Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Chelsea offered Roberto De Zerbi a stronger measure of progress than the scoreline alone. Spurs limited Chelsea to seven shots, created more chances and, in the manager’s view, are beginning to function as a complete team. The result combined a landmark away win with signs of better defensive control, though two victories are still a narrow basis for judging how far the team has come.
A rare result at Stamford Bridge
Back-to-back victories have given Tottenham a lift after a difficult start. They followed Monday’s 3-1 win over Coventry City with a derby victory at a ground where their Premier League record had been bleak: before Saturday, Spurs had won there once in 34 attempts, drawing 11 and losing 22. That history made the result meaningful to supporters, but it also gives the performance a useful test: Tottenham had to manage a difficult away setting as well as take their chances.
Mike Penders’ own goal, after the goalkeeper’s attempted punch crossed his line, put Spurs ahead. Mathys Tel then added a solo goal, while Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was sent off. Tottenham’s second goal gave the lead more breathing room, but the red card also shaped the match’s closing stages; the score alone doesn’t show how much of the contest was decided before that dismissal.
It was Tottenham’s first clean-sheet win at Stamford Bridge in any competition since December 1986, and their first victory there by any score since April 2018. Those milestones give the win historical weight, though they don’t settle the larger question of whether Spurs can repeat this level of control against different opponents and in different circumstances.
The numbers suggest the result was not simply a product of the own goal. Tottenham registered 15 shots and 0.74 expected goals; Chelsea managed seven shots and 0.43 expected goals. The Blues’ shot count was their lowest in a Premier League match this season and their lowest at home since recording six against Brentford in January. The gap in attempts supports De Zerbi’s view that his side controlled important parts of the game, even if the expected-goals totals show neither team created a large volume of high-quality opportunities.
“It was a big moment for the fans, the club and the players also. They deserved this win, they prepared very well,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports.
De Zerbi points to relationships
The Italian said Tottenham’s development has shown up in their mentality and connections among players as well as in their play. He recalled strong spells against Aston Villa and Everton, including 30 good minutes against Everton, that brought little reward because of poor finishing. After a setback, he said, the team’s attitude had previously shifted. The implication is that performance alone wasn’t enough: Spurs needed to stay composed when matches failed to reward their good periods.
“Now it is a complete team,” De Zerbi said. “The players are playing better, we improved in our style.” He described a change in the group’s atmosphere, including how players spend time together at dinner and in the dressing room. That kind of cohesion can matter when a side is under pressure, though it’s difficult to separate its effect from tactical preparation or the confidence that comes with winning.
De Zerbi linked that improved unity to a warm-weather training and bonding trip to Marbella before the Coventry match. The time together, he said, gave a squad with many new faces a chance to speak openly and build trust. For a group still forming its habits, shared time away from competition may help players understand one another’s expectations and responses.
“The week in Marbella, to speak better face to face, to open ourselves up and remove the mask, that was important,” he said. “The atmosphere in the dressing room is maybe more important than the tactics.”
Here’s the thing: a trip can create space for those conversations, but it can’t prove that the group will respond the same way when results turn against it. That test will come over a longer run of matches. And this is the part most people overlook: De Zerbi’s comments describe a process, while the scoreboard provides only a brief snapshot.
A squad trying to rewrite its recent record
Several Tottenham players have lived through seasons in which the club finished 17th, De Zerbi noted. He said they are working to change that recent history, while expressing confidence in a dressing room he described as full of good people and strong players. For players carrying that experience, a win at Chelsea can offer a point of reference, but it can’t erase the memory of those seasons in a single afternoon.
“I have to believe in this group, for sure. I never lost confidence in my players,” he said. The immediate evidence is modest but useful: two wins in a row, a landmark away result and a more disciplined defensive display against Chelsea. That’s progress a coach can build on. It isn’t yet evidence of sustained consistency.
Tottenham moved to 12th in the Premier League table on nine points, four behind fourth-placed Chelsea. The table places the victory in context: it narrows the gap to a leading rival, but Spurs remain well outside the top four. If you’re working in this space, the more telling question is whether the team can carry its defensive discipline and improved connections into the next stretch.
What the win can—and can’t—tell us
This is more significant than it looks because Tottenham showed they could restrict a major opponent while finding a way to score twice away from home. Yet the result came in a match shaped by an own goal and a sending-off, and the underlying chance totals were modest. Those details don’t diminish the win; they set reasonable limits on what it proves.
The next test is whether the togetherness De Zerbi saw in Marbella can translate into consistent performances and results. A stronger run would make his description of a “complete team” more convincing; another uneven spell would show how much work remains. For now, Spurs have a rare Stamford Bridge win and a clearer standard to meet again. A useful start.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 24, 2026