Chelsea's horror night: Palmer sent off as Spurs win 2-0 at the Bridge
Mike Penders' error, Cole Palmer's red card and a Mathys Tel strike condemned Chelsea to a rare home defeat by Tottenham, prompting Gary Neville to brand them "awful".
Chelsea suffered a chastening evening at Stamford Bridge as Tottenham won 2-0, a result built on a goalkeeping error, a red card for Cole Palmer and a late Mathys Tel finish.
Mike Penders, deputising for the injured Emiliano Martinez, was at fault for the opening goal when he punched Mateus Fernandes' set piece into his own net. It was the 21-year-old's first Premier League start, with Martinez sidelined after surgery on a broken jaw sustained against Everton.
Palmer's afternoon then collapsed. He was booked for a coming-together with Fernandes before picking up a second yellow card after 80 minutes for catching Conor Gallagher with a challenge, reducing Chelsea to ten men.
Tel sealed the win late on, completing a defeat that Sky Sports Football reported saw pundit Gary Neville describe Chelsea's performance as "awful".
According to Guardian Football, it was only the second time in 36 years that Chelsea have lost a home league fixture to Tottenham, and Spurs' first win at Stamford Bridge since 2018 having managed victory there just once in their previous 34 visits to west London.
Speaking afterwards, Xabi Alonso made clear he would stand by his young goalkeeper rather than reach for a scapegoat. "It's part of the business; you need to deal with mistakes and we keep confidence in Mike and he will be in goal against Liverpool," he said.
The Chelsea head coach extended that message of solidarity across his squad, framing Penders' error as part of a shared burden rather than an individual failing. "We win and we lose together and it's part of the job to deal with mistakes, myself as well as everyone," Alonso said, as relayed by Yahoo Sports.
He also pointed to the inexperience of some of those involved, name-checking another young player handed a first league start. "We support Mike and Geo (Quenda) as well, the guys starting their first [Premier League] games. He will want to prove he can do better - and we also have to show that," Alonso added.
On Palmer's dismissal, Guardian Football reported that Alonso wants his forward to treat the red card as a learning experience, with the manager saying his side need the maturity to handle difficult moments during matches.
Penders is set to retain the gloves for Chelsea's Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool on Wednesday night, with Alonso confirming the goalkeeper's continued involvement despite the error that shaped the defeat to Spurs.
Chelsea now face a period of scrutiny after a result that leaves Alonso needing a response both from his goalkeeper and from a side stung by Neville's assessment, starting with that midweek cup assignment at Anfield.