Palmer sent off as Spurs beat Chelsea 2-0

Cole Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute as Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, leaving the hosts to finish with ten men.

The red card came after two bookings. Palmer, the England midfielder, first picked up a yellow card for barging into Fernandes. A second yellow card, shown later in the match, meant he had to leave the pitch. The referee was Chris Kavanagh.

Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown agreed with the decision. He also said Palmer was lucky not to have been shown a straight red card for an earlier incident in the same match. A straight red card means an immediate dismissal with no yellow first.

Tottenham took the lead through an own goal. Mike Penders, the 21-year-old Chelsea player whose error let the ball past his own team, put it into the net. Mathys Tel added a late second goal for the visitors, and the score stayed 2-0.

The defeat was also a dismissal of a different kind for Chelsea. The Premier League, England's top division, recorded Palmer's red card as Chelsea's 100th red card in the competition.

Anyone who remembers the last meeting of these sides will know how different the mood was. On December 8, 2024, Chelsea were two goals down after 11 minutes and still came back to win 4-3. Palmer scored twice from the penalty spot that day, according to Reuters.

This time there was no comeback. Chelsea had to defend with a player fewer for the final stretch, and Tottenham made the most of it. For Palmer, the afternoon ended with his team down and him heading for the dressing room early.

A quick word for newer fans on how cards work. A yellow card is a caution. Two yellows in one match bring an automatic red, which means the player must leave and his team plays on with one fewer man. That is what happened here, and it is why Keown's point about the earlier challenge drew so much attention.

Chelsea now have to regroup. Tottenham go away with three points and a clean sheet, which is the kind of result that gives a team confidence. The sending-off will be talked about all week, mostly in terms of the second booking and what could have been different earlier.