41 min: Henderson doesn’t beat the first man, his old Liverpool mucker Robertson.

9 min: Spurs have started relatively confidently given their record at this ground: in the Premier League era, they’ve won here just once, losing on 22 occasions and drawing the other 11. Just the one win in 36 years! “I’ve just worked nonstop since 1pm and am knackered,” begins Kieran McKintosh. “A football match between two sides who are questionable defensively, and where Spurs are likely to lose, is just the tonic. Let’s have it! I would ask for a red card as well, but tomorrow’s 8pm tonic between Barcelona and Real Madrid has a healthy chance of delivering that too.”

The two 3pm kick-offs have finished. Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 while Fulham won 1-0 at Coventry City. Fourth-placed Chelsea can’t go anywhere tonight, up or down, unless they win by 14 goals; Fulham’s victory, coupled with Nottingham Forest’s point at Ipswich last night, has dumped Tottenham back in the bottom three, but a draw would take Spurs up to 15th, while a win would take them into 12th, or maybe even 11th if they go large to the tune of five goals. Some of this entry has got a bit silly, yes.

Chelsea: Penders, Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato, Henderson, Caicedo, Quenda, Rogers, Pedro Neto, Palmer.
Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Palestra, Fofana, Barco, Welbeck, Gusto, Nicoll-Jazuli, Estevao, Lavia.

Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky, Gray, van Hecke, van de Ven, Robertson, Fernandes, Tonali, Kudus, Maddison, Tel, Marmoush.
Subs: Dubravka, Senesi, Gallagher, Solanke, Kulusevski, Porro, Davies, Olusesi, Williams-Barnet.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: John Brooks

Chelsea have won their last six Premier League matches against Tottenham Hotspur. It’s a run that goes back to February 2023. They’re also unbeaten in this particular fixture since 2018. They also have 83 wins over Tottenham, all in all, while Spurs boast just 55 victories in time. Throw in Chelsea’s far more assured start to this season, and when everything’s considered in the round, it’s kind of hard to see anything other than a home win here. Then again, Spurs played Manchester United off the park for the most part a fortnight ago, then registered their first Premier League win of the season last Monday over Coventry, so is there finally a little bit of wind in the Tottenham sail? Perhaps a crosstown stramash, in which they’re unburdened by too much expectation, is exactly what Roberto De Zerbi and his men need right now. Or will Xabi Alonso’s entertainers simply have too much in attack? It could be fun finding out. Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST. It’s on!