Chelsea earned a vital 1–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, with Joao Pedro finally ending his long wait for a goal to hand the Blues all three points in the London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Brazilian forward, who had not scored in nine consecutive matches across all competitions, struck decisively in the 34th minute, smashing home from close range after Moises Caicedo’s relentless pressing forced a turnover near the Spurs box.
The goal marked Pedro’s first since August 30 against Fulham and his third for Chelsea since arriving from Brighton in a £60 million summer move.
The win extends Enzo Maresca’s impressive start as head coach, lifting Chelsea to fourth place in the Premier League table, level on points but behind Tottenham only on goal difference.
It also represented Chelsea’s third win in four league outings, further strengthening their resurgence after a rocky start to the campaign.
For Tottenham, however, the defeat deepened their woes at home, where they have not won a Premier League match since August.
The team’s struggles have continued under new boss Thomas Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou earlier in the season. Despite flashes of quality on the road, including a recent 3–0 win over Everton, Spurs’ home form has been their undoing.
Frank’s evening worsened when Lucas Bergvall suffered a head injury early in the game. The young midfielder’s frustration boiled over when medical staff refused to let him continue, prompting a heated exchange before being substituted for Xavi Simons under concussion protocol.
Chelsea dominated much of the first half, with Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro both testing Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Though Vicario made a few key saves, including one moment before Pedro’s opener, Spurs’ defensive lapses proved costly.
In the second half, Chelsea maintained control and nearly doubled their lead when Joao Pedro’s fierce drive was tipped over by Vicario.
Enzo Fernandez also missed a clear header from Reece James’ cross, while Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal denied Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus to preserve the clean sheet. Despite a late push from Spurs, they failed to break through Chelsea defense.
