Roberto De Zerbi watching on from sidelines in circular inset, with Mathys Tel applauding in Tottenham jumper

De Zerbi/TelImago

Mathys Tel surprise livewire as 4/10 left out to dry - Tottenham player ratings vs Chelsea

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Published on:

24 Oct 2026, 6:25 pm

Tottenham travelled to Chelsea looking to put their glum past at Stamford Bridge behind them on Saturday.

The short trip to their London rivals has not been their best over the years.

Roberto De Zerbi was looking to change that, and made switches to his side despite the 3-1 win over Coventry.

Mateus Fernandes was back in, while Archie Gray was moved back into defence with Dominic Solanke only on the bench.

It paid off and deservedly so, as Spurs just simply wanted it more than Chelsea in their own backyard.

A Mike Penders own-goal set things off, as Mathys Tel sealed the 2-0 win with a sensational solo goal, as Cole Palmer was also sent off.

Mathys Tel surprise livewire

So many times throughout the game, especially in that first half, the French winger was given the ball.

With Pedro Neto out of position on the right, he was given the chance to run at his man consistently.

He did it to great effect, too, combining with Andy Robertson.

It was Tel's dribbling that caught the eye, though, hardly losing possession when in dangerous positions.

The winger made two key passes and only lost possession once from more than 50 touches at Stamford Bridge.

Those are sensational numbers, and he topped it off with a magnificent solo goal, dribbling from his own half and smashing it low past Penders in the final five minutes to seal the amazing win.

Omar Marmoush struggles in rivalry

It was evidently clear that Spurs missed that focal point as their number nine, especially with Solanke not starting.

Long balls didn't stick, while Marmoush couldn't get himself into dangerous positions while the ball was out wide.

While not dreadful, he has made a bigger impact starting off the striker so far, as seen in his goal against Coventry.

Marmoush is best when given space to run into on the ball, and as the central striker, he only carried it for 9.4 metres.

Losing possession six times in 23 touches, only managing 0.3 expected goals from three shots on goal.

Solanke immediately looked more dangerous when coming on and occupying the home defence, and Marmoush will want to return to a wider position after being somewhat left out to dry.

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