Tottenham Hotspur were full value of a 2-0 success over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the Premier League.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side arrived in west London off the back of their first Premier League win of the season against Coventry City. They were by far the better side in the first half but couldn’t score. After the break, Spurs were fortunate to get their noses in front after goalkeeper Mike Penders carelessly punched a corner kick into his own net.

Chelsea’s task was made harder when they were reduced to 10 men three minutes later, after Cole Palmer was shown a second yellow card for a naughty challenge on Conor Gallagher. And the visitors made the most of the man advantage, with Mathys Tel scoring the second with a sensational solo effort into the bottom-left corner.

Mateus Fernandes masterclass vs. Chelsea

Roberto De Zerbi fielded arguably the strongest midfield trio from his squad, something Tottenham fans have long been craving: Sandro Tonali, James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes. It proved to be an outstanding midfield performance, which ultimately helped Tottenham win the contest.

It was only Fernandes’ third Premier League start of the season, but for the very first time, he was deployed in the No.8 role. The 22-year-old, without any second thoughts, delivered the best performance of his embryonic Tottenham career. The Portuguese talent showed his all-action style and complemented Tonali in the middle of the park.

Fernandes delivered a remarkably mature and complete performance across the full 90 minutes. He read the game well, distributed the ball efficiently under pressure, stayed positionally disciplined and made his team tick in midfield, earning a stellar 7/10 match rating for his efforts.

The range of the Portuguese Under-21 international’s performance against Chelsea underlined his technical ability, exceptional work rate and tactical intelligence. Defensively, he was extremely reliable, racking up 14 defensive contributions, five tackles, two clearances, six recoveries and one interception, while maintaining a strong 50% duel win rate across the match.

Offensively, the ex-West Ham man was equally influential in driving the team forward from his position. He created two chances, completed 21 line-breaking passes and 11 passes into the final third with an eye-catching 92% pass success rate. Furthermore, Fernandes spread the play well with four accurate long balls, proving his capacity to impact the game at both ends of the pitch. (Stats courtesy: FotMob)

Most importantly, it was the 22-year-old’s in-swinging corner that Penders ended up punching into his own net. The opener, albeit a bit of fortune, gave Spurs a lot of hope and helped them get a grip on the game. With this all-action display, Fernandes responded to the challenge set out to him by De Zerbi.