Palmer Shines as Chelsea Edge Tottenham in Thrilling London Derby
Cole Palmer converted twice from the penalty spot as Chelsea surged back from two goals behind after 11 minutes to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 away in a frenzied London clash and narrow the gap with Premier League frontrunners Liverpool on Sunday.
Two ludicrous mishaps by Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella allowed Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski to hand the hosts a dream start, but their delight turned to misery as the visitors demonstrated why they should be viewed as title challengers.
Jadon Sancho blasted in a shot after 17 minutes to provide Chelsea momentum, and Palmer equalized from the spot just after the hour as Chelsea controlled the second half.
Enzo Fernandez smashed home a shot to give Chelsea the lead, and Palmer effectively sealed the victory with his second penalty late on before Son Heung-min added a stoppage-time consolation strike.
Chelsea sit in second place with 31 points from 15 matches, four points behind Liverpool, whose fixture at Everton was delayed due to strong winds on Saturday.
Tottenham’s second loss of the week left them in 11th place with 20 points, increasing the strain on manager Ange Postecoglou.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has downplayed the title hopes of his costly-assembled squad, who are now unbeaten in seven fixtures and have secured victories in their last four Premier League games.
They are the leading scorers in the league with 35 goals, and in Palmer, they have a player at the height of his abilities.
He now boasts 50 goal contributions (33 goals and 17 assists) in 48 Premier League appearances for the London side since arriving from Manchester City.
Things appeared grim for the visitors early on as an unsteady Cucurella was twice left humiliated.
He slipped in the fifth minute, allowing Brennan Johnson to pass the ball forward to Solanke, who capitalized to net the opener.
Moments later, a similar incident occurred, with the Spaniard losing balance and watching in dismay as the ball reached Kulusevski, who scored with precision.
Cucurella went off to adjust his footwear, and his team’s fortunes quickly shifted. Sancho unleashed a superb shot in off the post, although Pape Matar Sarr almost reinstated Tottenham’s two-goal advantage with a header against the bar.
Tottenham struggled to hold their advantage in the second half, but an erratic tackle by Yves Bissouma on Moises Caicedo resulted in a clear penalty, and Palmer converted past Fraser Forster.
The hosts briefly fought back, with Son coming close, but Fernandez volleyed Chelsea ahead in the 73rd minute following a mesmerizing dribble by the relentless Palmer.
Palmer completed a brilliant performance when he was fouled by Pape Sarr and executed a daring ‘Panenka’ penalty.