of the maturity of the team and of the individual players as well."
(Writing by William SchombergEditing by Toby Davis)
