Chelsea Holds Fourth Place, Deepens Tottenham’s Woes
Chelsea solidified their hold on fourth place in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham in the final match of Matchday 30.
A 50th-minute header from Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández proved decisive, restoring Chelsea to fourth place just a day after defending champions Manchester City had briefly occupied the spot following their 2-0 win over Leicester City.
With this victory—Chelsea’s 15th of the season—the Blues now have 52 points, trailing third-placed Nottingham Forest by five points and holding a one-point lead over fifth-placed Manchester City, with Newcastle two points behind in sixth.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s struggles continued as they suffered their fourth consecutive league defeat to Chelsea. This latest setback marked their second straight loss and their 16th overall in what has been one of their worst seasons. Spurs remain in 14th place with 34 points, level with 16th-placed West Ham but ahead only on goal difference.
Chelsea welcomed back Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson after an eight-game injury layoff, and he wasted no time making an impact. Within two minutes, he forced a save from Tottenham’s Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, with the rebound deflecting off Jackson’s leg onto the left post.
French right-back Malo Gusto then unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that whistled just past the left post (7’), while Jackson came close again with a curling effort that sailed just over the bar (31’). Jadon Sancho also tested Vicario with a shot from inside the box, but the keeper reacted brilliantly to deny him (45’).
Chelsea maintained their attacking dominance after the break, and their persistence paid off when Cole Palmer—also returning from injury—delivered a pinpoint cross that Fernández nodded into the net (50’).
Tottenham thought they had found an equalizer through Senegalese substitute Pape Sarr, who unleashed a stunning long-range strike just six minutes after coming on (60’). However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out due to a foul by Sarr on Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo in midfield, leading to a booking for the Spurs midfielder.
Spurs had a final chance to level in the 89th minute when South Korean winger Son Heung-min fired a dangerous shot on goal, but Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sánchez produced a crucial save to preserve Chelsea’s win.
