London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur’s undefeated streak in the Premier League came to a dramatic end as Chelsea secured a stunning 4-1 victory, largely courtesy of a remarkable hat-trick from Nicolas Jackson in a chaotic London derby.
The match was filled with drama and controversy, including five disallowed goals, red cards for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, and injuries to key players James Maddison and Micky Van de Ven. As the dust settled, Mauricio Pochettino celebrated a triumphant return to north London, although the final scoreline didn’t reflect the intensity of the match.
The hosts, spurred on by Dejan Kulusevski‘s early goal, appeared poised to dominate the game in the opening minutes. However, Chelsea gradually found their footing and exploited the increasingly frenzied pace. Romero was shown a red card as Cole Palmer equalized from the penalty spot. Udogie was also sent off in the second half. Tottenham fought to hang on, but Jackson‘s second-half hat-trick opened up space and ultimately sealed Chelsea’s victory.
While this result leaves Spurs just one point off the top of the table, they now face concerns about suspensions and injuries. Chelsea, on the other hand, propelled themselves into the top half of the Premier League standings.
The chaotic first half began perfectly for Tottenham as they took the lead early on through Kulusevski. Spurs seemed poised for a dominating performance, but their momentum was stifled. Son Heung-min had a goal disallowed due to offside, kickstarting a series of bizarre incidents. Destiny Udogie escaped a red card after a VAR review of his two-footed tackle. Moments later, Romero‘s kick-out went unnoticed. Raheem Sterling‘s apparent equalizer was disallowed for handball.
Moises Caicedo‘s long-range strike, initially celebrated by the away fans, was disallowed due to Nicolas Jackson‘s offside position in the buildup. VAR then intervened to review a reckless challenge from Romero, leading to a penalty and a red card. Palmer converted the penalty for Chelsea.
While Jackson found the net again for Chelsea, the goal was once more ruled out for offside. As the half continued to unfold, Spurs were hit with further setbacks, with Micky Van de Ven suffering a hamstring injury and James Maddison forced off the pitch.
The match will be remembered for its breathtaking pace, controversial incidents, and a thrilling hat-trick from Nicolas Jackson, making it one of the standout fixtures of the season.