Tottenham Hotspur have made it back-to-back Premier League wins with a 2-0 London derby victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

For just the second time in the Premier League era, the Lilywhites have managed to leave Chelsea’s home with all three points. They ended the sequence of three straight defeats at Stamford Bridge thanks to an own goal from goalkeeper Mike Penders and a fantastic strike from Mathys Tel.

Spurs were the dominant side for large parts of the game. The frustration of Roberto De Zerbi and the fans was the lack of goals to show for the dominance in the first half. Tottenham were dealt a big blow a few minutes after the break when James Maddison was forced off with an injury. However, the visitors didn’t get bogged down by Maddison’s premature departure. Instead, it looked to galvanise the boys.

Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham “deserved” the win over Chelsea

An own goal from Penders and a solo goal from Tel, either side of a red card for Cole Palmer, saw Spurs end their eight-year wait for a victory at Stamford Bridge.

The North Londoners have looked revitalised since returning from the extended international break, taking seven points from their last three games. And Roberto De Zerbi was all smiles after the game, praising the mentality, character and spirit of his team in the win at Chelsea. The Italian boss also spoke about “changing the history” of the club after disastrous last two campaigns.

“It was a big moment for the fans, the club and the players also. They deserved this win; they prepared very well. We are improving a lot; we are improving in the mentality, in the group and the relationships with the players, and then we are improving on the pitch,” De Zerbi said in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport).

“Against Aston Villa, Everton, for 30 minutes we were playing very well. Maybe no goals, no finishing good enough to score, and maybe in the first bad moment we changed mentality. Now it is a complete team. The players are playing better; we improved in the style.

“When we stay for dinner and stay together in the dressing room, I see a different group, a different relationship and a different atmosphere among the players.

“The character was great today, but we have many, many new players. The players who stayed here last season, two or three seasons ago, they suffered the last results: two times 17th position; we are working to change the last part of the history of the club. We are lucky because we have many great people in the dressing room, many great players. I think if we work hard, we can do something important.

“I have to believe for sure in this group. I never lost confidence in my players. The week in Marbella, to speak better face to face, to open ourselves and remove the mask, is important. It is important for the spirit, the belief. The atmosphere inside the dressing room is maybe more important than the tactics.”

Massive result for Tottenham

De Zerbi must be a proud man today. The 47-year-old spoke in his pre-match press conference about the extra motivation of ending the Stamford Bridge curse. And his words worked to treat, as the Tottenham players showed great fight, courage, heart and spirit to beat a dangerous Chelsea side.

Such performances and results often act as a springboard and help teams go on a positive run. The same can happen with the Lilywhites as well; they can now look upwards as they climb into 12th place and are now only four points behind Chelsea in fourth. After a disastrous start to the season, back-to-back wins has now made the Tottenham dressing room a happy place to be in.