It was another miserable evening for the home fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Chelsea inflicting their usual pain and misery in one of the most one-sided 1-0 victories in Premier League history.
Thomas Frank's Spurs have failed to win at home in the league since the opening day of the season, being outplayed by Bournemouth, winless Wolves and Chelsea, while also losing a tighter affair against Aston Villa.
It is hard to take many positives from a defeat where Spurs mustered one solitary shot on target, and left the field to a chorus of boos. They finished with an xG of 0.05, their lowest in the Premier League since records began in 2012, and only Vicario's brilliance, making eight saves, kept it a contest at 1-0. Despite Chelsea's wastefulness in front of goal providing some encouragement, Spurs were never really in the game. Even set pieces, which have compensated for their creative deficiencies this season, were incredibly poor, with the majority of corners easily claimed by Robert Sánchez.
The goal itself was a calamity of errors and entirely avoidable, with mistakes from Spence, Simons and van de Ven leaving João Pedro free in the box after great persistence from man of the match Moisés Caicedo, and he calmly put the ball in the top corner. Both Spence and van de Van snubbed the manager's handshake at full time, which has fuelled speculation of unrest in the dressing room, but the likelihood is that they were both rightly criticised at half time for their sloppiness in the lead up to the Chelsea goal which, in the end, denied Spurs an undeserved point.
Maresca's tactics put Spurs in a stranglehold
Spurs failed to find any kind of rhythm during the match, struggling to progress the ball through midfield, leaving Kolo Muani as an isolated figure up front. Romero's ability to pass through the lines was sorely missed, while Maresca's tactic of leaving Kevin Danso – Spurs' weakest defender in possession – as the spare man while blocking off every attempted forward pass worked to perfection. As a result, Chelsea were able to get at Spurs' back four with alarming regularity.
robert sánchez vs spurs :) pic.twitter.com/QBcMrmwLHR
— chelsea's long throw defending (@wossa_3) November 2, 2025
Long throws, especially when Danso plays, have also been a useful weapon for Spurs this season. Maresca sowed seeds of doubt by leaving three players up top, and Spurs again fell into the trap, not creating a single opportunity while being forced to frantically chase back to stop Chelsea's counterattacks. A cutting edge in open play is desperately needed, as other managers will surely follow suit with similar tactics while Spurs are so one dimensional.
Injury curse strikes again
After losing Archie Gray to a calf injury ahead of Wednesday's defeat at Newcastle, the last thing Thomas Frank needed was a concussion for Lucas Bergvall in the first five minutes, ruling him out until after the international break. Injuries at home to Chelsea are not a new thing, and over the past two seasons both home defeats had a knock-on effect that signalled a huge downturn in form and results.
While the form is already a worry for Spurs fans, especially at home, defensive solidity and improved set pieces have brought about some impressive away wins. But with two defeats in the past week, Vicario being required with increasing regularity, no imminent sign of Solanke or Kulusevski to provide the goals and creativity that they are sorely lacking, and a daunting upcoming fixture list, lightning could be about to strike thrice.
Change in formation required?
With the return of Romero and Udogie providing some relief to an injury-ravaged squad, Thomas Frank now has the option of switching to a back three, allowing the full backs to play higher up the pitch with added protection. This would enable Kudus to move further infield, bringing Muani more into the game, as he currently has nobody to play off, and would also provide more opportunity for either Romero or van de Ven to bring the ball out of defence, with Palhinha or Bentancur dropping in to cover the vacated space.
Quick turnaround could provide some relief
With huge matches against Man Utd and leaders Arsenal to come either side of the upcoming international break, Tuesday's Champions League match at home to F.C. Copenhagen provides the opportunity to put Saturday's dismal showing behind them, and build some confidence against inferior opposition. The shackles need to come off, and the fans need something to get excited about. With only one day to work on the training ground, Thomas Frank will need to use it wisely.
