In the end, Chelsea only needed João Pedro’s first-half strike to claim bragging rights over Tottenham Hotspur in north London on Saturday evening, yet the gulf in quality was not accurately reflected by the narrow 1–0 scoreline.
Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca came into the capital clash fretting over Tottenham’s high press, yet it was the visitors who launched a feverish assault off the ball which was led by the indefatigable and imperious Moisés Caicedo—a player who is arguably the best central midfielder in the world.
Spurs have struggled for fluency at the best of times under Thomas Frank, particularly at home, and scarcely forced Robert Sánchez into a save. By the end of a one-sided contest, Tottenham had mustered just three shots, while Chelsea claimed all three points to take them level on points with their London rivals in the Premier League top four.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—8.5: Didn’t dirty his gloves with too many saves but proved to be impressively progressive with the ball at his feet.
RB: Malo Gusto—7.8: Without a left winger to defend against for the vast majority of Saturday’s contest, Gusto was largely unbothered.
CB: Wesley Fofana—7.7: A little too eager to jump out of defence and press a white shirt with decidedly mixed success.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—7.3: Never permeated any concrete sense of composure.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.6: Hanging off Mohammed Kudus like a furry cape, Tottenham’s creator-in-chief was mostly muzzled.
CM: Reece James—7.5: Comfortable sweeping up at the back of midfield and pushing right up the pitch to press.
CM: Moisés Caicedo—8.3: Rampant off the ball. There wasn’t a single Spurs player safe in possession with Caicedo prowling midfield.
AM: Enzo Fernández—7.4: Dovetailed to devastating effect with Pedro through the middle. Also caused a bit of damage without the ball at his feet, as João Palhinha would attest.
RW: Pedro Neto—6.7: Came out second-best in most of his duels with Djed Spence.
ST: João Pedro—8.3: Broke his scoring drought in deft fashion yet could—if not should—have added a few more goals to his tally.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho—7.3: Drifted in and out of the derby without quite leaving his stamp on proceedings.
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Andrey Santos, Marc Guiu.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Guglielmo Vicario (GK); Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence; João Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur; Mohammed Kudus, Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall; Randal Kolo Muani.
Subs used: Xavi Simons, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert.
Subs not used: Antonín Kinský (GK), Dane Scarlett, Mathys Tel.
Player of the Match: Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)
Chelsea Player of the Match: Robert Sánchez
Tottenham 0–1 Chelsea: How It Unfolded in North London
Joao Pedro ended his goal drought stretching back to August and he has a lot to thank Moises Caicedo for. pic.twitter.com/swOqwIMpnB
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) November 1, 2025
“I think it’s going to be a good game,” Thomas Frank predicted. It was not one for his side to savour.
In the space of 20 seconds shortly after the half-hour mark, possession changed hands six times on the edge of Tottenham’s box. Caicedo twice won the ball back during this dizzying exchange, gobbling up Micky van de Ven and stabbing a pass past Kevin Danso to tee up Pedro for a gloriously scruffy opener.
Pedro was rebuffed by a pair of superb saves from Guglielmo Vicario on either side of his goal as Chelsea dominated proceedings. Fernández also spurned a second-half header after charging forward from midfield safe in the knowledge that his teammates had supreme control of that area on the pitch.
It was some sort of beguiling paradox from Frank’s team. Despite lining up with four midfielders, Tottenham somehow managed to give the impression that they had no central presence. Xavi Simons, the desperately lightweight attacking midfielder who replaced a concussed Lucas Bergvall in the opening seven minutes, was jeered as Frank subbed off the substitute in the 73rd minute.
Tottenham’s set-piece superiority had offered hope for the hosts yet they seemed determined to undermine themselves from this reliable avenue of opportunity, routinely playing free-kicks and corners into bizarre cul-de-sacs.
Thanks singlehandedly to Vicario’s reflexes, Tottenham were not condemned to an embarrassing scoreline. Yet, the performance was enough to make everyone in N17 blush.
Tottenham vs. Chelsea Half-Time Stats
Tottenham vs. Chelsea Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Tottenham: Gulf in Quality Painfully Exposed.
