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Tottenham Hotspur have given their supporters plenty to be frustrated about this season, but their last three performances have offered some much-needed encouragement.

Roberto De Zerbi's side followed up their first Premier League victory of the season against Coventry City with a memorable 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. Spurs have now lost just once in their last six league matches, and there are finally signs that they could be finding their feet under the Italian manager.

Beating Chelsea away from home is something Tottenham supporters have had little opportunity to celebrate over the years. Yet it was the performance, as much as the result, that made Saturday's victory so encouraging. Spurs looked increasingly comfortable playing De Zerbi's football, and there is reason to believe this could be the beginning of something better.

A Rare But Deserved Victory

Tottenham recorded just their second victory at Stamford Bridge in 36 years, and they did so by taking the game to Chelsea rather than sitting back and hoping for the best.

Spurs looked like a proper De Zerbi side. Players were happy to get on the ball, move it confidently and play through Chelsea's press. Tottenham enjoyed almost 70% possession, completed more than 550 passes and registered 15 shots in what was a superb away performance.

The midfield duo of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali were excellent, helping Spurs dictate the tempo of the game and giving their attacking players the platform to cause Chelsea problems. There was a clear plan for how Tottenham wanted to play, and they stuck to it.

For a while, though, it looked as though Spurs might leave west London wondering how they had failed to win. Tottenham fans have seen that story play out often enough: plenty of possession, promising spells and chances created, only for the final result to tell a different story. Given their record at Stamford Bridge, the prospect of another frustrating afternoon was hardly far-fetched.

Thankfully for Spurs, the breakthrough finally came in the 77th minute when Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders diverted Fernandes' corner into his own net. Mathys Tel then produced a superb individual finish late on to make sure of the three points.

It was a deserved win, and one Tottenham supporters will enjoy for a long time. But perhaps the most encouraging part was how they earned it. Spurs remained patient, continued to play their football and eventually found a way through. That has not always been the case this season.

Signs of Progress?

The Chelsea result was not an isolated moment, either. Tottenham have shown something different across their last three league outings, with each game presenting a different challenge.

At Manchester United, Spurs found themselves behind and then had Rodrigo Bentancur sent off. It would have been easy for the game to get away from them, but they kept fighting and earned a late point through Dominic Solanke's header. It was the sort of response that Tottenham supporters have wanted to see more often.

Coventry presented a different problem. When Jack Rudoni equalised in the second half, Spurs could have allowed the momentum to swing against them, especially given their torrid home record in recent seasons. Instead, they responded and went on to secure their first league win of the season.

The Chelsea game was different again. Tottenham showed they could control a game away from home. They did not need a late comeback to rescue them from a poor performance. They were calm and composed on the ball, eventually getting the goals their display deserved.

That is what makes this recent run worth taking note of. Spurs have shown they can fight back when things go against them and take control when the game allows it. Three matches do not solve all the problems that have held them back in recent times, but they offer more encouragement than a single good result ever could.

De Zerbi's fiery personality may have a part to play. His teams are expected to be brave on the ball, but that bravery has to come with the determination to compete when possession is lost. Tottenham have started to show both.

The Real Test Starts Now

Tottenham cannot afford to get carried away with one memorable win. Crystal Palace visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Spurs travel to Leeds United ahead of the November international break, and those two games could tell us much more about where this team is heading.

The question is whether Tottenham can bring the same intensity and patience into those fixtures. Beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is one thing, but following it up against different opposition is another. Spurs have given themselves something to build on, and they need to prove they can reproduce these performances rather than let them become another brief spell of optimism.

The win at Chelsea was a famous result in its own right. Now Tottenham need to back it up.

Being a Tottenham Hotspur supporter hasn't been all that fun over the past couple of years, but boy, has it been a wonderful few days.

In truth, things have never been the same since Lucas Moura scored three in Amsterdam to improbably take us to the Champions League final.

The period between Moura's heroics and the showpiece event in Madrid was magic, don't get me wrong, and although there was hope post-defeat that Mauricio Pochettino would painfully but successfully rebuild, Spurs' most prosperous era of modern times came to a shuddering halt soon after.

There have been surges of optimism amid identity crises and misdirection from the top, culminating in a flirtation with Championship football last season, so soon after Ange Postecoglou's second-season guarantee came true in Bilbao.

For the past 12 months, cynicism and nihilism have never felt so appealing. This looked like a football club meandering towards the abyss until Roberto De Zerbi rocked N17. Our worldviews suddenly appear far rosier. That's what back-to-back Premier League wins, including an ever-so-rare triumph at Stamford Bridge, can do.

Arsenal's Carabao Cup exit caps brilliant few days for Spurs fans

Our plight had arrived hand-in-hand with Arsenal's rise to the very top. Mikel Arteta's project ascended to heights that we all knew deep down the Gunners were destined for despite three consecutive second-place finishes.

They ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last season at a time when Spurs were staring down the barrel of a possible demise to the second tier. Such a scenario was enough for any fan to fall out of love with the sport entirely.

But we're still here. Thanks to a combustible Italian and Gabriel's competence from the penalty spot, the world didn't completely cave in at the start of the summer. Stomaching an Arsenal Premier League title lift was hard enough; imagine how insufferable a continental conquest would've been.

While we've had so little to cheer, the neurotic folk from down the road have had so little to despair about. Still, they find a way, and we seize upon their dismay. They've just succumbed to one of the great English cup upsets at Fleetwood Town, with penalties again their kryptonite.

We've got to revel in it, folks. Tribalism compels us to, and those smug Gooners are worthy of some comeuppence.

Plus, there's an emerging swagger emanating from N17 after Saturday's feel-good victory and Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or capture on Monday.

We're in a good moment, and I'm starting to fall in love with De Zerbi's team. I may be falling as swiftly as a bloke who received the most mundane of compliments from a crush, but I'm willing to be hurt. I'm expecting 0-1 against Crystal Palace this weekend.

That's what it's all about. I'm all in on the project, and willing to ride the highs and lows that will inevitably arrive.

There is only one player on Tottenham Hotspur with both one Premier League goal (nobody, by the way, has two) and one assist, and that is striker Dominic Solanke. While one goal and one assist is hardly a return worth bragging about at a club the size as Spurs through 8 league appearances and 378 minutes, the point remains that Solanke has been, in terms of data, the most decisive player on the team.

And obviously, Spurs are going to need more from him, Omar Marmoush, and all the other Spurs attackers. Roberto De Zerbi surprisingly didn't give the forward he named captain against Manchester United, who bounced back from a poor start to grap a last gasp goal to rescue a point at Old Trafford, to build more momentum against Chelsea. But Tottenham managed to get a different hero in a surprise starter, Mathys Tel.

Solanke's spot in the starting 11 is tenuous now, given Marmoush is the better overall player, Savio will be returning soon, and Mohammed Kudus and Tel are both coming off excellent games. But Solanke is the main No. 9 in the squad and, again, technically has the best numbers out of the forwards as the only one with a goal and an assist.

Dominic Solanke needs to become a poacher

What Dominic Solanke needs to do is have a one track mind. His sole goal going forward, including if he starts over the weekend against local rivals Crystal Palace, is to score. That's it. Yes, Solanke was known throughout his career as being more of an all arounder at striker, but the best Premier League strikers at the biggest clubs were all scorers first and foremost. Even the best of them all, his predecessor Harry Kane, was an elite all around player but an elite scorer, obviously.

Solanke is never going to be Kane. Duh. But remember, Tottenham signed him after he scored 19 goals at Bournemouth in a breakout 2023/24 season. Whether or not that was a mistake is an entirely different discussion, but the point is that Tottenham bought him after that season - not after the seasons in which he showed good all around play. They bought him to score goals.

It's not that Tottenham Hotspur don't want Solanke to do more to bring the others into the game or play better on the ball. He needs to do all of that, too, as he has not been as advertised there either. But Tottenham have great creators and dribblers. What they need are goals. Solanke can build and focus on the other stuff later. Right now, they need him to focus on getting into the box, taking up good positions, and getting off high quality shots. That's it. Everything else is secondary to Spurs.

Mathys Tel took center stage for Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge, creating chances, successfully taking defenders on, and, most importantly, scoring. It was Tel who sealed the game at 2-0 in the 87th minute with an outrageous run from the left side, around the halfway line, to the middle of the pitch where he unleashed an absolute scorcher to the bottom left corner past Mike Penders.

It was a moment of brilliance from a player who had a couple of those moments last season and even in the preseason, though in his previous matches this season, Tel had come nowhere close to replicating them.

And that has been the book on Tel throughout his tenures at both Bayern Munich and now Tottenham. There are pieces of a player who will become world class, but because he cannot put anything together consistently, top teams have a tough time justifying starting him.

Mathys Tel needs to be more direct

After what he did to Chelsea in exorcising Tottenham Hotspur's demons at that venue, Tel looks almost certain to start the next rivalry game against Crystal Palace, especially with star man Savio still on the mend from a recent injury.

What Mathys Tel has to do is realize that the goal was not a fluke and not an accident. Not only did that goal show everyone what Tel is capable of, it also showed something important to himself. And that is the more direct Tel plays, the better off both he and Tottenham are as a football team.

Tel's worst performances this season were not all awful individually, even if the end result for Spurs was objectionable. He was one of the best in the Premier League at taking his man on. But what would happen is he would beat two or three guys, then run it out of bounds or into the corner where he would lose the ball.

Less is more, especially for an inverted forward. Tel is going to do his best work for Tottenham if he realizes that he should only be trying to beat one, maximum two, guys at a time. If there's nothing there, just get rid of the ball to a teammate, and try to get open so he can find you for a better play. And if there is a way to get inside the pitch or green grass in an area where you can get a shot off, take it. If Tel sees what direct play did for him both creatively and as a scorer against Chelsea then locks in next weekend, we could be seeing the beginnings of his breakout.

Never before have I tuned into the Ballon d'Or ceremony live, and I'm not sure if I ever will again.

I sat through hours of Thierry Henry hosting awkwardness, untimely commercial breaks and extensive Spanish-spoken speeches on Monday night, but it was all worth it.

The show concluded with the announcement of the Men's Ballon d'Or, with three leading contenders sitting in the front row at the London Palladium. There sat Kylian Mbappé, riding high off his El Clásico heroics; Lamine Yamal, last year's runner-up and World Cup winner; and Harry Kane, backing his 73 goals for club and country to do the talking.

While Yamal and Mbappé embarked embarked on nauseating election-like campaigning in September, Kane refused to engage. His PR tour was modest at best, and voters bought the humility.

Fittingly, it was Ronaldo Názario who uttered the two words that Tottenham and England's record goalscorer couldn't quite believe. The "one-season wonder" had just been crowned the world's best; a legacy immortalised.

Tottenham reacts to Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or

As he stood in front of an audience laden with greats past, present and future, Kane was shifty. He didn't quite know where to put his hands amid an attempt to rationalise what he'd just achieved.

A speech was prepared on flashcards, surely taking him back to his days at Chingford Foundation School, revising for his GCSEs. Kane was keen to laud those responsible for thrusting him into his current lofty standing, and he ensured that Tottenham Hotspur got their shoutout.

“I want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well," Kane said. "I wouldn't be where I am here today without Tottenham, for sure. You allowed me to live my dream. All the ups and downs along with way on that journey has led me to this moment.”

One of our own. How else would the club pay homage?

Kane's achievement was recognised universally, with English icons Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard among those to congratulate their compatriot on social media. His partner in crime at this summer's World Cup, Jude Bellingham, commented a goat emoji on England's Instagram post, lauding their star sharpshooter.

Then came the Spurs boys. "Deserved more then anyone, huge congratulations my partner," Son Heung-min wrote, enough to make any grown man weep. It was Kane's partnership with the South Korean that helped him evolve from outstanding finisher into one of the sport's great all-rounders.

Jan Vertonghen and Erik Lamela were also present in Instagram comments; Dele Alli couldn't hide his joy, while Pedro Porro, James Maddison, Mathys Tel, Dejan Kulusevski, Conor Gallagher and Dominic Solanke offered kudos, too.

As Kane celebrated like a Polar Bear in Texas at a London nightclub after the ceremony, he was joined by close friends Ryan Mason, also in attendance at the Palladium, as well as Matt Doherty, Eric Dier and Ben Davies.

What a night. He's no longer ours, but us Spurs supporters have every right to rejoice.

Tottenham Hotspur secured just their second Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, as Roberto De Zerbi tactically outclassed Xabi Alonso in the Lilywhites' 2-0 triumph.

The Italian's sophisticated ideals have come to the fore after an unproductive start to his first full season, with back-to-back victories suggesting that things are starting to "click" in N17 after a dramatic summer overhaul.

Spurs rocked up at the Bridge almost a year to the day when they produced the most cowardly of displays in a 1-0 home defeat to their London rivals. A Thomas Frank-led outfit seemingly had no intention of winning that contest, shrivelling in front of their own supporters and allowing the visitors to have their wicked way.

Had Chelsea won more emphatically, we may well have been saved from three months more of Frank-inspired purgatory.

So, it was the Dane's mess that De Zerbi had to clear up upon his arrival in March. There's no overlooking just how bad Frank's reign was, and the extent of the disdain, as pleasant as a man he is, Spurs supporters have towards the former Brentford boss can't be understated.

Frank's stock soared in west London, and Keith Andrews' stellar work as his successor has arguably damaged his reputation more than his miserable spell with the Lilywhites. Still, another Premier League job is bound to arrive the 53-year-old's way soon enough.

Thomas Frank among contenders for Crystal Palace job

Frank's name was thrown in the mix when Álvaro Arbeloa was feeling the heat at Fulham a month ago, but the Spaniard's seat has cooled after the Cottagers notched victories over Hull City and Coventry City.

So now it's the turn of Pierre Sage to feel Frank's shadow loom. Sage succeeded Oliver Glasner in the summer following two impressive spells at Lyon and Lens, but Crystal Palace have been far too easy to play against during the first two months of his reign.

The Eagles have conceded a league-high 19 goals and are down in 17th. A 5-0 defeat at A23 rivals Brighton & Hove Albion could've been enough for Steve Parish to cut ties, and there have been more calls for his head after their limp defeat at home to Newcastle United on Sunday.

For now, Sage remains in the job and will take charge of the Eagles' Carabao Cup clash at Fulham on Wednesday. Defeat there, though, and it could be curtains.

The Telegraph reports that Sean Dyche is the leading candidate to replace the Frenchman in the event of his departure, but they did note that Frank was considered by Palace in the summer. Surely, it's a little early in the season to pivot to firefighter Dyche? Frank ultimately wasn't suited to Spurs, but he should present a project to Parish that supporters will get behind.

If a move his made this week, the new boss could be in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Spurs are once again in the evening slot, and imagine the reception Frank will get if he strolls out of the tunnel and takes a left turn to the away dugout.

Pedro Porro managed to get a good amount of minutes off the bench in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 win over Chelsea this past Premier League weekend, and while that does not rule out Archie Gray coming back to the right back position, Spurs fans hope that they won't have to see the young midfielder out of position too much for the rest of the season.

Gray started again on Saturday at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, and he played well enough to help Spurs notch a clean sheet. Although Gray was back in the midfield last Monday night when they defeated Coventry 3-1, he has played a lot more at right back this season than in the midfield due to lingering fitness and injury issues to Porro since his triumphant World Cup.

Although Gray was honestly a liability at right back when he first started getting games at the position, the England youth international slowly but surely became a quality option there, most notably having a fantastic game against Manchester United not too long ago.

Archie Gray can become even scarier in midfield

Archie Gray has to translate the lessons he learned from playing right back to help his development in the midfield, which is obviously the long term play of how he will fit the Lilywhites. He became a lot better at driving the ball forward, eating up space, and having that verve to get up the pitch and focus on getting the ball into the box.

It's actually not as easy as it looks to do that from a wide position, but by the time Spurs faced Manchester United, Gray was pretty close to an expert at getting the ball in the box and taking up dangerous positions there, too.

That's something that we did not see much from Gray in the midfield even last season when he was playing his best football for the team, and it will be wonderful to see more examples of that when Gray does get starts as an 8 again.

And then defensively, Gray has always been a positive as a midfielder, but it felt like he really stepped up his aggression, anticipation of the ball, and overall ball winning quality as a right back. Gray being able to bring that to the table in midfield to an even greater extent will really give Tottenham Hotspur an embarrassment of riches at breaking up play and quickly turning it into dangerous offensive possession.

Go on, how many times have you watched it? Up to a million yet? I've got Gary Neville's "oh, he's done it" ingrained in my soul.

Mathys Tel wrote his name into Tottenham Hotspur folklore by becoming just the third player to score for the club in a Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge. The maligned Frenchman joins Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli in the club, after they inspired a 3-1 victory in west London eight years ago.

Outsiders will never quite grasp just how significant a win this was for Spurs. With this fixture on the horizon, so many of us were hesitant to suggest that last week's triumph over Coventry City would ignite the club's campaign. However, we're now wondering just how far Roberto De Zerbi can take the Lilywhites in his first full season, having overseen a 2-0 victory at a ground where Tottenham's dreams have died for the past 36 years.

A comical Mike Penders own goal got the ball rolling before Cole Palmer saw red and Tel scored superbly with a determined carry and strike. It was the Frenchman's first goal of the season as De Zerbi offered him a surprise start.

Now, the boss is demanding Tel to build on his special moment.

De Zerbi tells Tel where he must improve to fulfill potential

Once lauded a generational talent when he moved to Bayern Munich from Rennes as a 17-year-old, Tel has merely flashed such potential in N17. Plenty had sold their stock after a discouraging opening two months of the season, and there may well have been an eye roll or three when his name was read out in Saturday's starting lineup.

But there's something there with Tel. That cannot be denied. His issue isn't the talent; it's that he doesn't know who he is. He's not a touchline winger, but not an outright centre-forward either. He's somewhere in between.

Tel was imperfect on Saturday, too. Bright at times but often frustrating, I wouldn't have known what to make of his showing until he did what he did to seal our victory.

“He has to push, to push, to push, to keep going, because he's a talent," De Zerbi said about the 21-year-old after Saturday's triumph (via Chris Cowlin). "He has to clean the last 30 metres, the last decision, the last pass, the shot. He has an unbelievable shot."

De Zerbi's not wrong there. Tel, as we saw against Leeds United twice last season, is an excellent striker of the ball—not too dissimilar to Omar Marmoush.

“I believe in Mathys, maybe more than he believes in himself. I think it's a journey of this club. I think Tottenham is lucky, and me as a coach, I'm lucky, because we have a great group of players, as a quality, but also as people," De Zerbi continued.

After Tottenham’s improbable 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the cameras panned to a beaming Jan Paul van Hecke. The centre-back had just led Tottenham to another clean sheet, their third this Premier League season, and it was the sixth game in which Spurs have allowed no more than one goal. This much is now clear: Tottenham have an elite defense, and I don’t know how to handle the resulting positive emotions.Â

Overall, Spurs have conceded 9.43 expected goals, good for a 1.35 xGC per 90 minutes. That solid performance places them as the fifth-stingiest defense in the Premier League. But back out their horrific opening day performance against Brentford and Tottenham are suddenly elite.

In defense that day, Spurs were missing World Cup winner Pedro Porro and an injured Mickey van de Ven. Breakout World Cup star Jedd Spence was on his way to Italy. In the midfield, Sandro Tonali was recruited to be a box-to-box stalwart, but he had possibly the worst match of his career. Consequently, Tottenham conceded 3.96 expected goals, on par with your local beer league team.

In the ensuing seven league games, Spurs have conceded just 5.47 xGC, or 0.78 xGC per 90 minutes. For context, Arsenal have indisputably the best defense in England and arguably the best in Europe. They’ve recorded 0.79 xGC per 90 this season. Tottenham’s resurgent defense is led by Van Hecke, the do-it-all Dutch star.Â

Jan Paul van Hecke is finally living up to his £52 million transfer fee

After a rough debut in a Spurs shirt, van Hecke’s stats, per DataMB, indicate an all-round beast:

Passes completed - 87th percentile

Forward pass completion - 63rd percentile

Progressive passes completed - 98th percentile

Progressive carries - 99th percentile

To be fair, van Hecke’s individual defensive metrics aren't that strong. He sits in just the 39th percentile in duels won, for example, but sitting below him in that category is Luka Vuskovic, the ballyhooed centre-back that Tottenham essentially traded to Brighton for van Hecke. In almost identical minutes, Vuskovic laps van Hecke only in aerial duels won, a role that van Hecke isn’t asked to fill in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s possession-based system. van Hecke's ability to control possession is major reason why the defense is so solid.

More than stats, though, why I am considering getting a van Hecke tattoo is a stop he made against Coventry City. It’s a moment already forgotten in the 3-1 victory, but when the result was still in the balance the ball bounced around in front of Tottenham’s net. It looked like it would fall to the feet of a Coventry attacker, but van Hecke launched his body into the scrum and headed the ball away, ending the threat. He does whatever it takes to win.

It’s a far cry from January 19, 2025. On that dreary day away at Everton, then-manager Ange Postecoglu started a back three of Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, and Archie Gray. By the 30th minute, Spurs were down 2-0 and, thanks to an own goal by Gray, down 3-0 at half. They’d go on to lose. It’s also a far cry from February 22, 2026. That’s when, led by blink-and-you'll-miss-him interim manager Igor Tudor, Spurs lost 4-1 to Arsenal in one of the most embarrasing losses in recent team history. Dragusin again got the start at centre-back. (He is safely at Fiorentina now.)Â

As the self-appointed xG police, I must point out that Tottenham’s offensive issues are endemic. Despite utterly dominating Chelsea, Spurs generated just 0.74 xG, yet another game of less than 1.0 xG this season. But maybe that’s okay, for it as surprising as it is invigorating knowing that, this season, Spurs have a chance to win any game due to their stout defense. All hail, Jan Paul van Hecke.

Less than a week after Tottenham Hotspur fans rejoiced James Maddison returning to the starting 11 and putting on a masterclass in the No. 10 role with a world class goal and a few chances created in the team's first win of the season vs. his childhood club Coventry on Monday Night Football, the former Leicester City star has gone down injured yet again.

It had been nearly 18 months since his last start after tearing his ACL in the 2025/26 season, as Maddison suffered a dislocated shoulder on Matchday 1 vs. Brentford that slowed his return further. And as if to only double down on the injury prone label, Maddison came into the Chelsea game with surprising injury doubts after missing multiple practice sessions. He started but looked hobbled during the game and pulled up in the 50th minute with a groin injury, having to be taken off in frustration by Conor Gallagher.

Tottenham won 2-0 over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge anyway, and knowing how important Maddison is but also how delicate he has become, it is highly likely Spurs shut the No. 10 down for a little bit rather than risk further injury to the groin.

Omar Marmoush is a better option than Conor Gallagher

For the most part, Spurs have struggled to find a 10 to replace Maddison, and the usual suspect was the very player Spurs put into the game against Chelsea, Conor Gallagher. Once again, Gallagher didn't really do much in that role, and while his work rate makes him a useful rotational player to the team, he has no creativity and is far from the profile to replace James Maddison.

Other options are underwhelming, too. Dejan Kulusevski is not yet ready to start after his major injury. Luca Williams-Barnett is very intriguing but raw. And Mohammed Kudus is so much better on the right wing than he is in the middle, as is the case for Savio.

Omar Marmoush, however, is worth pondering as a major position change to try out in the 10, perhaps in a more advanced role behind Dominic Solanke. Roberto De Zerbi chose Marmoush as the 9 over Solanke against Chelsea, but he struggled in that game alone, whereas he played much better against Coventry with Solanke in the lineup with him.

Mathys Tel had a great goal and overall performance against Chelsea to all but confirm he will continue to start, which will make Marmoush's path to playing time harder if De Zerbi wants Solanke at striker again. Getting Marmoush in as a Maddison replacement in the 10 role is a way to potentially play all of Tel, Kudus/Savio, Solanke, and Marmoush in the attack, see what can be done without Madders, and trial a new attacking setup against Crystal Palace next weekend. It's worth a shot. After all, Marmoush can't be worse than Conor Gallagher.