Joao Pedro Ends Goal Drought as Chelsea Furthers Tottenham’s Home Woes

Chelsea forward, Joao Pedro broke his lengthy goal drought on Saturday, scoring the decisive goal that earned the Blues a 1–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur and extended the hosts’ miserable home form in the Premier League.

The Brazilian striker struck in the 34th minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, finally ending a barren run of nine matches without a goal in all competitions. His last strike came against Fulham on 30 August.

Pedro, who joined Chelsea from Brighton for £60 million in the summer, has now scored three goals for the club since his arrival. His winner handed Enzo Maresca’s men their third victory in four league games, lifting them to fourth place—level on points with third-placed Tottenham but trailing on goal difference.

The result continued Tottenham’s dismal record on home soil, with the North London side failing to win a league game at the venue since the opening weekend triumph over Burnley in August.

Tottenham’s struggles began under former manager Ange Postecoglou and have persisted under Thomas Frank, whose cautious approach has drawn growing criticism from supporters. Despite a strong 3–0 win away at Everton in their previous league outing, their home fans were again left frustrated by a lack of attacking intent.

Frank’s afternoon worsened when midfielder Lucas Bergvall sustained a head injury early in the match. After being replaced by concussion substitute Xavi Simons, the 18-year-old reacted angrily toward Tottenham’s medical team, forcing his manager to step in and calm him.

Chelsea looked the sharper of the two sides throughout the first half. Alejandro Garnacho tested Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from distance before Joao Pedro saw his initial effort saved by the Italian stopper.

However, relentless pressing from Moises Caicedo forced an error from Micky van de Ven and Simons, allowing Pedro to pounce and blast into the roof of the net from close range.

Tottenham’s defensive lapses left Frank visibly furious on the touchline, while his side’s best first-half moment came when Mohammed Kudus forced a smart save from Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez.

After the restart, Enzo Fernandez missed a golden chance to double Chelsea’s advantage, heading over from Reece James’ cross. Pedro Neto later drew another fine stop from Vicario, but Tottenham offered little in attack and failed to mount a late challenge.

The defeat leaves Tottenham still searching for consistency at home, while Chelsea’s resurgence under Maresca continues to gather pace as they strengthen their top-four credentials heading into November.