01/08/2026
Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham: Richarlison's last-gasp winner seals Sydney Super Cup triumph
Match Report
Roberto De Zerbi's unbeaten start to life as Tottenham boss continued as Richarlison's 92nd-minute winner sealed a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the Sydney Super Cup.
Estevao had cancelled out Sandro Tonali's opener before Spurs saw Kevin Danso sent off early in the second half, but the 10 men found a way through late in the day.
A feisty opening at Accor Stadium saw Spurs take the lead against the run of play in the 17th minute, with £100m summer signing Tonali netting his first goal for the club after his shot deflected off Levi Colwill and into the back of the net.
But Chelsea needed just four minutes to get themselves level through Estevao, who got himself in front of Andy Robertson to head Jamie Gittens' cross in at the back post.
Joao Pedro then stabbed wide following a loose pass from Robertson before Mathys Tel forced Teddy Sharman-Lowe into a save at his near post following a sensational run that saw him skip past three Chelsea defenders.
However, Spurs were reduced to 10 men four minutes after the restart when half-time substitute Danso failed to control Archie Gray's pass before hauling down Joao Pedro with a last-man foul, but Cole Palmer sent the resulting free-kick just wide.
Antonin Kinsky then came to his team's rescue twice in quick succession, first producing an excellent stop to push Estevao's deflected effort onto the crossbar and following that up with a point-blank save to deny Joao Pedro after Robertson's attempt to chest the ball back to his goalkeeper.
Spurs almost won it six minutes from time when Rio Kyerematen struck the crossbar following a driving run from deep, with the game appearing to be decided by penalties.
But Richarlison had other ideas. Jamie Donley's shot from the edge of the box struck the right post, with the Spurs number nine on hand to tuck home the rebound and deal Xabi Alonso his first defeat in charge of Chelsea.
Richarlison comes up trumps for 10-man Tottenham
Spurs needed penalties to battle their way past Sydney FC in their third match under De Zerbi, and it looked like they would need to show their nerve in a shoot-out once again until Richarlison popped up with the winner late on.
Richarlison finished as Spurs' top scorer in all competitions in 2025-26 with 12 goals, and he looks like to be the main contender to lead his team's attack this season after Dominic Solanke failed to make an impact from the start.
Despite only coming on at half-time, he managed more shots (one to zero), created more chances (one to zero) and had more touches (15 to nine) than Solanke, while Tonali also impressed and showed the first real glimpse of the quality Spurs have invested in.
Tonali recorded team-high totals for final third entries (seven), while only Ben Davies (74) completed more passes than the Italian's 53. Albeit helped by a deflection, Tonali's goal was well-taken and instantly endeared him to the Spurs faithful.
For Chelsea, there will be disappointment at not capitalising on their man advantage. They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.88 from their 13 shots, only four of which were on target, compared to Spurs' tally of 1.26 from their seven attempts.
