WORD FROM THE COCKEREL’S NEST: WHY DO SPURS CONTINUE TO DROP EASY POINTS?

Before a 2-0 win over a blundering Chelsea, I asked supporters in The Paxton their thoughts on why Spurs have lost so many easy points and whether they believed Tottenham could beat their London rivals in this difficult fixture.

Spirits leading up to the game were tense- even though Chelsea are 10th and Tottenham 11 points above them in 4th- as this fixture is always tricky for Tottenham fans. It seems no matter who is on top and by how much, it all comes down to how each team performs on the day. This feeling of unease was evident throughout the multiple answers I received- no matter how much Chelsea declines, Tottenham fans never become complacent. You can watch the interviews here:

The game gets off to an uneventful start, with midfielder Højbjerg’s 27th-minute shot into the right-hand post being the closest attempt to a goal. Silva was quickly forced off for Fofana due to an injury. Sterling tries his luck one last time but is quickly stopped in his tracks by an on-the-ball Forster.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium commemorates those in Ukraine. Credit: KMP Vision Media

After Ziyech is initially shown a red for his confrontation with Royal in added-on time, VAR deems a slap in the face only worthy of a yellow. Tottenham fans bite their nails and laugh nervously- is this going to be yet another defeat to Chelsea, and a Chelsea that isn’t even on form, at that?

Referee Stuart Attwell initially shows the Chelsea forward a red, but VAR reduces it to a yellow. Credit: Getty Images

19 seconds after the 2nd-half whistle blows, Tottenham go Skipp-ing into a 1-0 lead courtesy of, well, Oliver Skipp. The 22-year-old scores his first club goal in style, collecting Royal’s initial saved shot and rocketing it into the net off of the crossbar.

Oliver Skipp celebrates with fellow 22-year-old and teammate, Dejan Kulusevski. Credit: Sky Sports

As Tottenham can begin to breathe a sigh of relief, Graham Potter starts to panic. Responding to the Lilywhites's lead, he makes a double sub, swapping Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech for Denis Zakaria. This seems to work at first, as Havertz races towards the goal, however, Forster runs out and smothers the ball before any damage can be done. From then onwards, it’s all Tottenham- bar the further subs of Felix for Mudryk and Sterling for Aubameyang- as Richarlison fires just high of the crossbar. Hoping for that 'clean sheet' doesn't feel so obscure anymore...and forget about that draw, Tottenham show no sign of letting up their lead!

Moments after Oliver Skipp's goal. Credit: KMP Vision Media

Son comes on for Kulusevski, swiftly swinging a corner into Dier, who flicks it to Harry Kane. Kane steers it past Chelsea goalkeeper, Kepa, to double the lead. Many are beginning to refer to Son as a 'super sub' -to the chagrin of his fans- as the South Korean tends to have the biggest impact on games when coming off the bench.

Harry Kane celebrates his 268th goal for Tottenham Hotspur. Credit: Getty Images/Chloe Knott

The Blues fans pile out to mocking chants of ‘Chelsea get battered everywhere they go’ from gleeful Spurs fans. The game concludes with Richarlison being subbed off for Pedro Porro, the Brazilian making sure every last moment of his on the pitch is used to wind the opposition up.

The game ends 2-0. Credit: KMP Vision Media

For once, Tottenham win a game they were expected to- even though the odds were in Chelsea's favour, for some reason- rendering the fans' worries from before the game into nothing.

Kiera's Kicks

My thoughts and some facts about today's game

Hoo-Doo Who?: Chelsea were unbeaten in their last 8 meetings against Tottenham, with the Lilywhites losing all 3 of their home games at the new stadium to the Blues by an aggregate of 6-0. Until today. No hoo-doo -doo -doo, Chelsea 0, Tottenham 2!

Quick Stats: Harry Kane is the first Tottenham player since 1990/91 to score in both derbies vs. Chelsea in the same season. (He scored 1 today and 1 in August 2022 to draw 2-2 in 90+6 minutes).

Big Pat: The cherry on top of the day was when my dad got to take a photo and shake hands with his footballing idol, Pat Jennings, after the game: