Chelsea's MacPhee ordered players out of the box: Premier League standings shift as Spurs win 2-0

The corner that changed the match

Chelsea's set-piece coach Austin MacPhee ordered Chelsea players out of their own box during a corner. ^[1] Tottenham took the lead from that corner in the 77th minute, when Mateus Fernandes curled the ball into the box and Mike Penders, on his first league start, punched it into his own net. ^[1][2]

Chelsea supporters and anyone following the Premier League standings had a lot to absorb from the result. Spurs beat 10-man Chelsea 2-0, with the goals coming from Penders' own goal and Mathys Tel. ^[2]

Palmer sees red

Cole Palmer was sent off for a second yellow card after a late tackle on Conor Gallagher. ^[2] Referee Chris Kavanagh gave Palmer that second booking. ^[2]

His first yellow came when he barged Fernandes to the turf after Fernandes had swiped the ball away. ^[2] A bust-up between the benches broke out at the same moment, and the home crowd was delighted. ^[1]

Chelsea had only 27 per cent possession at home after 40 minutes, and Palmer had touched the ball eight times. ^[1]

Tel seals it

Tel scored for Tottenham on 87 minutes with a low shot inside the near post. ^[1] It was a 20-yard shot into the bottom corner. ^[2]

Fernandes had 121 touches, completed 91 of 99 passes and made five tackles, the most in the match. ^[2]

Why Chelsea had no answer in attack

Chelsea played without João Pedro, who was injured in training on the Friday before the match. ^[2] They had no cutting edge in attack in his absence. ^[1] Danny Welbeck was left on the bench. ^[1]

Chelsea also lacked the attacking fluidity they have shown under Xabi Alonso. ^[2]

A goalkeeper on his first league start

Chelsea turned to Emiliano Martínez as goalkeeper, and Robert Sánchez left for Como. ^[2] Martínez was out with a broken jaw, so Penders played in goal. ^[2]

Penders signed for Chelsea from Genk in 2025 and spent last season on loan at Strasbourg. ^[2]

MacPhee joined the club in the summer after Chelsea activated his release clause at Aston Villa. ^[1] Chelsea received 11 red cards across players and non-playing staff in all competitions last season. ^[2]

The table and the history

This was Alonso's first home defeat as Chelsea boss. ^[2] It leaves Chelsea in fourth place, while Spurs climbed to 12th. ^[2]

Spurs had won only one of their previous 33 Premier League visits to Chelsea's ground. ^[2] Tottenham spent around £400 million in the summer to revamp their squad. ^[2]

Maddison's night ends early

James Maddison started his first game in almost 18 months after ACL surgery and scored the opening goal in a 3-1 win over Coventry City. ^[2] He sat down in the centre circle with 49 minutes gone, and his game ended there. ^[1]