Irish Examiner

As the tyro from Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow cannot join a UK club until he turns 18 in September, he’ll remain with the Saints for their upcoming campaign kicking off against Galway United on Friday week.

His five-year contract with Spurs begins in January 2026.

A multitude of clubs from the UK, including initial interest from Manchester City, and the continent, were tracking the talent but Celtic were the last club to compete with Tottenham for his signature.

Melia was represented in contract talks by former Ireland international Clive Clarke who, as well as being his agent, is the brother of his mother Pamela.

His uncle was central to interactions with Spurs over recent months, accompanying the youngster on trips to their plush training ground, and meetings with first-team manager Ange Postecoglou and club legend Ledley King. Once he passed his medical on Tuesday, the transfer was confirmed by both clubs.

“Our Chairman has been negotiating this deal for a number of months,” said Saints director of football Ger O’Brien about the involvement of Kelleher in securing the deal.

“It's a record transfer fee for a League of Ireland player and something the club is proud of.”

Saints have been trailblazers in this regard, receiving a record fee of €300,000 for Keith Fahey from Birmingham City in 2008, and double that when James Abankwah was snapped up by Udinese in 2022.

This package trumps those deals, further vindicating Kelleher’s decision to purchase the Saints all of 18 years ago.

Since then, the property tycoon is estimated to have pumped over €10m into the Inchicore outfit, a large portion funding an underage system he was enthusiastic about from the outset.

Kelleher, it must be recalled, strengthened his commitment to the domestic league by luring manager Stephen Kenny back to the scene with the offer of a five-and-a-half year contract last June.

He was manager for most of Melia’s 41 club appearances in 2024, including exposure in their Conference League run to the playoff stage that had Ireland senior manager Heimir Hallgrímsson singling him out for praise.

"Mason is a terrific talent with an exceptional attitude and a real appetite for hard work,” said Kenny.

“He has had a dramatic impact for one so young, his performances in our Conference League games playing as a central striker against high calibre opposition were of real quality.

“Every day on the training ground he shows a high work ethic and a capacity to take on information quickly and he grasps the tactical requirements depending on the game in question.

“His pressing out of possession is phenomenal and his pace offers a real threat and adds a dimension to our attacking play. His hold up play has been his greatest improvement over the last six months as he continues to develop physically.

“First and foremost he is a goalscorer, he scored some brilliant goals last season, and different types of goals and has shown a capacity to play anywhere along the front 3.

“Mason has repeated those performances at international level for Ireland and has a bright future ahead for his country.”

Melia was fast-tracked into the Ireland U21 squad for the latter stages of the Euro 2025 campaign only to withdraw due to injury.

A 3-2 loss at Everton ramped up the speculation around Postecoglou's job, but he masterminded victory by the same score away to Hoffenheim on Thursday to keep the club on track to make the Europa League last-16, while next month will bring a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Liverpool.

Richarlison's 33rd-minue header had Tottenham on course to return to winning ways in the division for the first time since December 15, but Jamie Vardy levelled for Leicester within a minute of the second period before Bilal El Khannouss fired in what proved the winner after 50 minutes.

Home fans turned on Spurs chairman Daniel Levy during the second period and while boos greeted full-time after this latest defeat leaves them 15th, Postecoglou feels his depleted squad continue to give everything during a period of 17 fixtures in two months amid a continuously growing injury crisis.

"I really believe in this group of players. Even today, what I asked of them, some of the performances were outstanding considering what they've been through. To me that's all positive, but ultimately, the fact that we've lost another game of football, the focus is on that," Postecoglou reflected.

"I have felt all along that the players are still very committed to what we're doing. That's important to me because I firmly believe in it.

"This is probably as low as we've been so far this year but I still think that in these last three months we can do something really special and I think these players believe that.

"Right now it's very hard to visualise that when you think of the current circumstances we're in. You just have to look at our absences today and they'll all be back.

"Even missing Madders (James Maddison) today, he was so good the other night.

"All these little things that are not allowing us to get any momentum, I'm sure will change and when they change, I'm really confident we can make an impact."

First-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returned to training this week, while Spurs continue to chase additions in the transfer window.

Asked if he will be here to welcome back key personnel, Postecoglou admitted: "Who knows. I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no.

"When you are the manager of a football club, you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don't feel that.

"I feel like this group of players, not for me, are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that."

Ruud van Nistelrooy had faced speculation over his position following a run of seven straight league losses, but watched his team produce an excellent comeback to win in the division for the first time since December 3.

This victory moved Leicester out of the bottom three and Van Nistelrooy praised his squad.

He said: "We got 1-0 behind but we were playing well and I said that before in previous games. I saw today a team that was 1-0 behind, but we weren't affected mentally.

"At half-time the players were calm. They knew the game-plan was going accordingly. We had chances and we wanted to start the second half really well, which they went out and did extremely well to be fair."

Postecoglou pointed to the passion of his patched-up team and some dire refereeing decisions from Andrew Madley, with some justification, in a rare show of anger after Alexander Isak's 14th league goal of the season clinched a sixth successive victory for Eddie Howe's side.

Whether fans are pro- or anti-Ange, they would do well to look at the situation over the past year at St James' Park, where a club that had finished fourth in 2023 and were enjoying some spectacular nights in the Champions League, were also deemed to be in crisis.

Newcastle are in a healthy position right now, fifth in the table, five points behind second-placed Arsenal going into Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against the Gunners, with winnable games to come against Bromley in the FA Cup, plus Wolves, Bournemouth, Southampton and Fulham in the league.

No wonder there is a feelgood factor around the club. Yet this time last year, it was a different story. A rash of injuries to key players, loss of form and confidence, and six defeats in seven games over the festive period meant Newcastle went into their match at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium with both first-choice centre-backs and three other players injured, star signing Sandro Tonali banned and a slump in form from key players such as Keiron Trippier and Isak. They lost 4-1.

This time it was Tottenham's turn to suffer without three central defenders, which became four when Radu Dragusin could not continue after half time because of sickness, a third-choice goalkeeper making his debut, out-of-form senior players Heung Min Son and James Maddison dropped and a rash of teenagers on the pitch and on the bench.

Even though Dominic Solanke headed Spurs into an early lead, it was no surprise that Newcastle won, although Anthony Gordon's equaliser was hugely controversial and Isak's winning goal was the slightest of touches on Dragusin's goalbound toe-poke.

And as Howe admitted, the visitors had to tough it out in a second-half dominated by Tottenham in terms of chances, possession and passion.

“I’m shattered the boys didn’t get the rewards they deserved because we were outstanding, our football was outstanding against a very good opponent in good form and a good place,” said Postecoglou.

“I thought it was brilliant, a game we deserved to win and on any other day, on a fair and even playing field and logical thought processes,they would have won that game.” He was referring not only to Joelinton's handball that set up Gordon's equaliser, but also Madley's reluctance to show second yellow cards to the Brazilian and Dan Burn, who might have been sent off by a different referee. Madley was booed loudly from the sixth minute, when Gordon scored, and also angered Newcastle fans when he failed to spot Dejan Kulusevski clatter Gordon in the penalty box, leaving the England winger with a bloody nose in front of the watching Thomas Tuchel. The German was on duty for the first time since taking over officially as England manager on New Year's Day, and must have been impressed not only by the goalscoring of Gordon and Solanke, but also impressive displays by Newcastle's young full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento.

They are thriving in a Newcastle side that has found its rhythm since Tonali returned from his long suspension for betting offences, and unlike Postecoglou, Howe has the luxury of being able to field a settled team week after week.

Eight players have started all of their past six games, as Howe has found a winning formula centred around Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes in midfield. “We went through a spell where we were very inconsistent with our performances and results, so I made a conscious decision to try to be consistent with my team selection, to try to give the best chance to get consistent results. We’ve started to win games, so I’ve been very reluctant to change things or unbalance what’s been working for us. Sometimes, even within a game, I haven’t wanted to change the dynamic too much unless I’ve felt like I’ve absolutely had to.” What Postecoglou would give to have his big names back from injury and suspension as Spurs face an unenviable run of games. Having lost 6-3 to Liverpool two weeks ago, they face Arne Slot's side in a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final starting on Wednesday. They then face four away games that could make or break their season and Postecoglou's chances of remaining in charge.

Tamworth Town in the FA Cup should be a chance to rotate his squad and blood some youngsters, but Premier Leagtue trips to Arsenal and Everton rarely bring Spurs much joy, and then they travel to Hoffenheim in a bid to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League, before facing Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of the Carabao Cup. It totals nine games in the space of 30 days, and with his depleted squad unlikely to welcome back many of the long-term injured, he desperately needs signings. Young Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was signed from Slavia Prague for €15m Euros this weekend, and Daniel Levy, the chairman who is the subject of repeated protests from fans, has to decide whether to back Postecoglou with more signings.

Howe, meanwhile, has found a winning formula and can look forward to a serious challenge for the top four and more.

Levy, and Tottenham's restless fans, could do worse than look north for an example of how patience can pay off.

TOTTENHAM (4-3-3): Austin 7; Porro 7, Dragusin 5 (Reguilon 46), Gray 7, Spence 6; Kulusevski 7, Sarr 6 (Bissouma 62), Bergvall 7 (Maddison 62); Johnson 6, Solanke 7, Werner 4 (Son 62).

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Dubravka 7; Livramento 7, Botman 7 (Kelly 90+2), Burn 7, Hall 6; Guimaraes 7, Tonali 7, Joelinton 6; Murphy 7 (Longstaff 85), Isak 6 (Willocl 85) Gordon 7 (Barnes 78)

Referee: Andrew Madley 5

Injury-hit Spurs were on track to end a torrid month of December on a high after first-half goals by Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson cancelled out Hwang Hee-chan's brilliant opener for Wolves.

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min also squandered a 43rd-minute penalty, but it did not appear to be too costly until visiting substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen smashed home with three minutes left.

Spurs will start 2025 in the bottom half after one win from their last seven Premier League fixtures, yet Postecoglou rallied around his depleted squad, with Destiny Udogie the latest to limp off to become their ninth unavailable player.

"I'm the person in charge, so of course it hurts," Postecoglou reflected.

"When I see how hard they are trying, it hurts even more because you want them to get a reward and I think today they deserved a reward for their efforts.

"Even though they were dipping into their reserves of energy, which I don't even know where they got from, I wanted them to get a reward for their efforts.

"It hurts immensely. At the same time it's my responsibility for where we're at right now and it's my responsibility to try to get us out of it.

"It's fair to say we're dealing with a fair bit and it doesn't feel we're getting a smooth run at anything in terms of getting players back and allowing us to freshen up the team.

"As soon as we get one back, we lose one. We've just got to get through it. There's still a hell of a lot for us to play for."

Tottenham were sixth and only three points off Chelsea after a 4-0 win at Manchester City on November 23, but are now closer to the relegation zone than top-four.

Postecoglou refused to be too hard on his players, who will get two days off with Spurs set to have a rare clear midweek ahead of Saturday's visit of Newcastle where Bentancur will also be suspended.

He added: "We have to try to get some support for the players. Both mentally and physically and in terms of numbers to give them the opportunity to play at their best.

"They're very disappointed, but it's not through the want of trying."

It was another afternoon to savour for new Wolves boss Vitor Pereira, who has claimed seven points out of nine since he replaced Gary O'Neil.

The visitors also suffered injury problems with talisman Matheus Cunha forced off, but Strand Larsen came up trumps with his seventh effort of the campaign to move them two points clear of the relegation zone.

"I think it is a good result for us," Pereira said.

"A difficult week because we lost Toti, we lost Cunha at half-time and this is not a big squad.

"We showed we must find solutions and the speed I saw in the second half, the team tries to play more with the ball, the team tries to create situations to score and because of this period and the personality, I am very happy."

TOTTENHAM (4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie (Reguilon 50); Bentancur, Bissouma (Sarr 64), Kulusevski; Johnson (Maddison 64), Solanke, Son (Werner 63).

WOLVES (3-4-3): Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Dawson (R.Gomes 78); Semedo, Andre (Doyle 69), J.Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Bellagarde (Guedes 46), Hwang (Forbs 78), Cunha (Strand Larsen 46).

Ref: Chris Kavanagh

Anthony Elanga’s first-half goal was enough for Forest to consolidate their position in the top four as the mist gathered at City Ground and the outlook keeps getting gloomier for under-pressure Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.

The embattled Australian watched his side lose for a fifth time in eight Premier League games and the pressure is growing as they languish in the bottom half of the table after a first Boxing Day defeat since 2003.

While Spurs, who had Djed Spence sent off at the death, ponder a season of mediocrity, Forest are daring to dream after posting a fourth successive Premier League win for the first time since 1995.

They have already surpassed their points total from last season and are looking like genuine contenders for European qualification, which outlines the impressive job Nuno Espirito Santo has done at the City Ground.

Given Postecoglou’s stubborn refusal to alter from his attacking approach, it was no surprise that chances at both ends came quickly.

Son Heung-min shot straight at Matz Sels after Murillo had given the ball away and then Callum Hudson-Odoi fired over with a trademark effort cutting in from the right soon after.

Brennan Johnson could have scored on his return to the City Ground after being played in by returning Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, but Sels did well.

Just as it looked like Spurs were taking control, Forest went in front in the 29th minute after a quick break.

Morgan Gibbs-White galloped into space and played in Elanga, who beat the offside trap and coolly clipped home for his third goal in three games.

The visitors’ response was good and Forest needed another big save from Sels to keep their lead intact, again denying Johnson with a flying stop.

Son then whipped a 20-yard free-kick inches wide as Spurs pressed, but Forest got into half-time unscathed.

They had a chance to double their lead early in the second half when Fraser Forster flapped at a cross and it fell kindly to Gibbs-White, but the goalkeeper recovered well to block the shot.

Spurs kept on creating chances as Johnson cleverly made space for himself, but Sels again came to the rescue with a brave block.

Forest needed a second goal to give themselves some breathing space and Nikola Milenkovic headed over before Ola Aina failed to make proper contact when the ball fell kindly to him on the penalty area.

Spurs pushed for an equaliser, but Forest put in a defensive performance Spurs could only dream of as central pairing Murillo and Milenkovic won all of their headers and made all of their tackles.

The visitors ended with 10 men as former Forest right-back Spence was dismissed deep into injury time for two yellow cards.

Tottenham have been beset by injuries and suspensions over the past month, which has seen them plummet down the Premier League table amid an inconsistent run of form.

With Carabao Cup, Europa League and FA Cup matches to come in January, it is no secret what was on Postecoglou’s Christmas wish list, but he tempered expectations.

“I’m kind of hoping I’ve been really good this year because I’ve got a fair Christmas list for Santa so I will see what I get,” Postecoglou joked at his pre-match press conference on Christmas Eve.

“I think improving the team may be a bit challenging, but improving the depth of our squad, I think there’s always possibilities out there.

“I think it’s a bit more challenging this January because of the way European football is set up, because sometimes in January you would find maybe a couple of clubs out of Champions League contention that were thinking, well, you know what, ‘we’re not in the Champions League, so maybe just release a couple from our roster.’

“So, that doesn’t exist now because all European competitions are kind of still in the balance. That probably adds another layer of difficulty to it, but we’ll endeavour because I think there’s definitely a need for us to reinforce. We’ll just see how successful we are in that.”

Postecoglou revealed on Tuesday he would be home alone on Christmas Day due to his wife and young children going back to Australia, but he retained his festive spirit by pushing back the time of training on the day before a trip to Forest.

It allowed his players to spend the majority of the day with their own families on Christmas Day before they travel to Nottingham, where Spurs will aim to climb the table from 11th spot.

Spurs’ list of unavailable players has hit double figures since a 4-0 victory at Manchester City on November 23, but light is at the end of the tunnel with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Mikey Moore and Richarlison primed to return in January.

“I always felt after the City game this is the toughest period we would come up against in terms of the number of games and the squad we had."

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has repeatedly stated Postecoglou must change and cannot play the same way for 90 minutes, which was echoed by Jamie Redknapp even though injury-hit Tottenham set up a last-four showdown with Liverpool in midweek.

Ahead of a semi-final dress rehearsal with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, summer recruit Solanke lauded his head coach.

“Ange is very unique in the way he plays and we love it. The way he plays, it suits us,” Solanke told the PA news agency at Tottenham’s One Hotspur Junior Christmas party earlier this week.

“It is a great style, especially for me being a striker to play in. Like I said, we haven’t been consistent enough this season. We’ve just come off not the greatest run but I feel we’re building towards that consistency.

“We’re like a family, we all want to achieve the same thing and every day we’re on the training ground working towards our goals. Ultimately we want to win stuff and we’re all on the same wave length.

“We all back each other, all believe in each other, like I said, we’re all on the same page.

“In football there is always times when you are on top and when you have a bit of dip, but it’s about working on the negatives to get that steady flow going. I think it will definitely come.”

Sunday will see Solanke back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the third time this week after he was joined by Son Heung-min, Timo Werner, Richarlison, Pape Sarr, Pedro Porro, Will Lankshear and Alfie Dorrington for Tuesday’s Christmas party with junior Spurs fans, where various festive activities were put on.

While the 27-year-old has only been at the club since August, the £65million forward has quickly developed into an integral player and is eager to become a leader for a young squad which features several of teenagers in Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mikey Moore and Lankshear.

Solanke added: “We have a lot of young boys and players like me, the more senior players with a bit more experience, definitely need to help the younger ones.

“It’s something you need in football. You need everyone you can to be a leader and help each other. That’s something I definitely want to do more.”

Across five-and-a-half years at Bournemouth, Solanke developed into a talisman with 21 goals in all competitions during the 2023-24 campaign.

It earned the former Chelsea academy product a big-money move to Spurs and despite being able to improve his goal tally to nine on Thursday, Solanke wants more and is desperate to win his new club a first trophy since 2008.

The manager speaks about it all the time, we all obviously want to win something as well and that's the dream of the football club.

“I always want more goals no matter how many I score. I would have liked to have a few more by now, but that’s always the mindset, you always want more. I think the main point is trying to get the consistency in the team right now and working towards some trophies,” Solanke insisted.

“I feel like I am where I wanted to be but I feel like I have still got a lot more to give though, so I will keep working and improving. And our main goal here is to win something now.

“The manager speaks about it all the time, we all obviously want to win something as well and that’s the dream of the football club. Like I keep mentioning, that is the wave we are on and hopefully we can achieve it.”

Spurs’ immediate priority is Sunday’s visit of Liverpool where the hosts’ will target a third consecutive victory despite being without eight players.

The fixture will carry extra significance for Solanke after he spent a difficult 18 months at Anfield before he left to join Bournemouth in 2019.

Solanke reflected: “I was still very young and it might have been a bit too young for me going there, but I learned a lot and I was thankful for my time there.

“Every game you want to win and do well. Obviously when it’s an old club, it always means a little bit more because you see familiar faces and want to get the better of them. It will be another tough game but we’ll take that challenge.”

It’s official - Cole Palmer is not normal, according to Enzo Maresca, after Chelsea’s fifth straight victory closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table to four points and condemned Tottenham to more misery in an enthralling London derby.

Palmer scored two second-half penalties as the Blues came from 2-0 down to win 4-3, giving him a Premier League record 12 consecutive conversions.

His second, after he had been bundled over by Pape Matar Sarr, was a cheeky chip over Fraser Forster, to cement his reputation as ‘ice-cold Palmer’, and afterwards his manager confirmed that the England man never practices penalties.

“Cole belongs to that group of players who are not normal,” said a beaming Maresca, whose side are now in second place, two points clear of Arsenal and have to be considered genuine title challengers.

“Top players do things that other players, and us, ask : ‘How can they do that?’ It is because it is Cole, he is top, and we can expect that sort of thing from him.”

Palmer’s performance encapsulated the confidence that is flowing through the Blues, even after going two goals down inside the first 11 minutes.

“It’s painful, considering how well we played at times and were 2-0 up,” he said.

But Chelsea showed why they must be taken seriously as title contenders with an outstanding display second-half display. After Jadon Sancho reduced the arrears before half-time, Palmer scored the first of his penalties and Enzo Fernandez volleyed home to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Maresca has surprised most neutrals - and even some Chelsea supporters - by taking over an expensive but underperforming squad and moulding them into a serious unit. They have lost only twice in the league - to Manchester City and Liverpool - and this was their fifth consecutive victory.

Yet it had started so well for Spurs, who desperately need a break. The teamsheet showed a surprise with the return of Tottenham’s first-choice centre-back pairing of Micky Van de van and Cristian Romero from injury.

It was something of a gamble, perhaps a sign of the pressure Ange Postecoglou has been feeling, although he insisted he had little choice because of injuries to back up defenders.

All the same, it backfired to some extent when Romero limped off in the 15th minute. “Cuti’s injury was different to the previous one, and there’s nothing you can do about that. It sums up the way our season has gone,” he said.

Tottenham’s 2-0 lead originated from an unlikely source, with Marc Cucurella slipping to concede possession each time. For the first, Brennan Johnson nipped in and crossed low for Dominic Solanke to stab home from close range.

The second time Cucurella slipped, six minutes later, Johnson again pounced to feed Dejan Kulusevski, who dribbled across the edge of the Chelsea penalty area before hitting a low shot through a crowd of legs inside Robert Sanchez’s near post.

Cucurella immediately changed his footwear and was more settled thereafter. Sanchez was also having a nightmare, regularly giving away possession, and it looked like Tottenham might go on to make hay.

But Jadon Sancho gave Chelsea hope with a fine strike in the 18th minute, cutting in from the left before unleashing a low shot that rebounded in off the far post.

Chances came and went at both ends. Heung Min Son curled a shot just over the angle of bar and far post, then crossed for Pape Matar Sarr to head on to the crossbar.

Sarr had earlier been caught on the shin by Moises Caicedo’s studs, but Anthony Taylor did not consider it a red card offence and a VAR check agreed, angering Postecoglou.

“The referee is scared to make a decision, VAR won’t intervene and it feels like nobody is really in control,” he said.

Forster, in the Tottenham goal, made a fine save from Cole Palmer and then blocked Pedro Neto’s follow-up shot with an outstretched leg.

But the keeper had little chance when Palmer equalised from the penalty spot after Yves Bissouma brought down Caicedo on the hour mark.

From that point on, Chelsea looked the most likely side to score and so it proved 12 minutes later when Enzo Fernandez volleyed home from 15 yards to put them ahead for the first time.

It was all over soon afterwards when Palmer scored his second penalty of the game, having been barged over by Sarr. The England midfielder is known for his cool temperament, and he was ice-cold as he cheekily chipped the ball over a diving Forster.

Son pulled one goal back for Spurs deep in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late to prevent another momentous win for the Blues.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: Forster 7; Porro 6, Romero 6 (Dragusin 15), Van de Ven 7 (Gray 79); Udogie 6; Sarr 6, Bissouma 6 (Bergvall 79), Kulusevski 7 (Maddison 79); Johnson 7 (Werner 53) Solanke 7, Son 6.

CHELSEA: Sanchez 5; Caicedo 6, Badiashile 6, Colwill 6, Cucurella 5; Palmer, 9 Lavia 7 (Gusto 46), Fernandez 8; Neto 7, Jackson 6 (Nkunku 76), Sancho 7.

Referee: Anthony Taylor 8.

Ange Postecoglou has been under pressure after a poor run of results, with only one win in their previous six games, and this latest defeat will hurt all the more considering Tottenham were 2-0 ahead inside the first 11 minutes.

But Chelsea showed why they must be taken seriously as title contenders with an outstanding display second-half display. After Jadon Sancho reduced the arrears before half-time, Cole Palmer scored twice from the penalty spot and Enzo Fernandes volleyed home to complete a remarkable turnaround that enabled Chelsea to move clear in second place, two points ahead of Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca has surprised most neutrals - and even some Chelsea supporters - by taking over an expensive but underperforming squad and moulding them into a serious unit. They have lost only twice in the league - to Manchester City and Liverpool - and this was their fifth consecutive victory.

Yet it had started so well for Spurs, who desperately need a break.

The team sheet showed a surprise with the return for injury of Tottenham’s first-choice centre-back pairing of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. It was something of a gamble, perhaps a sign of the pressure Ange Postecoglou has been feeling, and it backfired to some extent when Romero limped off in the 15th minute.

The second time Cucurella slipped, six minutes later, Johnson again pounced to feed Dejan Kulusevski, who dribbled across the edge of the Chelsea penalty area before hitting a low shot through a crowd of legs inside Robert Sanchez’s near post.

Cucurella immediately changed his footwear and was more settled thereafter. Sanchez was also having a nightmare, regularly giving away possession, and it looked like Tottenham might go on to make hay.

But Jadon Sancho gave Chelsea hope with a fine strike in the 18th minute, cutting in from the left before unleashing a low shot that rebounded in off the far post.

Chances came and went at both ends. Heung Min Son curled a shot just over the angle of bar and far post, then crossed for Pape Matar Sarr to head on to the crossbar.

Fraser Forster, in the Tottenham goal, made a fine save from Cole Palmer and then blocked Pedro Neto’s follow-up shot with an outstretched leg.

But the keeper had little chance when Palmer equalised from the penalty spot after Yves Bissouma brought down Moises Caicedo on the hour mark.

From that point on, Chelsea looked the most likely side to score and so it proved 12 minutes later when Enzo Fernandes volleyed home from 15 yards to put them ahead for the first time.

It was all over soon afterwards when Palmer scored his second penalty of the game, having been barged over by Sarr. The England midfielder is known for his cool temperament, and he was ice-cold as he cheekily chipped the ball over a diving Forster.

Spurs substitute Archie Gray pulled one goal back for Spurs deep in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late to prevent another momentous win for the Blues.

TOTTENHAM 4-3-3: Forster 7; Porro 6, Romero 6 (Dragusin 15), Van de Ven 7 (Gray 79); Udogie 6; Sarr 6, Bissouma 6 (Bergvall 79), Kulusevski 7 (Maddison 79); Johnson 7 (Werner 53) Solanke 7, Son 6

CHELSEA 4:3:3 Sanchez 5; Caicedo 6, Badiashile 6, Colwill 6, Cucurella 5; Palmer, 9 Lavia 7 (Gusto 46), Fernandez 8; Neto 7, Jackson 6 (Nkunku 76), Sancho 7.

Referee: Anthony Taylor 8/10

Tottenham brought in three teenagers alongside £65million forward Dominic Solanke in Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert, with another in 18-year-old Yang Min-hyeok set to be available from January, but on Sunday they will face the team with the youngest average age in the Premier League in Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca is only a matter of months into his tenure at Stamford Bridge and yet able to work with a squad which has been put together in a £1billion spending spree by owners Clearlake Capital since they took over in 2022.

It led to Postecoglou quickly dismissing suggestions there are similarities.

He said: “I don’t think so. The sheer volume that they’ve invested, both from a financial perspective but also a numbers perspective (means) that we are nowhere near being in that boat.

“The players we’ve signed are not only young in age but young in experience. Archie Gray made his senior debut last year in the Championship. Lucas Bergvall has come from Swedish first division. Wilson’s out (injured) but the teenagers weren’t experienced either.

“It’s different in both approaches and really almost impossible to compare what we’re trying to do.” Postecoglou’s current energy is being poured into breaking Spurs’ cycle of inconsistency which has seen them win six and lose six of their 14 league games this season.

“It doesn’t sit well with me. Nor should it. I’m not going to accept it,” the 59-year-old said.

“My role within that and my responsibility is to change that because if we’re going to get to where I want us to get to, we need to break that cycle of not showing the belief and resilience in key moments.

“Nothing has changed in terms of my resolve to play the type of football I want to play and be that kind of team.

“It’s just that we haven’t understood the other side of that and that is the discipline and resilience to overcome difficult moments, so that the football we have can come through.

“When we have won this year, we have been pretty compelling. It’s not just struggling victories. Every game we have won, we have been very dominant and exactly the team we want to be.

“So, we have shown the potential of what we can be but that kind of gets diminished by performances like (Bournemouth).” A regular stick to beat Tottenham with is the ‘Spursy’ tag which has followed the club amid a trophy drought going back to 2008.

Postecoglou, who could have vice-captain Cristian Romero back on Sunday, pointed out this season’s wins in Manchester should show there is not a mentality issue at Spurs.

He added: “It’s a funny one because if you talk about mentality, you’d think mentality would be ‘well, against the big teams, you come up short.’ “I didn’t go into this job where I felt there was something institutionalised here that would stop this club having success. I just don’t think that way.

“I think everything while I am here is in my control. So, I’m not going to palm off responsibility to whatever we’re going through to things that have existed in the past.

“From the moment since I’ve come in, I have the ability and the opportunity to change things so that’s what I am endeavouring to do."