Tottenham end 36-year Stamford Bridge wait as Chelsea see red

Tottenham secured only their second league victory at Stamford Bridge in 36 years by beating Chelsea in a rain-soaked London derby overshadowed by Cole Palmer’s dismissal.

Spurs had won just once in their previous 36 league visits to Chelsea, drawing 11 and losing 24. Their previous success came in April 2018, when Mauricio Pochettino’s side defeated Antonio Conte’s team 3-1.

Before that, Tottenham’s last league win at the ground had been in February 1990. Terry Venables’ side beat Bobby Campbell’s Chelsea 2-1 in Division One.

The decisive moment arrived in the 77th minute when Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders diverted the ball into his own net while trying to clear a corner under pressure from Jan Paul van Hecke.

It was Penders’ first league appearance for Chelsea. Regular goalkeeper Emi Martinez was unavailable after fracturing his jaw during the match against Everton.

Chelsea’s problems increased three minutes later when Palmer was sent off. The England midfielder received two yellow cards in the space of nine minutes, the first for barging into Mateus Fernandes and the second after a late challenge on Conor Gallagher.

Tottenham took advantage of their numerical superiority to add a second goal in the 87th minute. French forward Mathys Tel collected the ball around halfway, embarked on a solo run and finished with a low shot from approximately 25 yards, beating Penders.

The match was played in torrential rain and featured a high level of physical competition and tension throughout.

The victory moved Tottenham up to 12th in the table and gave them a second win in the space of a week. They had also beaten Coventry City 3-1 at home on Monday.