The Sun

TOTTENHAM are closing in on overtaking Arsenal in an unwanted home record – despite moving into their new stadium 13 years later.

Arsenal made the switch from Highbury to the Emirates 19 years ago, kicking off with a 1-1 draw to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 2006-07 season.

Spurs, meanwhile, returned to their newer, bigger and better ground at White Hart Lane – after significant delays – in April 2019.

Their first game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

However, things have not gone as smoothly for Spurs since.

And on Saturday they suffered their third home defeat of the league season as Chelsea waltzed away with all three points.

That followed previous losses in North London to Bournemouth and Aston Villa under Thomas Frank.

It places them 17th in the home Premier League table this term with just one win and four points from their five matches – and ahead only of Wolves and West Ham and level on points with Nottingham Forest.

The weekend slip-up against rivals Chelsea was Tottenham’s 41st Premier League defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – with 13 draws and 70 wins from 124 matches.

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Their Premier League home record at the venue is 241 wins, 77 draws and 48 defeats in 366 matches.

This season, they are top of the home table with four wins and a draw so far.

Their most recent home defeat was to Bournemouth on May 3.

But it is clear things are not all well across town at Tottenham.

At full-time of the Chelsea game, Frank was publicly snubbed by defenders Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

And the Danish manager responded by giving both a lengthy death stare as they stormed off the pitch and down the tunnel.

Ironically, Tottenham do have the best away record in the league this season.

Their tally of 13 points – four wins, one draw, no defeats – pips Arsenal by one point.

The Gunners went down 1-0 at Anfield at the end of August but have won their other four trips so far this season.

BAYERN MUNICH superstar Harry Kane has been linked with a move to Barcelona, according to reports.

Kane, 32, has been absolutely dominant this season with a staggering 22 goals and three assists in 15 appearances across all competitions.

According to Sport, Barca are keeping tabs on the star striker and have penned him down as a top target to replace Robert Lewandowski this summer when his contract runs out in June.

The Blaugrana are rigorously looking for Lewandowski‘s successor and are also considering Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez, who also shone bright in the Premier League with Manchester City.

However, the England captain appears to top the Catalan giants’ transfer list ahead of the summer transfer window.

Kane is open to moving to Barcelona but insists he won’t make a decision before the end of the season.

And there is a good reason as his contract – which runs until 2027 – has a special clause that allows him to leave Bayern for a cut-price £57million this summer.

Barcelona have been alerted regarding the centre-forward’s situation as have clubs in the Premier League.

Among them is Kane’s former team Tottenham, who sold him to Bayern for £104m two years ago.

And part of the deal gives Spurs first refusal on the forward’s release clause.

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Kane has gone down in history as Tottenham and England’s record goalscorer.

And he hasn’t slowed down ever since his move to Germany in 2023.

Kane counts a staggering total of 107 goals and 29 assists in 111 appearances with Bayern.

PEDRO NETO angered Tottenham fans during Chelsea’s win in North London.

The winger started the match but was taken off in the 85th minute.

And he took the opportunity to wind up the home fans as he sat on the Chelsea bench.

Neto stood up in reaction to a refereeing decision, as did Wesley Fofana.

Supporters shouted at the pair to sit down, provoking an angry response from Neto.

He turned around and shouted something at the fans before sticking out his tongue to taunt them further.

A video of the incident made its way to social media, where Chelsea fans took delight in Neto’s actions.

One reacted saying: “I love him even more now proper Chels.”

Another added: “This is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while man.”

A third wrote: “Beautiful rage baiting by Neto.”

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And another commented: “Love it 😂”

Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners to pick up their third straight victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They go level on points with Spurs but goal difference means they are one place behind their rivals in fifth.

THOMAS FRANK has played down being blanked by Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence following Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs were booed off after a dismal performance against the Blues.

Upon the final whistle, boss Frank strode onto the pitch.

The Dane reached out his hand towards stand-in skipper Van de Ven and England ace Spence.

But the defensive duo appeared to snub their manager, instead storming down the tunnel.

Frank, 52, didn’t appear best pleased at the time, with footage captured at the game showing him staring after Van de Ven and Spence.

Speaking after the match, however, the former Brentford boss refused to dig out his two stars.

He said: “All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.

“I think it is difficult to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”

Pushed over whether his players’ conduct was acceptable, Frank added: “I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky and Djed who are doing everything they can.

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“They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.”

Both Spence and Van de Ven were guilty of giving the ball away in the build-up to Joao Pedro’s winner.

Spurs stuttered badly in attack, conjuring just ONE shot on target throughout the match.

Tottenham have been strong from set pieces this term, with Van de Ven scoring twice at Everton last weekend.

But fans were left maddened as the majority of Spurs’ six corners yesterday sailed harmlessly into Robert Sanchez’s grasp.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Alan Shearer sympathised with Van de Ven and Spence.

The former England skipper, 55, said: “I totally understand why the players want to get in as soon as possible.

“They have been an embarrassment, they were booed off the pitch. They want to get in the dressing room and say sorry later on.

“As much as Thomas likes to go around and thank the fans, I get the players point of view that they have been absolutely awful and they want to get off the pitch as quickly as possible.”

‘NOTHING PERSONAL’

Former Wales captain Ashley Williams agreed, adding: “I’m with you Alan, I don’t think it’s a big (deal).

“Just play better, that’s the main thing. You’ve played badly, in a derby, you want to get back in the dressing room.

“They’re frustrated, that’s nothing personal against the manager or the fans, they just want to get inside.”

Frank, as well as many of Van de Ven and Spence’s team-mates, did go around to clap the supporters.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who made several impressive saves during the match, appeared to shove team-mate Lucas Bergvall away from the South Stand, after the Swede had seemingly taken issue with something said.

Bergvall, 19, had been substituted just seven minutes into the contest after suffering an early head injury.

Tottenham have won just three of their last 19 Premier League home matches, dating back over the last 12 months.

Spurs will return to action in N17 against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

XAVI SIMONS had a day to forget for Tottenham after being substituted on and hauled off by Thomas Frank in the same game.

The embarrassing turn of events occurred as Chelsea defeated Spurs in North London to push into the Premier League top four.

The Dutch international was brought on from the bench in the seventh minute to replace the injured Lucas Bergvall.

His performance was unremarkable for the most part, with his biggest contribution being when he picked up a yellow card for hauling down Alejandro Garnacho.

But in the 73rd minute, with Spurs chasing down Chelsea’s one-goal lead, Simons was called back to the bench in favour of winger Wilson Odobert.

Spurs fans have grown frustrated with the 22-year-old’s performances this season since joining from RB Leipzig.

He has managed just one assist in all competitions for his new side so far, and is yet to find the net himself.

One fan said: “Not built for the Prem life.”

Another supporter added: “He just doesn’t look up to the speed of the league, looks too slow and indecisive in every situation.”

But Simons’ struggles for his new side will only make their opponents today feel even better after taking all three points back with them to West London.

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The Blues were on the brink of signing Simons in the summer window, before Spurs secured a shocking late swoop for the creative midfielder.

One Blues fan gave a brutal assessment of the youngster, saying: “Chelsea dodged a bullet.”

Simons appeared to mock Enzo Maresca‘s men in his announcement video for Spurs in August.

The video showed him answering a call before saying: “Noise? Don’t listen to it all. Only what matters Tottenham called and I answered.”

MOISES CAICEDO and Reece James played key roles as Chelsea left Tottenham with all three points.

Joao Pedro made a vital contribution to the Blues as he broke the deadlock in the 34th minute.

Alejandro Garnacho was unable to improve his form as he put in another frustrating performance for Chelsea.

Scroll down to see how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the Chelsea players in North London…

Robert Sanchez – 6

Other than a rather straightforward stop to deny Mohammed Kudus in added time at the end of the first half, Sanchez did not have too much to worry about in North London.

Set pieces were Tottenham’s main threat but the keeper dominated the box well, striding out to collect a number of them.

Malo Gusto – 6

Conceded a needless corner in the first half courtesy of a very wayward pass which was intended for goalkeeper Sanchez.

That aside, a solid enough performance or the Frenchman, who faced little real threat from a limp Tottenham forward line.

Wesley Fofana – 7

His first Premier League start in six weeks and came within a minute of his first 90 in the league of the season.

A long afternoon of deadline with Spurs set pieces but little else otherwise, keeping things very tight alongside Chalobah.

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Trevoh Chalobah – 7

Picked up an unnecessary booking for his protests over Rodrigo Bentancur not being sent off for his challenge on James.

However, a fine performance at the back, the standout moment being his acrobatic interception to stop a clipped ball falling for Kolo Muani.

Marc Cucurella – 6

Showed his usual energy and aggression down the left-hand side and dealt very comfortably with the limited threat Spurs offered down his wing.

Reece James – 7

Dragged into a real midfield battle starting alongside Caicedo in the middle and was ready for every moment of it.

Looked to get on the ball and move it forwards but and put up with challenge after challenge from the rough Spurs midfield, kept the level up right until the end.

Pedro Neto – 5

The former Wolves man has been Chelsea’s most reliable and consistent winger so far this season, but had a rather quiet afternoon here.

Worked hard down the right but had little to show for it.

Moises Caicedo – 9

Another stunning performance from Chelsea’s midfield machine. Caicedo looks to be the leading midfielder in the Premier League at the moment and was the man holding it all together for the Blues.

His tenacity made Pedro’s goal and he kept that level up throughout.

Enzo Fernandez – 7

Moved into the No10 role behind Pedro, Fernandez showed plenty of energy and enthusiasm, though was perhaps a touch fortunate only to be shown a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Joao Palhinha.

Alejandro Garnacho – 5

Another frustrating performance by the summer signing.

Despite scoring his first goal for the club last weekend, there did not seem to be much confidence about Garnacho, who was found in good positions down the left in the first half but did next to nothing with the ball.

Joao Pedro – 7

A much-needed return to the scoresheet having not bagged since the end of August – a run of eight games for the Blues.

Pedro was ready to take his chance and was composed enough to lift the ball above Vicario – he was also more than ready for a tussle with the Spurs back line throughout.

SUBS

Jamie Gittens (Garnacho, 66′) – 6

The Englishman was very unfortunate not to start after two assists and a stunning goal in the Carabao Cup win midweek.

Gittens’ direct runs helped keep Tottenham pinned back as the game wore on and the Blues worked to keep hold of their lead.

Should have doubled Chelsea’s lead in injury time but somehow managed to fire over the bar from seven yards out.

Romeo Lavia (Gusto, 75′) – 6

A superb option to have available from the bench to help see a game out. Lavia is always tidy and composed on the ball and reads a game well, he helped keep a lid on Spurs as Chelsea ran the clock down.

Estevao (Neto, 85′) – n/a

Tosin Adarabioyo (Fofana, 89′) – n/a

TOTTENHAM are taking on Chelsea in a blockbuster London derby RIGHT NOW!

Joao Pedro gave the Blues the lead on 34 minutes after great work from Moises Caicedo.

Young Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall was reluctantly forced off with a head injury just six minutes into the match.

Live stream: NOW TV

TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League

Tottenham team: Vicario; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur, Sarr, Bergvall; Kudus, Kolo Muani

Chelsea team: Sanchez, Cucurella, Chalobah, Fofana, James, Gusto, Caicedo, Enzo, Garnacho, Neto, Joao Pedro

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ARSENAL and Tottenham legend Willie Young has died at the age of 73.

Young spent two years with Spurs and stood out at the Gunners during an impressive four-year stint.

Arsenal announced the sad news on social media with a touching tribute for the famous centre-back.

The statement read: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of former player Willie Young.

“Making 236 appearances and winning the FA Cup in 1979, the Scottish defender was a cult hero at Highbury.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Willie.”

Fans were left heartbroken as they took to social media pay their respects.

One supporter tweeted: “RIP. My Dad used to tell me about Willie Young all the time growing up. Sad news.”

Another commented: “A true warrior on the pitch, and forever part of Arsenal’s story.”

A third wrote: “Very sad news, condolences to his family. Willie was in the Arsenal team on my first ever visit to Fratton Park, for a Pompey-Arsenal friendly in 1981.”

One fan said: “Sad news indeed, especially remember his games against Joe Jordan, neither holding back, full contact football… RIP Big Willie.”

While another supporter posted: “My condolences to the family and loved ones.”

Young’s career started in 1969 at Aberdeen where he rose to prominence before his move to England in 1975.

That was when the great Scot joined Tottenham, where he amassed four goals in 59 appearances.

Young then moved to Arsenal where he registered 18 goals and five assists in 236 appearances.

He won the FA Cup with the Gunners in 1979 and was runner-up in 1978 and 1980.

Young also started as Arsenal lost the 1980 Cup Winners’ Cup final to Valencia.

CHELSEA and Tottenham are two historically great clubs. But it’s clear right now that they are not trying to build ‘winning’ teams.

Instead, they are too focused on building their brand. They are becoming PR FC.

Who’s that person that can build our brand in certain areas, build a social media following with a younger audience?

Well, do you know what the younger generation really likes watching? A team that f*****g wins!

That’s why Manchester United and Liverpool remain popular, because they won the big trophies over prolonged periods.

I find myself watching Chelsea and Spurs and thinking: What’s the goal here? What are you trying to do?

And even worse: They are playing each other this weekend and does anyone even care? That smacks of being irrelevant, which is utterly damning.

Chelsea have spent nearly £1.5billion under the current regime and are a million miles away.

Are they any closer to winning the league? No. Are they in anyone’s discussions to win the league? No. Do we think they have the slightest chance of winning the Champions League? No.

It’s the same for Spurs. I do like Thomas Frank. He’s a really cool guy. But have you seen a dramatic change in them?

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They are definitely better than what they were with Ange Postecoglou, but that’s not hard.

Everything they are doing right now is what I would expect them to do.

I expected them to beat Everton.

Do I expect them to be competitive against and even beat Arsenal soon Possibly, but not likely.

You’re having to convince yourself of why they COULD win that game.

Would I put money on them making the top four? I don’t think so. It becomes this continuing theme of: What are they actually doing and where are they going? What’s their ceiling?

It sounds mad to say after they both won the European competitions they were in last season, but they are becoming the ‘best of the rest’, which is not a compliment.

If I am a Chelsea fan and I’ve seen my club spend nearly £1.5bn to win the Conference League — something that West Ham won — I’d be questioning whether we’re on the right track.

They are playing each other this weekend and does anyone even care? That smacks of being irrelevant, which is utterly damning.

Troy Deeney

And they will be in a position soon where they will have to persuade players like Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo to stay. Money won’t be enough. They need to be winning the top titles.

Cole does not want to be competing for Carabao Cups. He may now be looking at teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich thinking: I want a bit of that.

He left Manchester City to showcase to everyone he could be the man and kick on, and as it stands that could be with Chelsea in the future or someone else now.

I know he’s injured right now, but is he watching Chelsea from the sidelines and seeing a team, a club, a manager that can compete for the Premier League?

He more than most knows what that looks like from during his time at City.

After co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali spent all that money, do they have a Vincent Kompany, a Sergio Aguero or Ederson? No.

Chelsea are not doing badly, they are doing ‘okay’, and ‘okay’ isn’t good enough.

They’re behind their rivals and need to get better, but their current model doesn’t lend itself to being better, and that includes Spurs too.

All the blame was previously put on former chairman Daniel Levy, but history tells us Tottenham don’t spend, they don’t go after it, so why should we believe it will suddenly change now?

Chelsea have spent nearly £1.5billion under the current regime and are a million miles away.

Troy Deeney

With the money they do spend, it is on the wrong players, ones that don’t make them better in the slightest. The £65m on Dominic Solanke stands out.

How is it that we can go back to their 2019 Champions League final team under Mauricio Pochettino and conclude that, in my opinion, only ONE current Spurs player gets into that starting XI? It’s Micky van de Ven, a centre-back.

What makes me laugh is that both Liverpool and Manchester City are going through a transition and yet Chelsea are STILL labouring behind them in the Prem table, while Spurs may be third but they definitely won’t stay there.

Chelsea and Tottenham have been building for years with talented young players but are not even favourites to finish in the top four? Make that make sense.

For me, both these clubs — massive clubs — are stuck where they are and I see no signs of that changing any time soon. It’s pitiful.

LONDON rivals Tottenham and Chelsea clash in Saturday’s blockbuster Premier League encounter.

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