The Mirror

Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League as they beat rivals Tottenham on Saturday evening with one Blues star in particular catching the eye of Enzo Maresca

Enzo Maresca claims man-of-the-moment Moises Caicedo is one of the best midfielders in the world after his latest starring performance. The Ecuadorian midfielder was at the heart of things on Saturday - as Chelsea beat Tottenham 1-0 in North London.

It was just the latest in a series of brilliant performances from the former Brighton player, who now finally appears to be living up to his £115m transfer fee. Boss Maresca is clearly a huge fan, and has suggested that nobody betters Caicedo's talent.

Speaking after his side's win vs Spurs, the Italian coach said: "Moi, I think he's showing how good he is. He's top. I said many times, the best thing from Moi, for sure, we judge him inside the pitch, but he's so humble, he's such a good guy, he's always there to help everyone.

"And I just said to the television interviewer that, for me, him and [Manchester City's] Rodri, in this moment, they are the two best defensive midfielders in the world."

It wasn't just Maresca that hailed Caicedo following his latest stand-out outing. He was roundly praised by Jamie Redknapp, who also claimed that the midfielder was in a league of his own right now.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "[He's] world class. I would go as far as to say right now, the best of his type in world football. Just absolutely phenomenal, the way he covers ground, his desire, his quality on the ball, putting out fires for his team, chasing lost causes, strength on the ball, always making the right pass.

"I just thought he was magnificent today. And he's a dream. When you're playing as a defender and you've got someone like that hoovering up in front of you and adding quality like that, it's just a dream, an absolute dream.

"He took a little while to settle - but now I'm thinking he's one of the best. They've had Kante, Makelele, some of the best defensive midfield players in that club over the last few years.

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"He's 23 [24], absolutely magnificent in every department. That's what you need. If you're going to go anywhere and win competitions, you need those sorts of players."

Caicedo, 24, has made 14 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea so far this season and has already scored four goals - the most productive campaign of his campaign at Stamford Bridge so far. He will be aiming to keep up his hot form in midweek as Chelsea meet Qarabag in the Champions League.

Tottenham were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea with Thomas Frank's side failing to register a single shot on target as they slipped to a third defeat of the season

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has reacted to what appeared to be Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbing him at the final whistle of Spurs' disappointing loss to Chelsea. Joao Pedro netted the game's only goal, with Spurs lucky to lose by just a single goal.

Spurs managed a mere three shots on goal, with only one hitting the target. The defeat to their London rivals means they haven't tasted victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the league since the season's first day.

Frank's tactical plans were disrupted early when Lucas Bergvall was forced off due to a concussion. Xavi Simons was brought on, but the summer recruit failed to make an impact before being substituted himself. Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, both returning from injury, were introduced in an attempt to help Spurs build from the back, but the Lilywhites continued to struggle with possession.

The frustration felt by the Tottenham players - evidenced by the four yellow cards received and 14 fouls committed - seemed to linger post-match as Van de Ven and Spence ignored Frank while leaving the pitch.

It appeared that Frank wanted the pair to stay on the field and acknowledge the fans, but they chose to walk straight past him and into the tunnel. Spence seemed to mutter something in response, while Van de Ven didn't even acknowledge the Danish manager.

Frank watched the pair for several seconds before continuing his walk, and he has now given his perspective on the incident.

"I think I understand why you ask the question but that's one of the small issues," he said at a press conference. "Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence have performed well this season and it's just a small thing."

It's unlikely to represent any sort of significant behind-the-scenes drama given that Frank and Van de Ven were sharing a laugh together just last weekend following the defender's double in the triumph over Everton.

Nevertheless, it's hardly the ideal image for Spurs with Frank's leadership appearing to have been questioned.

This comes after Pedro Porro beckoned Spence and Randal Kolo Muani over to acknowledge the Tottenham supporters in the away section at St James Park following their 2-0 Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle United earlier this week.

Whilst Spurs have suffered just four defeats this campaign, the displays have been anything but encouraging and they've yet to truly control a match under Frank's guidance.

The fixture list doesn't offer much respite for Spurs as they gear up to take on manchester-united-fc>Manchester United, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United during the coming month.

TOTTENHAM 0-1 CHELSEA: Joao Pedro struck the winner for the away side as wretched Spurs recorded their lowest xG (0.05) in the Premier League since the 2012-13 season

Europa League glory was supposed to represent a turning point in Tottenham's history. But outside of switching head coaches and the shock departure of Daniel Levy, not much has actually changed in N17 since that fairytale night in Bilbao.

In fact, in both of Ange Postecoglou's home Premier League meetings against Chelsea, Spurs led and took the game to their rivals in two pulsating, goal-heavy thrillers.

Here they barely laid a glove on the Blues and had just one shot on target in one of the most comfortable 1-0 wins you're ever likely to see. When Tottenham unveiled Thomas Frank as their new boss in June, the club described him as "one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game."

Outside of improving their set-piece record, there hasn't been much to shout about and the football is rather bland.

Spurs were booed off and it was somewhat telling that when the team were pushing for a goal in stoppage time, home fans were already leaving in their droves.

Tottenham are missing eight first-team players through injury, some of which are of notable quality, but that serves as no excuse as this side appears to be starved of all inspiration.

It's a poor reflection of the Premier League that this Spurs team started the weekend in third position as they have now won just three of their past 19 league matches.

Incredibly, no top-flight side has claimed more away points (13) than Tottenham in the Premier League this season but equally, only Nottingham Forest, Wolves and West Ham - all of which occupy the bottom three - have taken less points at home than Spurs (four).

With matches against the much-improved Manchester United, Arsenal and PSG on the horizon, this could all get rather ugly for Frank if he's not careful.

It's hard to recall too many instances where he has lost his cool over the years. However, when Chelsea were gifted a 34th-minute opener, the Dane thumped a water bottle and charged back to his seat in a huff. It was hard to blame him because it was self-sabotage from Spurs.

First Djed Spence tried a hopeless drag back, Xavi Simons' weak pass to Micky van de Ven was undercooked and instead of just clearing his lines, the Dutchman attempted to run through Moises Caicedo. Joao Pedro gratefully slammed home after great work from the Ecuador international midfielder but make no mistake, this was farcical defending at any level, let alone in a fiercely contested crunch London derby.

Mohammed Kudus was Tottenham's light in the dark because outside of the Ghanaian's purposeful dribbling and two long-range first-half efforts, Spurs were wretched to watch. It was actually hard to establish exactly what they were trying to do because they did not appear to be capable of playing through Chelsea's defensive structure.

Simons, who replaced Bergvall after just seven minutes, was lightweight on the Tottenham left in a match where he had so much to prove against the side that were so keen on signing him in the summer. When Simons was hooked after hacking down Alejandro Garnacho to cap a dismal display, the Blues must have felt somewhat vindicated that they swerved a big-money transfer deal.

Tottenham's left flank - made up of two right-footed players in Simons and Spence - was all too predictable while dangerous Chelsea looked capable of wreaking havoc every time they launched a speedy breakaway.

If Enzo Maresca's Club World Cup champions brought their finishing boots, they would have run riot because they passed up so many opportunities to add gloss to the scoreline. Spurs were not only outplayed but outfought and even when they did stick a foot in, it was plain stupidity.

Rodrigo Bentancur could have been sent off for nailing Reece James, Kudus needlessly smashed Marc Cucurella and Spence left one on Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea have now won 10 of their past 12 matches in all competitions against Tottenham. It truly has become one of their easiest fixtures and that is something that Spurs supporters will find so difficult to live with.

Rodrigo Bentancur's late challenge on Reece James was judged to be reckless but not serious foul play, at the end of the first half between Tottenham and Chelsea. The midfielder was shown a yellow card for his tackle, leaving the Blues' captain frustrated with the decision.

The Spurs midfielder stopped a Chelsea break with his late tackle as players from both sides came together following the challenge. But Jarred Gillett only brandished a caution to the Uruguay international and saw his decision confirmed by his video assistant referee.

Trevoh Chalobah was also shown a yellow for his reaction as the Chelsea defender got in Bentancur's face to illustrate his issues. James initially believed he was being shown yellow for appealing for his opponent to be sent off after spending time on the floor, but it was his team-mate who was punished.

While Bentancur appeared to go in with his studs towards James' ankle, his action was deemed not to be 'serious foul play'. The referee's decision was deemed sufficient by VAR.

Premier League Match Centre said: "The referee’s call of yellow card to Bentancur was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the contact deemed to be a reckless challenge and not serious foul play."

Former Spurs ace Jamie Redknapp believes a red card would have been shown if the tackle had been higher. "He knows he's leaving a little bit on him," he said.

"He's late, he's aggressive, he's over the top of the ball. A little bit higher, it's a red card."

Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believed it looked worse on replays. "It catches him on the ankle and it'll be a sore one for him. It looks worse in slow motion," he said.

Chelsea led the clash at the time of the incident, having opened the scoring through Joao Pedro. The Brazilian forward broke his two-month goalscoring duck after 35 minutes thanks to Moises Caicedo's relentless pressing.

"Chelsea have been really good, pressing high," said Daniel Sturridge. "They've controlled the game well but I've been really impressed by the pressing.

"Joao Pedro's composure is improving... he's gaining his confidence throughout the games. He's done well so far. He'll be excited for the second half."

Yves Bissouma was the catalyst for Tottenham's collapse against Chelsea last season as the Blues went from 2-0 down to 4-3 up in a showdown for the ages

Tottenham host Chelsea on Saturday evening, with new manager Thomas Frank hoping to avoid a repeat of the mistakes Spurs made during the fixture last season. Back in December, Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma had to apologise after his part in his side's collapse against the Blues, despite taking a 2-0 lead within 12 minutes.

Last year, then-manager Ange Postecoglou watched as his side collapsed to a 4-3 defeat after they gave away two penalties for Chelsea to take advantage of. Bissouma was at fault for the first spot-kick as he fouled Moises Caicedo on the hour mark, allowing Cole Palmer to equalise.

The game ended 4-3 to the Blues and Bissouma took to social media afterwards to apologise to both team-mates and fans for his needless challenge that sparked the comeback. He wrote: "I'm so sad for that mistake it's burning me because we lost the game today from this mistake.

"I feel sorry for my team-mates, staff and fans. I take all the responsibility for that one. I'll learn from this one, it's time now to show the real me. Thanks for all the support."

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher was one of many people to criticise Bissouma's flailing mistake in the penalty area, controversially claiming the midfielder was "brain dead" for making the tackle.

Speaking on Sky Sports at the time, the ex-Red said: "I've said all day that some of the things Tottenham players do is absolutely ridiculous.

"It's a certain penalty, and it was his (Bissouma's) mistake initially on the far side, losing the ball to [Pedro] Neto. And he maybe comes flying across thinking, 'I've got to try and rectify this in some way'. He was really poor on the first challenge on Neto. That is absolutely brain dead. I mean, who'd be a manager?"

Postecoglou, Bissouma's manager at the time, was also angered by the mistake and stated it was "unnecessary." The former Spurs boss said: "In the second half they came out and put us under pressure.

"I felt we were handling it not too badly and then when they scored we had a big moment at 2-2 to go 3-2 up and in these kind of games, those moments are important. We don't take it and then both penalties were poor on our behalf.

"They're self-inflicted and unnecessary challenges. We've given them two goals away for no reason and given ourselves a mountain to climb which proved too hard."

Bissouma will not feature in Saturday evening's match due to an ankle injury as the two sides meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once again.

But fans will be hoping that they put on a performance full of action like they did last year. Given they've each scored 17 goals in nine games, fireworks can be expected.

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has been ruled out of the Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, but he has kept himself entertained ahead of the derby

Chelsea ace Cole Palmer has playfully wound up Tottenham supporters before Saturday's London derby. The Blues head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (5:30pm kick-off), desperate to bounce back in the Premier League following their 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland last weekend.

Meanwhile, Spurs know victory over their London neighbours would catapult them into second spot in the table. One player who'll be absent from the derby is Palmer, who's been battling a groin problem for most of the campaign.

The Chelsea midfielder was hastily rushed back from the physio room in September, only to worsen the issue seven days later. However, that hasn't prevented Palmer from delivering a cheeky reminder to Spurs about what unfolded in the corresponding fixture last term ahead of Saturday evening's showdown.

The 23-year-old posted a crying with laughter emoji on his Instagram story whilst resharing a 'last time out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium' highlights reel, featuring his audacious Panenka penalty straight down the centre during a thrilling 4-3 triumph for the Blues.

Whilst Chelsea boast a superb historical record against Spurs, manager Enzo Maresca expects the encounter will be 'difficult' for his squad.

"Tottenham, I think they are doing very good," he said in Friday's pre-match press conference. "They finished last season winning the Europa League.

"They started very good this season and also because it's a derby for sure it would be a difficult game."

Palmer won't be the sole missing player for Maresca's squad. Forward Liam Delap faces suspension for the Premier League encounter following his red card against Wolves during Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie.

Maresca delivered a sharp critique of the striker's judgement that led to the dismissal, and has now been questioned once more regarding his remarks.

"Probably because I'm not from England so sometimes when I try to translate from Italian to English sometimes it's a bit different," he said.

"Liam when he's inside the pitch is more focused to do his battle against the central defender than the rest.

"This was what I was telling, what I was trying to say after that game."

I was naive to join Tottenham from Chelsea - it was crazy but I'd become manager's victim

Gus Poyet made the tough decision to move from Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur in 2001, but he didn't realise just how detrimental this transfer would be for his career

Gus Poyet believes he was "naive" to leave Chelsea for Tottenham, claiming he was a "victim" of Claudio Ranieri's reign at Stamford Bridge. The former midfielder, now Jeonbuk manager, spent four years playing for the Blues and won various domestic cup honours as well as a European trophy in his debut season.

Spurs and Chelsea meet in the Premier League on Saturday with kick-off at 5.30pm. The two London have a historic rivalry - although it is one Poyet says he was unaware of when he made his controversial move between the two clubs.

The Uruguayan quickly became a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, scoring 49 goals and assisting 16 times in 144 appearances. However, things quickly soured when he chose to switch sides in London and made the move to White Hart Lane in 2001.

After joining Chelsea on a free transfer, the west London side accepted almost £3million from Tottenham during summer 2001 for the midfielder's signature. This was at the time that Ranieri was bedding down in London, and the Italian received plenty of criticism for selling well-loved players, including Dennis Wise.

Poyet called out his former manager in an interview with The Standard in 2012, stating that the move across London was not something he was in control of.

He said: "I still have a strong feeling for them. I played in a very good Chelsea team and for most of the time we were in control of games. We won very good trophies in England and in Europe and it was one of the best times in my career.

"I took a lot of stick from the Chelsea supporters for joining Tottenham, but I had to stay in London for the sake of my childrens' education. I was a victim of Claudio Ranieri's changes. I had a year left on my contract and was still very fit to play, but the manager thought I couldn't play week in, week out. The same thing happened to Dennis Wise and he had been the captain for 11 years."

Poyet went on to admit his naivety in the rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea, adding: "I knew I was joining a rival club but I didn't view it in those terms.

"I asked myself what the great, great rivalries are in London and I would say it's Tottenham-Arsenal. Maybe people might now add Tottenham-Chelsea, but for me it is not up there with Arsenal.

"So I didn't have that pressure from my side, although I realised afterwards because of the reaction from the Chelsea supporters who asked how it was possible that I was coming to Spurs and how I was betraying them."

Last year, Poyet reiterated his lack of education on the feud between the two London clubs, telling Full Circle with Bet365: "I will be honest, I was very naive, very naive. I swear by it, it isn’t a lie, I had no idea how close they were and all the reactions I would get from Chelsea supporters.

"My explanation is a simple one, because when I played for Chelsea, the two teams that I wanted to beat were Arsenal and Man United. They were the ones winning the league, I wasn't even thinking about Spurs with respect to them. There was even more of a fight against Leeds because of the previous history between the teams, more than when Chelsea played Spurs."

Poyet added: "When I was at Chelsea, it was during a time when we were beating Spurs often enough that no one made a big deal about it and it just seemed like a normal game. I had a couple of offers from some teams out of the country and another option being at Spurs, and I wanted to stay in London.

"So then I moved, and Glenn Hoddle was a big part of that, but after the news had broken it was crazy. I didn't know what I had done, it was madness. It was only then that I realised, but the truth was that I was very naive.

"I didn't realise it would be so dramatic, but now I'm on the other side with a team that didn't beat Chelsea for however long. As much as I loved Chelsea, my character meant I had to do everything in my power to win for Spurs now.

"The first couple of games against Chelsea, we lost, but we eventually beat them on the third attempt I think. It was a strange night, but it was important as a professional."

Arsenal have led tributes for Willie Young, who has died at the age of 73. The Gunners announced the sad news on Friday night with an emotional statement.

An official statement from the club on X, formerly known as Twitter, reads: "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."

Young began his career in 1969 at Aberdeen before moving to England in 1975. The defender joined Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored four goals in 59 appearances.

He then moved to Arsenal in 1977, where he scored 18 goals and provided five assists in 236 appearances. Nottingham Forest forked out £175,000 for the Scotsman in 1981, dropping the curtain on his spell in north London.

Young went on to also enjoy stints at Norwich, Brighton, and Darlington before retiring in 1984. He and his wife, Lynda, settled down in the Nottingham area, where they raised a family and ran a pub.

When Young joined the Gunners, he pleaded for forgiveness from the Highbury faithful. As quoted by the club website, he said: "I was sent off against them after scoring my only First Division goal for Spurs this season.

"That’s a double insult to Arsenal. But I hope the fans will forgive me now that I’ve come over, I know the players have."

On joining Arsenal, Young added: "Terry [Neill] has bought me to do a specific job for him, that’s to stay in the middle and stop the goals going in."

Arsenal supporters have been heartbroken by the news, paying their respects to Young on social media. One user, who goes by @Harry_Symeou16, wrote: "RIP [praying hands emoji]. My Dad used to tell me about Willie Young all the time growing up. Sad news."

@stevebone1 said: "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."

@njac200668 posted: "RIP scored with a diving header in front of the North Bank on my first game at Highbury."

Meanwhile, @Clayt13 wrote: "Sad news indeed, especially remember his games against Joe Jordan, neither holding back, full contact football..."

Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will both be without a number of players when they meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, in the latest top flight London derby

Tottenham and Chelsea face a combined injury crisis with up to 16 stars potentially sidelined for their London derby. Both sides were in Carabao Cup action during the week, with contrasting fortunes.

Enzo Maresca's Blues secured a thrilling 4-3 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers to book their place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Thomas Frank's Spurs were eliminated from the competition following a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

Despite Chelsea's progression to the last eight, where they'll face League One outfit Cardiff City, Maresca was left seething over Liam Delap's needless double booking and subsequent dismissal in the Midlands. With the derby looming at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, Mirror Football breaks down who will be missing from the fold...

Tottenham Hotspur

Former Brentford boss Frank could be without 11 first-team stars for the Chelsea clash. Archie Gray has become the latest to join the injury list after sustaining a calf problem.

The youngster joins an extensive treatment room containing Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke.

However, Frank confirmed Guglielmo Vicario should return between the sticks against Chelsea after sitting out the Newcastle defeat. The Italian's absence was initially thought to be due to a tactical rotation.

But in his post-match comments, Frank revealed an injury concern, explaining: "He had a smaller thing that had to be done but he'll be ready for Chelsea."

Unfortunately for Spurs, Wilson Odobert is also a doubt for the match, after picking up a "side strain" recently. On the Frenchman, Frank said: "Odobert had a side strain unfortunately, that kept him out for this game. Also we need to assess him, but it could look positive for Chelsea."

There also remains lingering doubts about the fitness of club captain and defensive warrior Cristian Romero, who has not featured in the Premier League since the 2-1 away victory over Leeds United at the start of the month.

Chelsea

Maresca's injury list isn't quite as extensive as Tottenham's, which will come as a relief to Chelsea supporters. However, he was left furious by Delap's unnecessary red card against Wolves midweek.

Delap had been sidelined for several weeks before coming off the bench for his return to action at Molineux. But the summer acquisition saw red following two reckless yellow cards, the second of which could have warranted a straight dismissal on its own, in a substitute appearance branded "embarrassing" by Maresca.

Despite occurring in the League Cup, Delap will serve a suspension for the away fixture at Spurs. It represents a massive setback, with the Italian also missing Cole Palmer in attack.

At the back, his choices are equally limited with Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill both recovering from long-term knocks. Midfield prodigy Dario Essugo remains on the injury list, while Mykhailo Mudryk is still provisionally suspended after being charged by the Football Association in mid-June with anti-doping rule violations.

In the League Cup, Chelsea managed to rotate nine players from the starting line-up that suffered a defeat to Sunderland, giving a rest to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. They are anticipated to make a comeback in north London.

Alfie Whiteman was part of the Tottenham Hotspur squad which won last season's Europa League final against Manchester United to qualify for this season's Champions League

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman has retired from professional football. The 27-year-old made the decision at the end of last season when he was still just 26.

Whiteman was a member of Ange Postecoglou's Europa League-winning squad, having been with the club from his youth team days before signing his first professional deal. During his time at Tottenham, he had two loan spells - both with Swedish side Degerfors - but never really looked like making any impact on the first team and found himself way down the pecking order regularly.

His lack of first-team football led him to explore other areas of life, including acting classes, broadcasting, and photography. The Athletic report that he expected to continue his footballing career when he was released by Spurs at the end of last season.

However, the shot-stopper called it a day on his own terms in the summer and is now taking up a career in photography - admitting that he was unhappy being a professional footballer.

He said: "I signed for Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this full-time life of football.

"When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just had this feeling inside of, 'Is this it?' Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports Science BTEC and going home to play video games. I realised, 'Oh, I'm not happy here' from quite a young age.

"The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. It's the golf, washbag culture.

"I was that young footballer. I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes. You all just become a reflection of each other.

"You're a product of your environment. It's the way football is in this country; it's so shut off from anything else. You go to training and then you go home, that's it."

Whiteman added: "Football is a short career regardless, even if you do really well, and I knew that I didn’t want to stay in it.

"It was about trying to gain experience and be proactive in learning about these things I was also interested in, but mainly because I was enjoying it, and was surrounded by the kinds of people that were doing what I enjoyed as a job.

"They were making things. It was really inspiring."