Graham Potter called for patience as he warned it will not be "straightforward" getting a new-look Chelsea side to gel after they were held to a goalless derby draw by Fulham on Friday.
Enzo Fernandez started at Stamford Bridge three days after making a Premier League record £106.8million (€121m) move from Benfica, while Mykhaylo Mudryk was replaced by fellow new boy Noni Madueke at half-time on a frustrating evening for the Blues.
Kai Havertz hit the post in the first half and David Datro Fofana – another of a raft of new Chelsea signings – had an effort cleared off the line by Tim Ream.
Fulham were good value for a point that keeps them above their ninth-placed neighbours in sixth spot.
Chelsea were disjointed, understandably lacking fluency following the arrival of so many new players, and head coach Potter says they will need time to build an understanding.
He told BBC Sport: "There was a lot of excitement and positivity from the start, a good atmosphere. The spirit of the players was really good. They worked hard for each other against an organised team.
"They've been together a while. We're a different stage of that – players coming back from injury and new players. We needed time to settle everything down. We were missing the connection, fluidity and confidence that comes from knowing each other.
"The decision we took in the window, you can see the profile in terms of age. We feel we have a very strong group of players. We have to gel and become a really good team. That's where the work is.
"It's working together. When players have been injured, they have not been on the training pitch. We have new players with us. It's about getting ideas across and working with the group.
"Sometimes you have to look at the whole package. Young players, nice mix of them both. For us, it's about improving.
"New players are adapting to a new country and a new league. It's not straightforward. When the price tag is what it is, questions will be asked, it's the nature of the business."
The return from injury of Reece James and Ben Chilwell was a big plus for Chelsea, while Potter revealed winger Mudryk was withdrawn after struggling with a cold this week.
Postecoglou rues 'painful' collapse after Chelsea fight back against Spurs
Ange Postecoglou was left to rue a "painful" collapse as Tottenham squandered a two-goal lead to lose 4-3 against Chelsea on Sunday.
Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski both profited from Marc Cucurella slips to fire the hosts 2-0 up after just 11 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Jadon Sancho pulled one back, however, with a delightful 17th-minute drive before Tottenham wilted under pressure in the second half.
A pair of Cole Palmer penalties, scored either side of Enzo Fernandez's lashing finish to put Chelsea 3-2 up, proved the undoing for Postecoglou's side.
Spurs, who grabbed a late third through Son Heung-min, suffered a second defeat in the space of three days after a midweek loss to Bournemouth, though Postecoglou believes the performances were contrasting.
"It's a sore one for sure, it's painful," the Tottenham boss told Sky Sports. "We started the game really well and then we lose Cristian Romero and we had to reshuffle.
"We still had some big moments to get a third and finish it off. The second half was a ding-dong for long and then they scored. The two penalties weren't great, we need a bit of discipline in the box.
"It's a key point when you lose a key player in the first 20 minutes, He couldn't continue so it's not ideal.
"We didn't play well in midweek but we did here. They're a top side, you have got to give credit to them. We got distracted in key moments.
"We need to realise we are tough to stop when we do play our football. The two penalties were poor. When you're playing these top teams, the momentum shifts quickly."
Yves Bissouma fouled Moises Caicedo for the first penalty, with Pape Sarr at fault for a challenge on Palmer for the second spot-kick.
Tottenham felt aggrieved Caicedo was still on the pitch, though, as the Chelsea man survived a VAR review for a first-half lunge on Sarr that could have been deemed worthy of a straight red card.
"I haven't seen the replays. I thought a couple of decisions were poor," Postecoglou said of the Caicedo decision. "We have to accept it and move on."
Micky van de Ven and Romero returned for Sunday's clash, though the latter was forced off after just 15 minutes before his centre-back partner came off in the closing stages.
"He felt a bit tight," Postecoglou said of Van de Ven. "He was only meant to play 60 or 70 minutes. Hopefully it's not too bad because you could see the difference.
"I'm hoping Romero isn't too bad. We're thin on numbers and if we're thin in January, we'll be looking to add to the squad because they need some help."
Sunday marked the 11th time that Tottenham lost a Premier League game after having been two or more goals ahead – at least four more such defeats than any other side in the competition's history.
It was also the first time they did so at home in the league since September 2001 against Manchester United in a 5-3 defeat.
Son shared a similar frustration to Postecoglou, though wanted to shoulder the blame for his missed chance at 2-2 when one-on-one with Robert Sanchez.
"It's very disappointing. I don't know what to say at the moment," Son told Sky Sports. "We can't concede goals like this. We can't dive into this situation.
"I can stay here all day talking about the mistakes but I'd rather blame me with the chance and I'd rather take the blame.
"We have got to stick together in such difficult moments, it's very important and it's why we need big support. The players are very young and they need support more than before and more than we had.
"The fans were always supporting amazingly but I think it's time the players also need to step up. We need some big support and big cheering up."
In Postecoglou's 53 Premier League games in charge, Tottenham have both scored and conceded in 36 of them (68%).
Of all managers to oversee 50+ matches in the competition's history, only Ossie Ardiles' games had a higher ratio of seeing both sides score (69% - 37/54).
Wilder lauds 'best' point of season after surviving 'massive' West Brom test
Chris Wilder lauded Sheffield United's "best" point of the season after overcoming a "massive test" for a draw at West Brom that sent them back to the Championship summit.
Tom Fellows' equaliser for the hosts just after the hour sealed a share of the spoils at the Hawthorns, with the Baggies having now drawn 10 of their last 11 league games.
The 2-2 draw sent the Blades a point clear at the top of the Championship, moving past second-placed Leeds United after their 2-0 win over Derby County on Saturday.
Though United dropped points after being 2-1 up, Wilder lauded his side's resilience in difficult conditions against last season's play-off challengers.
"We were up against a really good team. We knew this was a massive test for us, and we showed great character to overturn a lead the way we did," Wilder said.
"So I'm delighted with that. As far as I'm concerned, that's our best, hardest-earned point of the season. It was so important we got something.
"We could easily have decided it wasn't going to be our day. Let's get back on the bus and get home and get in front of the fire. But they didn't.
"It was tough out there. But this side is learning on the job. We had six 22-year-olds on the park at one stage playing against men, in men's conditions.
"But they fought back and got a result."
West Brom took the lead in the 24th minute through Torbjorn Heggem, with the Norwegian heading home from Alex Mowatt's inswinging corner.
However, two strikes in as many minutes from Callum O'Hare and Tyrese Campbell put the visitors in front at the break, with full-back Harrison Burrows playing a huge role in both goals.
West Brom responded after the interval when Fellows' attempted cross from the right corner of the area deflected wickedly into the ground off Gustavo Hamer, with the ball looping out of Michael Cooper's reach.
In a topsy-turvy match, the Blades edged the match statistics, producing an expected goals (xG) total of 1.05 from their 12 shots to West Brom's 0.73 from their 11 efforts.
Odegaard: Arsenal 'didn't do enough' in Fulham draw
Martin Odegaard conceded Arsenal "didn't do enough" against Fulham, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.
The Gunners missed the chance to move within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, whose showdown with Everton was postponed on Saturday due to adverse weather conditions.
Mikel Arteta's side controlled large periods of the contest, enjoying three-quarters of the possession, but had to settle for a share of the spoils after William Saliba cancelled out Raul Jimenez's opener.
Bukayo Saka saw a late header ruled out for offside following a VAR review, but Odegaard acknowledged Arsenal required more to get the job done.
"We dominated most of the game," he told Sky Sports. "The first half wasn't great. We were a bit sloppy and lacked energy and power.
"The second half was a lot better. It's frustrating not to win. We were close in the end with the goal.
"They're a good team. They know how to defend. A solid block. We didn't do enough today. We have to learn from that and go straight back in for the next one.
"We did a lot of good things. We have to do more and put the ball in the box more times, maybe, be a bit more direct and aggressive. We could have won it in the end.
"It's a very long way to go. We've said hundreds of times, we have to keep going game by game. We have to focus on ourselves. We don't care about the other teams [in the title race]."
Meanwhile, Marco Silva felt Fulham could have been better, but saluted the commitment and fighting spirit demonstrated by his side, who have now suffered just one defeat in their last seven games.
"The first thing is to praise the players for their commitment," the Cottagers boss said. "On the ball, it wasn't the game we like to play normally. The weather conditions weren't the best. They are really strong in the pressure.
"In some moments, we should have kept the ball. Not many chances [for Arsenal] I think were good chances. We knew they'd start the second half strongly.
"I'd like to see us making better decisions because we had some good moments to punish them more, but they equalised.
"Second half, I felt the energy wasn't there because, when you have so much time without the ball, you need fresh legs. Overall, the commitment and fighting spirit was really good."
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