Enzo Maresca's late switch nearly costs Chelsea in gritty Tottenham victory

With the Blues clinging to a narrow lead, courtesy of Enzo Fernandez's 50th-minute header, Maresca opted to shore up his defence by replacing attacker Cole Palmer and Fernandez with defender Tosin Adarabioyo and midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The move backfired when he spotted an unexpected 12 minutes of stoppage time on the board.

"I made the change before I saw the extra time," Maresca told reporters after the match. "When I saw 12 minutes, I thought it was probably too early for that kind of switch. But fortunately, we held on and won the game, and we're happy."

The Italian's honesty laid bare the fine margins that defined this London derby, as Spurs piled on the pressure in a frantic finale.

The Blues had dominated early, with Nicolas Jackson nearly pouncing on a Micky van de Ven error inside the first minute, only for the ball to cannon off the post. Malo Gusto and Jackson spurned further chances, while Jadon Sancho forced a smart save from Tottenham's shaky goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Despite their wastefulness, Chelsea's breakthrough arrived when Fernandez rose to nod in Palmer's pinpoint cross, a reward for their persistent probing.

Tottenham, languishing in 14th, struggled to respond. Manager Ange Postecoglou pointed the finger at sloppy defending for the decisive goal. "We didn't deal with the cross well enough," he said. "It's been a recurring issue for us."

The Australian also rued a disallowed equaliser from substitute Pape Matar Sarr, ruled out by VAR for a foul on Moises Caicedo. "I thought it was a good goal," Postecoglou added, visibly frustrated.

Maresca praised his side's resilience in the closing stages, a trait he believes is vital for their top-four ambitions. "If you want to become a proper team, you need to learn to win ugly sometimes, like we did in those last 10 minutes," he said.

He also hailed Jackson's return from injury, noting how the Senegal striker's relentless pressing rattled Spurs. "With Nico, we're a different outfit," Maresca added.

Postecoglou, meanwhile, dismissed claims he'd clashed with Tottenham fans after some booed his substitutions. Cupping his ear when Sarr's 'goal' went in, he insisted it was a call for support, not defiance. "We'd just scored, and I wanted them to get excited," he said. "They're entitled to their opinions, it doesn't bother me."

Chelsea's win, their 10th in 13 Premier League clashes with Spurs, lifts them back to fourth, while Tottenham's ninth away defeat of the season piles more pressure on Postecoglou, who became the first Spurs boss to lose his opening four league games against the Blues.

A recent X update from Chelsea's official account hailed Fernandez's "towering header," while Maresca's post-match comments on the club's feed underscored his relief: "We showed character to see it through." For Spurs, the search for answers continues.

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