In a thrilling London derby, Chelsea overcame an early setback, conceding two goals in the first 11 minutes, to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over Tottenham. The comeback was capped by Cole Palmer’s audacious “Panenka” penalty—one of two spot-kicks he converted in the match—bringing Chelsea within four points of league leaders Liverpool.
Liverpool, sidelined this round due to the postponement of the Merseyside derby against Everton, gave their closest rivals a chance to tighten the race. While Arsenal failed to capitalize, drawing 1-1 with Fulham despite another goal from a corner, Chelsea seized the moment.
Maresca has maintained that Chelsea’s youthful squad isn’t ready to challenge for the title, citing their inexperience. But after a $1.3 billion investment across five transfer windows, Chelsea now boasts a cohesive team, with Palmer delivering on the pitch and Maresca providing clear leadership off it.
The Blues’ only league defeats this season came against Manchester City in the opening round—long before City’s recent struggles—and Liverpool. Since then, Chelsea has won four consecutive league games, netting 14 goals along the way.
Even so, Chelsea’s players echoed Maresca’s cautious stance.
“We still have so much to improve on,” said defender Levi Colwill. “As the gaffer said, when we’re ready to fight for the title, we won’t be 2-0 down in the first 10 minutes. That’s the standard, and we’ll keep working toward it.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal continues to lean heavily on goals from set pieces. William Saliba, who scored off a corner midweek against Manchester United, repeated the feat against Fulham to salvage a point. Raul Jimenez’s early strike had given Fulham the lead, while Bukayo Saka thought he’d secured a late winner for Arsenal, only for it to be disallowed for offside.
Palmer, however, stole the show with his penalty record, converting all 12 Premier League spot-kicks he’s taken—a feat unmatched in the league. His 33 goals and 17 assists in 48 games since joining Chelsea in 2023 make him one of the fastest players to achieve 50 goal involvements, behind only Erling Haaland, Andy Cole, and Mo Salah.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth and Leicester delivered late heroics. Jamie Vardy’s 86th-minute goal and stoppage-time assist helped Leicester rescue a 2-2 draw against Brighton, while Dango Ouattara’s 95th-minute strike earned Bournemouth a dramatic 2-1 comeback win at Ipswich.
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