Spurs Beat Chelsea In Feisty Sydney Friendly With Late Richarlison Strike

Richarlison an Tottenham over Chelsea in Sydney

Tottenham edge Chelsea 2-1 in Sydney as Tonali scores first goal and Danso sees red.

Richarlison and Tonali score as 10-man Spurs edge Chelsea 2-1 in Sydney friendly...

Richarlison netted a 90th-minute winner and club-record signing Sandro Tonali scored his first Spurs goal as Tottenham beat Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday. Spurs played the final stages with 10 men in a heated pre-season friendly in Sydney.

Both teams started strong XIs. Tottenham went ahead in the 19th minute when Tonali’s shot took a deflection, but Estevao pulled Chelsea level less than two minutes later.

Kevin Danso saw red only three minutes into the second half after fouling Joao Pedro. The defender had just come on at halftime, and Chelsea took control for the rest of the half with the extra man.

But in front of 80,363 at Stadium Australia, Chelsea couldn’t make the advantage count. Spurs hit them with a late winner instead.

The defeat hands new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso his first loss. He’ll now travel to Hong Kong for Wednesday’s match against Juventus, after opening with a 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers last week.

Since taking charge, the Spaniard has been busy in the transfer market. The big arrival is Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, as Alonso looks to turn things around following Chelsea’s 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season.

Tottenham finished 17th last season, just avoiding relegation, but they’ve been busy in the market too. Matheus Fernandes joined from West Ham and Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle.

Spurs wrap up their Australia tour with a 2-0 win over Auckland FC and a 1-1 draw against Sydney FC before heading home.

Most of Chelsea’s summer signings still haven’t joined the squad, with Morgan Rogers among those yet to link up.

Right-back Marco Palestra, signed from Atalanta, made his Chelsea debut. Cole Palmer and Estevao were also in the starting XI after Chelsea fielded mostly youngsters against Western Sydney Wanderers.

  

Spurs midfielder Matheus Fernandes missed out again with calf fatigue, having also sat out the Sydney game. James Maddison was also unavailable due to a “small problem.”

But Tonali did start for the first time, lining up alongside fellow summer signing Andy Robertson.

It was a tense opening, and things boiled over in the 10th minute when Conor Gallagher fouled Chelsea’s Dario Essugo, sparking a shoving match between both sets of players.

Ten-man Tottenham secure the win in Sydney ✊ pic.twitter.com/3sfjoHAoNm

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 1, 2026

Gallagher picked up a yellow for the challenge, while Essugo was able to play on.

Tottenham opened the scoring after a sharp attack down the right. Manor Solomon found Tonali on the edge of the area, and his shot took a deflection on the way in.

  

The lead didn’t last long. Romeo Lavia drove forward from midfield and picked out Estevao, who headed home at the back post. It was 1-1 at halftime, with Spurs shading the first 45 minutes.

Kevin Danso’s red card gave Chelsea control after the break. They created plenty, including an Estevao header that hit the crossbar, but couldn’t find a second.

But Chelsea couldn’t capitalize with 11 vs 10, which will concern Alonso. Spurs snatched it late instead, with Richarlison side-footing home a 90th-minute winner.

Richarlison. 90+2. pic.twitter.com/VIOS4Jh7P2

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 1, 2026