Tottenham vs Chelsea LIVE RESULT: Cole Palmer scores Panenka as Blues fight back from TWO GOALS down to secure epic win

Merson on Palmer

Merson continues to be impressed with Cole Palmer who he described as “the big boy” of Chelsea.

The Arsenal legend said on Sky Sports: “First of all coming from Manchester to London is a big move in itself.

“Cole Palmer has come into the team and he’s been outstanding.

“When you first come into the team and you’re from Man City, a young kid and nobody really knows about him and he didn’t play loads, so you get a bit of a free hit.

“The last six or seven months he’s the big boy. The name of the game is stop Cole Palmer and then you might be able to stop Chelsea.

“You can’t do it and that shows how good he is.”

Sancho knew

Jadaon Sancho now has two goals in two games for the Blues after a slow start to his career at Chelsea.

And the winger said he “knew” his side would come back to win after he pulled one back in the first half.

He told the BBC: “Going 2-0 down in the first half was not ideal but I knew we’d come back into the game when we got that first goal.

“Going in at half-time, the gaffer was telling us we were in the game. I have so much belief in the players so I knew we’d come out firing.

“They’re very aggressive and we knew we’d catch them if we broke the lines and beat the press. The gaffer told us to stay wide and create the one-on-ones.

“I’ve been working on my shooting a bit more. The staff and the players have been telling me otherwise.”

Jackson assist

Eagle-eyed Chelsea fans have spotted the moment Nicolas Jackson helped Enzo Fernandez avoid a yellow card.

The midfielder wanted to rip his shirt off in celebration after putting the Blues in front but was stopped by the striker.

‘They haven’t got the best players’

Arsenal legend Paul Merson was particularly scathing about Ange’s tactics and said they should’ve shut up shop a bit more having been 2-0 ahead.

Merson said on Sky Sports: “I don’t mean to sound disrespectful but I’m watching the game, Spurs are 2-0 up against Chelsea and it’s like they are playing against Kilmarnock or St Mirren and he’s the Celtic manager and got the best players.

“They haven’t got the best players at Tottenham, so they have to change it.

“You can’t go, you have a shot, we have a shot and we can destroy you like they have over the years.

“You’ve got to be cute and say, ‘we’re 2-0 up here, let’s counterattack.'”

Spursy

Today’s defeat will continue to make grim reading for Tottenham fans, but they may be used to this kind of defeat by now.

In fact, the defeat to Chelsea was the ELEVENTH time in the Premier League era they’ve lost having been two goals ahead.

That is FOUR more such defeats than any other side in the Prem.

Perfect Palmer

Cole Palmer also now owns the best penalty record of any player in the Prem – 100 per cent from all 12 of his pens, overtaking Yaya Toure (11).

Ugly scenes

It wasn’t all rosy in Tottenham as there was a bit of misbehaviour from both sets of fans inside the stadium.

First, Spurs fans could be seen continually throwing missiles at Chelsea players in the form of screwed up cardboard – they had been used for the tifo pre-game.

Palmer brilliance

Just to put Cole Palmer’s ridiculous stats into perspective, only three players have reached 50 Premier League goal involvements for one club quicker than the Chelsea superstar.

Palmer now has 50 involvements – 33 goals, 17 assists – in just 48 matches.

He is beaten by Erling Haaland (a frankly ridiculous 39), Andy Cole while he was at Newcastle United (43) and Mo Salah for Liverpool (46).

Home time

Then, Chelsea fans could be seen being escorted out of the home end after celebrating the goals a bit too vigorously.

More from Son

The South Korean added: “We’ve got to stick together in such difficult moments, it’s very important and it’s why we need big support.

“The players are very young and they need support more than before and more than we had.

“The fans were always supporting amazingly but I think it’s time the players also need to step up.

“We need some big support and big cheering up.”

‘Very sloppy’

Spurs captain Son Heung-min scored a late goal but it was not nearly enough in a match that Tottenham will feel they threw away.

He told Sky Sports: “It’s very disappointing. I don’t know what to say at the moment. We did such a good game in the first half an hour. We conceded very sloppy goals.

“It feels like we lost because of these small details. On such a big stage, you need to step up and score in these moments. I feel like I let the team down and I feel very sorry for the team.

“We can’t concede goals like this. We can’t dive into this situation. I can stay here all day talking about the mistakes but I’d rather blame me with the chance and I’d rather take the blame.

“I had a bit of a different thinking when I was running to the ball. I’m also human and I miss. I feel the pain because it’s such an important moment of the game. The team tried.”

Chelsea ratings

No surprises that Marc Cucurella got a poor score given his early troubles – although it could have been lower given his response.

Here’s how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the rest of the Chelsea players after the 4-3 win.

More from Ange

Postecoglu also appeared unimpressed by the decision not to send off Moises Caicedo – and spoke on yet more injuries.

He said: “That’s what is happening in the game now, referees are leaving it to other powers that be to make decisions.

“There were a couple that didn’t go our way but there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s out of our control.”

Cristian Romero, Brennan Johnson and Van de Ven all went off seemingly nursing injuries.

Ange added: “Obviously Romero was really disappointing. He felt something in his quad after 20 minutes and couldn’t continue.

“Brennan [Johnson] wasn’t well and he tried to sort himself out at half time but he just wasn’t up to going out there.

“Micky [van de Ven] was just a bit of tiredness. The plan today was always to try and give him 60 or 70 minutes.”

‘A painful one’

Ange Postecoglu cut a rather more forlorn figure after that defeat with pressure continuing to mount given the recent poor run in form – bar that brilliant Man City win.

He told the BBC: “It is a sore one, a painful one.

“We started the game really well but as our season has been going, we lose [Cristian] Romero after 20 minutes and that disrupts us a bit and they score straight after.

“We had moments to get our third and at half-time we were in a decent position. The second half is a ding dong, especially at the start, they scored but we had a big chance with Son, we didn’t take it and then they go 3-2 up.

“I thought both penalties were poor decisions by us, we have to show more discipline. In the end the critical moments got us.

“I think there were quality opportunities but I don’t think there was an abundance of them. I can’t remember the keepers making a load of top quality saves.

“We more than matched a good side in that department and when there is quality out there you are going to have moments.

“There were things we could have done better for sure.”

More from Maresca

On the peerless Palmer, he said: “I know Cole from a long time ago and I always trust him in every aspect. He is a fantastic guy.

“He is learning how to play games when he is marked man-to-man, [Yves] Bissouma was with him all the game.

“He is learning, improving and scoring goals. That makes him happy and makes us happy.”

Maresca also said the team want to keep high levels and claimed Chelsea are far away from teams like Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool: “The plan or the idea is to not let the players slow down. They can not drop because they know another player is waiting to come in.”

On keeping pace with title rivals: “Arsenal, City and Liverpool probably don’t slide – like Cucurella did. To be serious, we are not ready, we are far from these teams but we focus on day-by-day and trying to improve the team.”

‘We deserved to win’

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was clearly delighted with the win – and could even joke around about Cucurella’s boot issue.

He told Sky Sports: “For the fans and for us, I said in the week that we were working to make the fans happy, and today they can be happy.”

On Cucurella, he added: “He said to me after the game that he was trying to bring emotion to the game.

“No, being serious, to come this stadium against this team and be 2-0 down, but continue then with the same plan on and off the ball and then second half we changed things tactically. I think overall we deserved to win.

“It’s more a question for Marc. They are mature enough to decide what boots they need for the game. The most important thing is that we were 2-0 but we continued the same way to create chances.”

Better than Zola?

Jamie Carragher made a bold claim after the game, stating Palmer has already done more than the Italian magician did in his iconic years in Blue.

Carragher said: “He gets the penalties and he is involved in the Enzo Fernandez goal as well. People fear when he has the ball.

“He hasn’t been playing for the best team. When you look at Chelsea over the years, you look at flair players you look at Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard. He has probably done more than Zola already in his 18 months at the club.

“He is going to go down as one of the biggest players for Chelsea if he keeps doing what he is doing. He is a very special player, and that’s not just in the Premier League it is in Europe and world football as well.”

Tough run for Spurs

Ange Postecoglou has his work cut out to boost the confidence in the camp for the busty festive fixtures.

They have some difficult games coming up, hosting league leaders Liverpool to boot.

Spurs need to find that inner-demon they unleashed against Man City if they are going to improve their league position.

Blues with chance to push leaders

Chelsea have a run of fixtures that, on paper, should allow them to pressure the sides around them.

While Maresca continues to play down his side being in a title race, they could be the team Liverpool are looking over their shoulders at.

It has been a while since they have had a happy Christmas at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham feeling The Blues in North London

It really is a rollercoaster of emotions if you are a Spurs fan.

When they went two-nil up here, they were hoping to give another team a hiding like they did against Man City.

Sadly they folded and allowed Chelsea to punish them.

You could argue the turning point was Caicedo not getting sent off for his high challenge.

FT: Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea

Everyone will be talking about title races for Chelsea now.

Nobody would have predicted this when they were two goals down after ten minutes.

Tottenham fans go home rueing their luck once again.