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Chelsea edged Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, with Enzo Fernández scoring the only goal of the match. The result meant the Blues completed a league double over their London rivals once again. Here are the key positives and negatives from the win:

Positives

Thursday’s win marked Chelsea’s fifth consecutive Premier League home victory. While all five of those wins have come against bottom-six sides, they’ve been crucial in keeping Chelsea inside the top four during a difficult period. In moments when the team has struggled overall, that strong home form has helped keep Champions League hopes alive.

It’s now up to the squad to build on that foundation. Their upcoming home league games against Everton and Liverpool will be vital. If Chelsea are to finish in the top four, they must maintain their Stamford Bridge form while replicating it on the road.

Robert Sánchez has often been a source of concern for Chelsea fans over the past two seasons. His distribution and decision-making have regularly come under scrutiny. However, against Spurs, he delivered one of his more assured performances in a Chelsea shirt.

It wasn’t a spectacular display, but Sánchez avoided reckless passes or positioning errors. His long balls frequently found their targets, and he made a critical save late to deny Heung-Min Son.

That said, the goalkeeper was slightly fortunate as well, he mishandled a low-driven shot from Pape Sarr, which was eventually ruled out for a foul in the buildup. Had the goal stood, it would have undone much of the positive work he’d done. While his display was encouraging, it’s still clear that Chelsea will need to look for more consistency and reliability in the long term.

Negatives

Despite climbing into the top four, Chelsea’s poor away record remains a major hurdle in the race for Champions League qualification when compared to the home form. Among their next eight league opponents, the Blues have only beaten two in the reverse fixtures, Brentford and Newcastle. But Brentford away is always a tough task, and Chelsea already lost 2-0 to Newcastle at St James’ Park in the EFL Cup earlier this season.

The Blues haven’t won a Premier League away game since December 8th, when they beat Tottenham, the same team they defeated on Thursday. Their upcoming away fixtures include several top-half sides, all of whom are themselves chasing European football. Things are only going to get more difficult for Enzo Maresca and his side.

Had Chelsea shown more consistency earlier in the season, they’d likely be in a stronger position now. As it stands, their form since mid-December has kept them in contention. But there's a real risk they could drop out of the top four before the campaign ends.

Positives (continued)

The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge has been noticeably improving in recent weeks, and Thursday night was another example. Having Spurs in town helped raise the intensity, but credit also goes to the home fans.

The playing of “Blue Is the Colour” by the club DJ just before kickoff added a sense of occasion and unity. The players seemed to feed off that energy, and maintaining that kind of support could be critical in the season’s final stretch.

Nicolas Jackson didn’t score against Spurs, but his presence was certainly felt. His movement and ability to hold the ball added a new dimension to Chelsea’s attack and caused problems for the Tottenham defense.

It was Jackson’s positioning that drew both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven toward him, allowing Cole Palmer to whip in a ball that Enzo Fernández eventually converted after finding space left by the retreating defenders.

As the Premier League entered its final stretch, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea faced a crucial task. With just eight games remaining, the Blues needed to either maintain their current league ranking or, at the very least, drop just one position to secure Champions League qualification for next season.

However, a tough run of fixtures, combined with internal challenges, made this a difficult proposition. The first test in this period was a home clash against rivals Tottenham Hotspur. In yet another chaotic derby, Chelsea emerged victorious with a narrow 1-0 win.

This article provides a comprehensive tactical analysis of the match, breaking down key moments and insights into both teams' strategies.

Chelsea’s Build-Up vs Spurs’ Out-of-Possession Approach

The Blues set up in a 4-2-4 build-up structure, with Enzo Fernández dropping alongside Moisés Caicedo to form a double pivot while the backline stretched wide, and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez joined in as an additional passing option.

Against this, Spurs' pressing approach was led by Dominic Solanke, who took on multiple players in succession—starting with Levi Colwill (LCB), then pressing Sánchez (GK), and finally moving to Trevoh Chalobah (RCB). Meanwhile, Chelsea’s midfield and fullbacks were man-marked, cutting off direct short passing options. This allowed Spurs to double up on Nicolas Jackson while maintaining 1v1 duels against Chelsea’s wingers and Cole Palmer.

As a result, Chelsea’s center-backs and goalkeeper had time on the ball. With good passers like Chalobah and Colwill at the back and the returning Jackson providing a strong off-ball presence up front, Chelsea could exploit long passes in behind. This pattern was evident throughout the match, as Jackson frequently made runs behind the Spurs defense. Early on, he nearly scored when an attempt deflected onto the post.

Around the 15th-minute mark, Ange Postecoglou made a key adjustment in Spurs' high press. They switched to a strict man-to-man marking system, aiming to limit Chelsea’s ability to build from deep. However, between the defensive and middle third, Spurs still pressed with a -1 setup, either leaving a Chelsea midfielder or an inverted fullback free or allowing a wide center-back to have time on the ball. This approach maintained their +1 numerical advantage at the back but occasionally left a free Chelsea player in midfield.

Chelsea return to Premier League action with yet another London derby. Before the international break, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal. Now, in their first match since the break, they take on Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. Here are the key things to watch for.

Chelsea lost their striker Nicolas Jackson due to injury during their Premier League match against West Ham United. In their next league match, winger Noni Madueke also picked up an injury. Second striker Marc Guiu was another casualty from the West Ham game. Losing Jackson and Madueke has been particularly problematic for the Blues, as both have been crucial players for the team.

The pair have now recovered and are in contention to start. Their availability will be a big boost for Enzo Maresca. However, even when they were playing, Chelsea were not in great form, having won just once in the six matches before the West Ham game. Regardless, Jackson and Madueke were key contributors to Chelsea’s positive run earlier in the season.

Chelsea football returns after 18 long days coming off a 1-0 loss at the Emirates to Arsenal as Enzo Maresca's side looks to bounce back against their other North London rival, Tottenham. With just nine games remaining in the season, every point counts for the Blues in one of the tighter Top 4 races in recent memory. After results during mid week games, Newcastle and Man City both won on Wednesday, putting them both atop Chelsea in fourth and fifth place respectively. If Chelsea want UCL football next year, Thursday is a MUST win.

Chelsea won an instant classic last time these two sides met at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. After allowing two goals largely due to Marc Cucurella slipping. Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez both smashed brilliant finishes into the lower corners past Tottenham keeper Fraser Foster. Those combined with two penalties from Cole Palmer, one being a cheeky Panelka, silenced the Hotspur faithful. Since that game Chelsea have turned their season around , not in a positive way. Since that victory, Chelsea have accumulated just 27 points out of a possible 45. Tottenham enter in the midst of a injury ridden woeful season, entering in 14th place with a disappointing 15 losses to their name.

Chelsea's final four matches of the season feature three teams in the top five, with two difficult matchups away to Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, as well as hosting eventual Premier League winners Liverpool and longtime rival Manchester United. While that is arguably the hardest four game stretch any premier league has had to face this year, it all means nothing if they can't get through the month of April; and that starts Thursday against Spurs.

How to Watch Chelsea vs. Spurs live, stream link and start time

Kick Off: 8pm (UK); 3pm (EST) Thursday April 4

Venue: Stamford Bridge

TV/Stream: Peacock, Sky Sports

Tottenham Team News:

Dutch International Centerback Micky Van De Ven is still questionable to start coming off another hamstring injury. Spurs are playing it careful due to his recurring injury history, especially with hamstrings. Midfielder Lucas Bergvall is overcoming an illness and also should feature in Thursday's fixture. Dejan Kulusevski, Kevin Danso, Richarlison and Radu Dragusin all have been ruled unavailable by the club.

Chelsea Team News:

The international break could not have come at a better time for Chelsea, as many players used the time to recover from injuries. Enzo Maresca confirmed attackers Nico Jackson, Cole Palmer, and Noni Madueke are all available for selection. Palmer can play a full 90 minutes, while Nico and Noni cannot but are able to start. Maresca also mentioned that midfielder Romeo Lavia suffered another setback in recent days, making him--once again--unavailable. Chelsea have benefited from players coming back from injuries in recent games such as Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile. Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, and Romeo Lavia all remain out due to injury, while Mykhailo Mudryk also remains out due to suspension.

Match Prediction:

Enzo Maresca's side needed a break to reset and refocus, expect them to come out firing. While Tottenham will never roll over, Chelsea should have their way with Spurs. The Chelsea trio returning from injury (Jackson, Madueke, Palmer) all should have an impact in their return. Nico Jackson finding the back of the net would let the bridge on fire, and I think that's what's going to happen.

Chelsea 3-1 Tottenham.

In a week when Spurs’ loanee forward Mathys Tel made an embarrassing social media gaff by uploading a photo of himself in a “Willian” shirt, it’s a great time to look to the past to assess the importance of Thursday’s home fixture against Tottenham.Â

Ange Postecoglu may have had to update some of his current squad on the bitterness of this London derby, which could mean so much more for Chelsea’s season than just bragging rights and the opportunity to sing about a certain Brazilian winger seeing the light in 2013.Â

Something we do love about Tottenham, is getting to play them at home.

We enjoy a terrific record over our North London rivals, which bodes well given the timing of this upcoming encounter. As it stands, there is only a five-point disparity between Chelsea, in 4th, and Bournemouth sat 10th in the Premier League. With nine games remaining, we are approaching the final quarter of the season and facing Tottenham now could be just what we need.Â

This fixture last season was admittedly slightly later on in the campaign, yet it arrived under similar circumstances. We had recently suffered a damaging defeat to Arsenal, and our prospects for the future seemed uncertain at best; then came our appointment with Doctor Tottenham, which started a five-game winning streak that secured our return to European football.Â

Now we match up against Spurs once again, at a point where a win would inject much-needed confidence to carry us into the back end of the season. Our remaining fixtures are tough, containing several direct challengers for a top-four spot, meaning we will need to be at our best to end the 2024/25 season on a high. A win on Thursday could prove just as inspirational as it did last year when all is said and done.Â

As fans, we have our fingers crossed that the injured players returning to training will all be able to feature and hit the ground running, as they have been sorely missed. This fixture is always littered with cards and full of goals, with both teams netting twenty in the past five meetings.

Anticipating a typically fiery, high-scoring affair seems likely, and we will enter the game with much more confidence with all three of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke available.Â

If it is a frenetic, open game like our 4-3 victory in December, then the returning group could be pivotal in a smash-and-grab, high-octane fixture. Equally, if Chelsea can assert themselves on the game more firmly, in controlling possession as Enzo Maresca demands, the understanding that Palmer has with Jackson and Madueke could provide the key needed to unlock a tighter game.Â