Tottenham Hotspur defeated Chelsea 2-1 in an entertaining pre-season friendly in Sydney on Saturday, with Brazilian striker Richarlison scoring a dramatic late winner despite Spurs playing most of the second half with 10 men.
Club-record signing Sandro Tonali opened the scoring for Tottenham in the 19th minute, marking his first goal for the club with a deflected effort after a well-worked move. Chelsea responded almost immediately as Estevao headed home just two minutes later to level the contest.
The match took another twist early in the second half when Tottenham defender Kevin Danso received a straight red card only three minutes after coming off the bench for bringing down Joao Pedro.
Chelsea dominated possession and created several chances with the numerical advantage, but failed to convert their opportunities in front of a crowd of 80,363 at Stadium Australia.
Their missed chances proved costly as Richarlison struck in the 90th minute, calmly side-footing the ball home to seal victory for Tottenham.
The defeat handed Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso his first loss since taking charge. The Blues had opened their pre-season campaign with a thrilling 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers and will now head to Hong Kong to face Juventus on Wednesday.
Alonso has overseen several major signings since his appointment, including the arrival of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, as he looks to revive Chelsea after the club finished 10th in the Premier League last season.
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Tottenham have also strengthened their squad during the transfer window, bringing in Matheus Fernandes from West Ham United and Tonali from Newcastle United. The North London club concludes its pre-season tour after recording a 2-0 win over Auckland FC, a 1-1 draw with Sydney FC and Saturday’s victory over Chelsea.
Chelsea handed right-back Marco Palestra his first appearance following his move from Atalanta, while Cole Palmer and Estevao returned to the starting line-up after several academy players featured in the previous friendly.
Tottenham were without Matheus Fernandes, who missed the match with “fatigue in his calf muscle”, while James Maddison was also absent because of a “small problem”.
The game burst into life in the 10th minute when Conor Gallagher’s challenge on Dario Essugo sparked a confrontation between players from both sides. Gallagher received a yellow card, while Essugo was able to continue.
Tottenham took the lead through Tonali after Manor Solomon set him up on the edge of the penalty area, with the midfielder’s strike taking a deflection on its way into the net.
Chelsea restored parity when Romeo Lavia drove forward from midfield before setting up Estevao, who headed home at the far post.
Despite Danso’s dismissal giving Chelsea control for much of the second half, the Blues could not find a breakthrough. Estevao came closest when he struck the crossbar, but Tottenham punished their wastefulness as Richarlison grabbed the decisive goal in the closing moments.
