Tottenham Hotspur came from a spirited display to defeat London rivals Chelsea 2-1 despite playing with 10 men, handing new Blues manager Xabi Alonso his first defeat in charge during a pre-season friendly in Sydney on Saturday.
Brazilian striker Richarlison scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner, while club-record signing Sandro Tonali opened his account for Spurs as they secured victory before a crowd of 80,363 fans at Stadium Australia.
Both teams fielded strong starting line-ups, with Tottenham taking the lead in the 19th minute through Tonali, whose effort took a deflection before finding the net.
Chelsea responded almost immediately, with Estevao heading home just two minutes later after a fine attacking move initiated by Romeo Lavia, sending both sides into halftime level at 1-1.
The game swung in Chelsea’s favour early in the second half when Tottenham defender Kevin Danso was shown a straight red card just three minutes after coming on as a substitute for bringing down Joao Pedro.
Despite enjoying a numerical advantage and dominating possession, Chelsea failed to convert several scoring opportunities. Estevao came closest when his effort struck the crossbar, but the Blues could not find a second goal.
Tottenham punished the missed chances in dramatic fashion when Richarlison calmly side-footed home the winning goal in the closing moments to seal an impressive victory.
The defeat marks Xabi Alonso’s first loss as Chelsea manager after opening his reign with a 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers. Chelsea will now travel to Hong Kong, where they face Juventus in another pre-season fixture on Wednesday.
Alonso has overseen several high-profile signings since taking charge, including Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, as he looks to rebuild a Chelsea side that finished 10th in the Premier League last season.
Tottenham, who endured an even more disappointing campaign by finishing 17th, have also strengthened their squad with the arrivals of Sandro Tonali, Andy Robertson and Matheus Fernandes, although Fernandes and James Maddison missed the match through injury.
Chelsea handed right-back Marco Palestra, signed from Atalanta, his first appearance, while Cole Palmer and Estevao returned to the starting line-up after several youngsters featured in the previous friendly.
The match was fiercely contested from the outset, with tempers flaring in the 10th minute after Conor Gallagher fouled Dario Essugo, sparking a brief confrontation between both sets of players before calm was restored.
Tottenham ultimately held their nerve despite being reduced to 10 men, with Richarlison’s late strike ensuring Spurs left Australia with another pre-season victory and Chelsea with valuable lessons ahead of the new campaign.
