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JOãO PEDRO’S STRIKE PROVES ENOUGH AS CHELSEA SURVIVE LATE SPURS PRESSURE

João Pedro's first-half goal, set up by Moisés Caicedo, gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Tottenham. Spurs recorded their lowest expected goals (xG) in over a decade, offering little threat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

João Pedro’s strike proves enough as Chelsea survive late Spurs pressure
Pedro finish secures Chelsea victory - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Enzo Maresca's team defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Saturday, with João Pedro scoring the game's first goal since August to give Chelsea all three points.

At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Moisés Caicedo's outstanding play in the 34th minute to win the ball twice before setting up his colleague was all the Blues needed to defeat a Spurs team that did not seem particularly motivated in the last third.

During the entire game, Thomas Frank's team managed just three shots and one on goal, which is the fewest they have had this season.

Spurs' xG total of 0.05 in their 504th Premier League game at that time was their lowest on record (since 2012–13).

With a win or draw, Tottenham might have moved up to second position, but instead they are now in third place, behind leaders Arsenal and Bournemouth, while Chelsea moves up to fourth place and is tied with Spurs (17).

Early on, Xavi Simons replaced Lucas Bergvall, who had been forced after sustaining a knock to the head, dealing a setback to the home team.

Early in the game, however, there was not much movement in front of the goal; neither team's first non-blocked attempt came until Reece James struck a long, long shot in the 19th minute.

When Pedro Porro threw the ball away immediately after the break, João Pedro should have given Chelsea the lead, but Guglielmo Vicario stopped the Brazilian, and a few seconds later, Mohammed Kudus sent Spurs' first attempt over the bar from the edge of the Chelsea box.

However, a few minutes later, Caicedo did well to regain the ball from Micky van de Ven for Chelsea on the outskirts of the Tottenham penalty area, then locate his colleague for a straightforward finish, ensuring João Pedro would not be denied.

It was not the first careless blunder the hosts had made this season; in the Premier League in 2025–26, only Wolves (4) have committed more mistakes that resulted in goals for the opposition than Tottenham (3).

When João Pedro was on the receiving end of a cross from Malo Gusto, he had another chance, but Vicario tipped his first-time attempt over the bar.

Spurs had the first attempt on goal in the first half, but Kudus forced a save from Robert Sánchez in stoppage time but The home team was behind at halftime. That was not encouraging because Tottenham have lost 13 of their previous 15 Premier League games while behind at halftime (D2).

However, anything was possible because Chelsea, along with Brentford, has lost more Premier League points than any other team this season (eight).

João Pedro took Kevin Danso out of his own box as Chelsea pressed Spurs high in the second half, but Pedro Neto's subsequent shot went directly at Vicario.

In the 74th minute, James sent a shot over the crossbar after Neto was again denied.

Frank's team nearly paid for it when the visitors countered, but Jamie Gittens blasted over after João Pedro set him up for a spectacular chance. The boos came from the stands as the hosts hesitated to hit a deep free-kick into Chelsea's half in stoppage time.

The fact that Chelsea managed to secure the victory, however, will worry Spurs the most because there was never much chance that this match would end in anything other than an away victory.

CHELSEA TARGET ALESSANDRO BASTONI: THE INTER MILAN DEFENDER MAKES A HUGE TRANSFER DECISION

Chelsea’s Maresca and Spurs’ Paratici target Alessandro Bastoni, but the defender is set to snub London for a new Inter deal.

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Barcelona Join Chelsea in the Race for Alessandro Bastoni

According to reports in Italy, Chelsea's Enzo Maresca and Tottenham's Fabio Paratici are both very interested in Alessandro Bastoni for a possible move in 2026. The report also shares the Inter Milan defender’s feelings on a switch to either club.

Bastoni, considered one of the world’s best defenders, is a key player for both Inter Milan and the Italian national team. The 26-year-old has won Serie A twice with Inter and was named the league’s best defender for both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.

He also tasted success with Italy, winning Euro 2020. Currently, he seems to be at the height of his career.

With Levi Colwill injured, Chelsea might consider a new defender in January, according to The Telegraph.

FC Inter News reports that Bastoni is the center-back that Chelsea boss Maresca really wants at Stamford Bridge.

The Inter Milan source says that Maresca is a big fan, and so is Paratici, who would love to see the Italian star at Tottenham.

The report mentions that Bastoni has already turned down offers from Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah in the summer of 2025.

Now, Barcelona, the current LaLiga champions, are also showing interest in Bastoni as they aim to win both their league title and the Champions League in 2025/26.

Alessandro Bastoni to discuss new Inter contract

Bastoni isn’t just uninterested in joining Chelsea (or Tottenham); he’s also planning to talk with Inter about a new contract soon.

FC Inter News says that initial talks about extending his current contract, which ends in June 2028, will likely start soon with his agent, Tullio Tinti.

Bastoni is very attached to Inter, where he’s been since 2017, and wants to stay with the club for the long haul.

So far, the center-back has scored seven goals and provided 28 assists in 277 appearances for Inter.

ST. JAMES' CRISIS: CAN CHELSEA OVERCOME FIVE MAJOR FIRST-TEAM INJURIES

With Estevao Willian out and Lavia’s return unknown, we ask: can Enzo Maresca’s squad depth survive a trip to Newcastle United?

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Is Chelsea’s Heavy 2025 Schedule Finally Taking Toll?

Chelsea isn't in crisis, but they do have five first-team players out with injuries. Some Premier League teams have it worse, but Enzo Maresca will be without some key guys for their game against Newcastle United this weekend.

Estevao Willian, Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap, and Levi Colwill, costing the club £130 million, are all out for the trip to St. James' Park on Saturday. Estevao is the latest to be sidelined with a minor muscle issue. Maresca mentioned it after the win at Cardiff City, saying the Brazilian stayed home.

He had a small muscle problem, Maresca said about Estevao. He won't be available for Newcastle, and we'll see about the next game.

StadiumNest understands Estevao should be back for the next game, a home match against Aston Villa on December 27. The club also hopes Essugo will be back soon.

The Portugal Under-21 player had thigh surgery in September and was supposed to return this month, but had another setback. It's not his thigh this time, but it seems unlikely we'll see Essugo before Christmas.

Lavia is still dealing with his injury issues. The 21-year-old went off injured in Chelsea's draw with Qarabag in November and football. London reported that he'd miss at least a month with a quad problem.

It's been more than a month since that update. The media asked Maresca about Lavia on Monday, and he said, We don't know. Lavia won't be back anytime soon.

The same goes for Colwill. He had surgery on a knee injury in August after hurting his ACL during his first preseason session after the Club World Cup. Colwill is expected to miss most of the season since ACL injuries usually keep players out for six to nine months.

As for Delap, he is not expected to play again this year. StadiumNest understands the striker, signed for £30 million this summer, will miss four weeks because of a shoulder injury he got in the draw with Bournemouth earlier this month.

Even with Maresca's best efforts to manage workloads, Chelsea is missing several key players right now. Considering Chelsea's long 2024/25 season, the boss has done well to keep most players on the field.

Players like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Trevoh Chalobah, Pedro Neto, and Marc Cucurella have played a ton of minutes in 2025. Luckily, they've avoided injuries, even though some have had minor issues.

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