Chelsea were left stunned at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as Roberto De Zerbi tactically outclassed Xabi Alonso – and Joe Cole has pinned the blame on three Chelsea players.

A Mike Penders howler, which resulted in an own goal, and a solo effort from Mathys Tel saw Chelsea suffer their first defeat at Stamford Bridge under Xabi Alonso. Only a second home loss to Spurs in 42.

Chelsea struggled without Joao Pedro, while Spurs were better in midfield. The combination of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and James Maddison got the better of Jordan Henderson and Moises Caicedo.

Joe Cole blames midfield duo for Chelsea, and Mike Penders

Alonso decided to start Geovany Quenda as Joao Pedro’s replacement, pushing Morgan Rogers up front and sticking with a 3-4-2-1 system. But De Zerbi took advantage, overrunning Chelsea in the middle.

While Henderson and Caicedo didn’t play badly, Spurs’ midfield used their extra man in the middle of the pitch to their advantage. Tonali, Fernandes, Maddison, and then Conor Gallagher controlled the game.

“[Penders] is just not strong enough. This is a young man [Penders] learning his trade that they think very highly of. He’s just not strong enough. Technically, he goes with right hand; it’s a slippery pitch,” Cole said.

“There’s a little bit of physicality [from Jan Paul van Hecke]; he’s probably not been hit like that before. As a young man, he’ll come back stronger,” Cole added, who never lost at home to Spurs while at Chelsea.

Henderson outrun by an opposing player for the first time

Saturday night’s defeat to Tottenham was Henderson’s fourth start for Chelsea. Against Brentford, the England veteran ran the second-most of any player; only Pep Chavarria ran more than the midfielder.

Then, in the wins against Bournemouth and Everton, Henderson topped the charts for distance covered. However, against Spurs on Saturday night, one Spurs player ran more than the former Liverpool star.

For the first time in a Chelsea shirt, Henderson had been outrun by an opposing player. Henderson ran the second-most of any player on the pitch [11.5km], but Italian midfielder Tonali outdid him by 0.2km.