Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has been given a one-match touchline ban and fined, while Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has been hit in the pocket for their clash in Sunday's fiery London derby.

The two went head-to-head at the side of the pitch before tempers flared once again at the final whistle following a strong handshake, after Harry Kane's last-gasp goal snatched a 2-2 Premier League draw for Spurs at Stamford Bridge.

Both were shown a red card by referee Anthony Taylor and the Football Association on Friday revealed the sanctions imposed, with Tuchel's ban suspended temporarily and the punishment subject to appeal.

In a statement, the FA said: "An independent Regulatory Commission has today ordered that Thomas Tuchel be fined £35,000 and banned from the touchline for one match, and Antonio Conte be fined £15,000 after they respectively breached FA Rule E3.

"Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte admitted that their behaviour after the final whistle of the Premier League game between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022 was improper, and both managers requested a paper hearing.

"These sanctions are subject to appeal, and Thomas Tuchel's one match touchline ban has been suspended temporarily pending the independent Regulatory Commission's written reasons for its decision that will be made available in due course."

Tuchel had played down the significance of the incident in a press conference on Friday, stating he hoped the FA would not take any further action.

"I was laughing in the dressing room. It was the heat of the match and for me it was not that bad. It was a handshake and a bit too long and heavy a handshake. I admit it, but no harm was done at least from my side," he said.

"The thing would have been very, very quickly ended if there were not 20 people around us that made it look much worse than it was. Of course I laughed about myself.

"I hope they [the FA] do not make more out of it. It's not that big a deal for me. I have nothing but the biggest respect for him and this will not change because of that incident."

Chelsea travel to face Leeds United on Sunday, while Tottenham host Wolves a day prior.

Thomas Tuchel admitted footage of his spat with Antonio Conte was hilarious – but insisted the refereeing blunder that cost Chelsea a win over Tottenham remains no laughing matter.

It was last Sunday when emotions ran so high in the London derby that both bosses were red-carded after the final whistle.

Touchline tensions had been soaring and came to a head when Tuchel refused to immediately let go of Conte in the post-match handshake, affronted that the Italian had avoided eye contact.

This sparked further words being said and several backroom staff from both teams having to separate the two, before referee Anthony Taylor showed both men his red card.

Football Association charges have followed for Tuchel and Conte, but Tuchel accepts there was an element of comedy about the whole episode, which has led to a string of internet memes.

"Of course we laugh, it's very important to laugh about yourselves," said Chelsea's German head coach.

"I was laughing in the dressing room. It was the heat of the match and for me it was not that bad. It was a handshake and a bit too long and heavy a handshake. I admit it, but no harm was done at least from my side.

"The thing would have been very, very quickly ended if there were not 20 people around us that made it look much worse than it was. Of course I laughed about myself.

"I hope they [the FA] do not make more out of it. It's not that big a deal for me. I have nothing but the biggest respect for him and this will not change because of that incident."

What still firmly rankles with Tuchel is how Taylor and video assistant referee Mike Dean failed to call a foul on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella shortly before Tottenham snatched a last-gasp equaliser to force a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero appeared to pull Cucurella to the ground by his hair, and there was a pause in play while VAR official Dean took time to review the incident, but he decided against sending Taylor to the pitchside monitor and play was restarted.

Dean has since apologised for his error, but Tuchel said on Friday: "If the mistake is that big and that obvious, what's the point of not admitting it if the whole world sees it.

"I struggle a little to be fully impressed by the statement, I have to say. It is so clear and obvious, I still cannot understand how a referee cannot make the decision that was the right decision."

Tuchel later clarified to stress that he considered it was specifically Dean who "got it totally wrong" by not calling Taylor to take a closer look, and called for greater transparency in the decision-making process.

"Maybe they could explain the decisions on the field to everybody," Tuchel said.

Tottenham must "feel the blood" of their opponents in order to improve, says Antonio Conte.

Spurs played out a thrilling, full-blooded 2-2 draw with London rivals Chelsea on Sunday, with the visitors twice coming from behind at Stamford Bridge.

Harry Kane's stoppage-time equaliser was overshadowed by a touchline fracas at full time, with both Conte and his Chelsea counterpart Thomas Tuchel sent off.

Conte and Tuchel had both previously been booked, and the Spurs boss seemed to have taken issue with how Tuchel shook his hand after the final whistle.

While hopeful he will be allowed to take to the touchline for Tottenham's meeting with Wolves on Saturday, Conte has no regrets about the fierce nature of his side's display against his old club Chelsea.

Indeed, the former Inter coach wants to see more of it.

"Nasty? It's a step that I continue to ask to my players," Conte said. 

"We did a little step forward, but we need to compete this because to be nasty is very important.

"You have to feel the blood of your opponents. You need to win."

One example of that aggression possibly boiling over came when Cristian Romero clearly pulled the hair of Chelsea's new signing Marc Cucurella while the pair competed at a set-piece.

Fortunately for Spurs, referee Anthony Taylor and the VAR failed to punish the infringement.

"I speak a lot with him," Conte said of Romero, who will miss the Wolves game through injury.

"He's really strong physically and has no fear. He has to be really focused to understand the situation. But I speak a lot with him, we have to be strong in the right way."

Tottenham have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League games (W9 D3), having lost five of their eight before this run. 

They look well set to continue that strong form, given Wolves are winless in their last nine Premier League matches. However, since they were promoted back to the top tier in 2018, at no side have they won more away league games than they have against Spurs (three).

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte believes he should be allowed on the touchline against Wolves after being charged by the FA for his behaviour against Chelsea.

The charge came after he was involved in multiple incidents with Chelsea counterpart Thomas Tuchel during and after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

An altercation after the final whistle led to both Tuchel and Conte receiving red cards, and the subsequent FA charges mean it is unclear whether both will be allowed on the sidelines for their respective Premier League fixtures this upcoming weekend.

Conte though believes he should be allowed in the dugout against Wolves, though, telling reporters during his pre-match press conference: "I hope so. It's right, it's right to stay in my place.

"Then I repeat for sure after this type of situation you can learn a lot but at the same time I think from my situation I was good to keep calm and [I] didn't have an excessive reaction."

Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League with four points from their opening two games, but will be without key defender Cristian Romero for Saturday's meeting with Wolves due to injury.

"About Cristian, he had a little problem during the game against Chelsea in the final part of the game," Conte said.

"It's a little problem and after the game he started to feel a bit of pain in his adductor [muscle]. We checked him.

"The player wanted to give availability but in this situation we have a lot of games to play, it would be stupid to take risk. For this reason he is not available for Wolves."

Spurs have beefed up their squad in this transfer window with Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma, Clement Lenglet, Fraser Forster and Djed Spence arriving.

This week, Destiny Udogie signed from Udinese, though the defender will remain with the Serie A club for the rest of the 2022-23 season.

Tottenham's focus will now be on trimming their squad, with Tanguy Ndombele set to complete a switch to Napoli, while Giovani Lo Celso has rejoined Villarreal on loan, though Conte did not rule out the possibility of further additions.

He added: "If someone goes away then for sure another player has to come. Especially if some players want to go and play regularly and it's difficult to keep them here."

Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have been charged by The Football Association (FA) after their heated confrontation at the end of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.

The two head coaches appeared to be antagonising one another during the second half of the dramatic Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge.

On the final whistle, shortly after Harry Kane headed in Spurs' equaliser, Tuchel and Conte shook hands, with the Chelsea boss pulling the Italian back when he did not make eye contact.

This sparked further words being said and several backroom staff from both teams having to separate the two, which resulted in Tuchel and Conte being shown red cards by referee Anthony Taylor.

The FA said in a statement on Monday: "Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have both been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3, following the Premier League fixture between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022.

"It is alleged that the behaviour of both managers was improper following the end of the fixture.

"Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have until Thursday 18 August 2022 to provide their respective responses."

Spurs boss Conte appeared to fan the flames further on Sunday when he took to Instagram to post a story of Tuchel running down the sideline in front of him while celebrating Reece James' goal to make it 2-1 to Chelsea, captioning it: "Lucky I didn't see you… making you trip over would have been well deserved" followed by three laughing emojis.

Stats Perform also understands The FA is looking into Tuchel's post-game comments about referee Taylor, whose performance he criticised.

The FA's investigation will focus on whether Tuchel has brought the game into "disrepute" by implying bias or attacking the integrity of a referee.

Thomas Tuchel's post-match comments about referee Anthony Taylor following Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham are under investigation by the Football Association (FA).

Tuchel was furious at some of the decisions made by Taylor during the feisty stalemate at Stamford Bridge, a game that saw tensions boil over.

The German suggested Spurs' first goal should have been disallowed due to the offside Richarlison standing in Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's line of sight, and then he felt aggrieved over the visitors' second equaliser due to two incidents.

Firstly, he felt Kai Havertz was fouled by Rodrigo Bentancur in the build-up to the corner that Harry Kane ultimately headed home from, and at the same set-piece Cristian Romero avoided being penalised for pulling Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair.

Tuchel and Spurs coach Antonio Conte clashed during and after the game, with their second confrontation resulting in both bosses being shown red cards.

This was a particular bone of contention for Tuchel, who sarcastically said: "I cannot coach but the referee can whistle the next game? Good."

Chelsea fans have voiced their displeasure with Taylor before, but Tuchel went even further when asked about the supporters' concerns, as he suggested "the whole dressing room of us, every person thinks that."

He was then pushed on whether the players are worried when Taylor is the official in charge, and he added: "Yeah, of course."

Stats Perform understands the FA is already looking into Tuchel's comments, meaning disciplinary action could be forthcoming.

The FA's investigation will focus on whether Tuchel has brought the game into "disrepute" by implying bias or attacking the integrity of a referee.

 

In the wake of Tottenham's last-gasp 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, Spurs boss Antonio Conte poked fun at the situation after both he and Thomas Tuchel were shown red cards.

The game featured a number of twists and turns, with Chelsea feeling they had won the game when Reece James put them 2-1 ahead in the 77th minute, only for Tottenham to snatch a point deep into stoppage time through a Harry Kane equaliser.

After the final whistle sounded and the managers came together to shake hands, Tuchel refused to let go, indicating he did not appreciate Conte's lack of eye-contact, sparking an exchange where the pair had to be separated, and both were shown red cards.

When queried about the altercation after the game, Tuchel insisted that "it's between two competitors and nothing bad happened" and implied things were being blown out of proportion.

Conte said he believes the video of the situation exonerates him from any blame, and even implied the next time these sides meet there may not be a handshake, saying "next time we will pay more attention and don't shake the hands and we solve the problem… he stays in his bench, I stay in my bench, with my staff on one side and no problem about this."

He added: "For sure I am not passive. If I see aggressivity, then my answer is with aggressivity, but I repeat this is not a problem."

In the hours after the match, Conte took to Instagram to post a story of Tuchel running down the sideline while celebrating James' go-ahead goal to make light of the situation, captioning it: "Lucky I didn't see you… making you trip over would have been well deserved" followed by three laughing smiley faces, indicating it is meant with a tongue-in-cheek tone.

Chelsea will make the trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the return fixture on February 25.

Thomas Tuchel was furious with the officials after Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham as he suggested both Spurs goals should have been disallowed.

Chelsea were dominant for much of their first home game of the season, twice taking the lead through Kalidou Koulibaly's stunning volley and Reece James' well-worked goal.

But Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg got Spurs' initial equaliser and Harry Kane saw his stoppage-time header find the net via a deflection off James to rescue a point for the visitors.

Tuchel, who twice clashed with Spurs boss Antonio Conte during an ill-tempered affair, thinks neither goal should have stood.

The German was adamant the offside Richarlison interfered with Edouard Mendy's line of sight for the first leveller, while Chelsea were also furious to see Kai Havertz denied a free-kick earlier in the build-up.

Later on, Cristian Romero avoided being penalised despite pulling Marc Cucurella to the floor by his hair as Kane's header earned Spurs a draw.

Tuchel's frustration was plain to see as he spoke to Sky Sports, even if he applauded Chelsea's general performance.

"We were brilliant, we were absolutely brilliant," he said. "Sorry I have to say but both goals cannot stand, absolutely cannot stand.

 

"There's only one team who deserves to win and it's us, we were absolutely brilliant and sorry for my team that they didn't get what they deserved.

"It's a clear foul on Kai Havertz in the build-up [to the first goal], a clear foul. We had one tactical foul from Reece James and he got a yellow.

"I don't know how many tactical fouls Hojbjerg and [Rodrigo] Bentancur did, nothing happened.

"Clear foul on Havertz. Okay, the situation goes on and on and on, then it's a clear offside from Richarlison, he's in the line of the shot, he even goes to the ball, he doesn't touch the ball and Edou cannot see the ball.

"It's a clear offside, and since when can you pull hair on a football field?"

While Kane did not specifically address the controversy surrounding Spurs' goals, he accepted they were fortunate to leave Stamford Bridge with a point.

"Overall we probably didn't deserve a point from the game but we dug deep, we stuck in there, we fought until the end," he told BBC Sport.

"Credit to the boys, we had that last chance at the end there and managed to take it. Still, there's stuff to work on, but an important point away from home."

Antonio Conte says Tottenham need to improve further if they are to reach Chelsea's level after a fiery 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg cancelled out Kalidou Koulibaly's superb opener for the Blues, but Thomas Tuchel's men restored their lead when Reece James burst through to score.

A dramatic conclusion followed though, as Harry Kane was on hand to head home in the 96th minute and spark wild celebrations from Conte, before both he and Tuchel were promptly sent off amid a touchline clash.

That followed an earlier argument between the pair after Hojbjerg's strike, with Tuchel furious the goal had not been ruled out for offside against Richarlison.

The result meant Tottenham have won just one of their last 38 away matches against Chelsea in all competitions (D13 L24), a 3-1 win in April 2018 in the Premier League.

Conte did not want to discuss the specifics of his clash with Tuchel, instead choosing to highlight that his side needs to improve if they are to enjoy the kind of success Chelsea have in recent seasons.

"It's not so important [the clash with Tuchel]," he said in a press conference.

"The most important thing is football and to speak about football. It was an intensive game. This game was really tough for us. You know that they are a really good team here.

"I have to be honest, today Chelsea were better than us. Compared to last season we did better, but if we want to create problems for Chelsea [in the table] we have to be better.

"We can do better, but at the same time we scored twice. In the last three games [against Chelsea] we didn't score.

"We got a point and we showed, in my opinion, character and personality and my players wanted to stay in the game. We can do better."

Tuchel and Conte have both received a card in three different Premier League games since the start of last season, the most of any two managers in the competition.

The Italian, however, rejected suggestions that he can go overboard on the touchline, and believes Spurs fans want to see that he cares.

"You have to show passion every time because the result can be positive or negative but you have to love your job and your work and show your passion," he added.

"If the fans see this, it's good. You can take big achievements if you have a big passion in your job.

"You can understand the situation. I think this game is an important game for both clubs."

Thomas Tuchel has played down his clash with opposite number Antonio Conte at the end of Chelsea's thrilling 2-2 draw with Tottenham, describing the melee as natural at the end of an "emotional" match.

Chelsea twice led Spurs in an absorbing London derby on Sunday, opening the scoring through Kalidou Koulibaly's stunning volley and responding to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's equaliser by going 2-1 ahead through Reece James.

But Harry Kane's 96th-minute header saw Conte snatch a point on his return to Stamford Bridge, causing chaotic scenes on the touchline as the two coaches were given red cards after clashing over a post-match handshake.

Tuchel and Conte have now both received a card in three separate Premier League games since the start of last season, more than any other managers in the competition. 

But Tuchel told Sky Sports such incidents are to be expected between top competitors, saying: "When you shake hands I thought we look into each others' eyes but Antonio had a different opinion… it was emotional.

"He was happy when they equalised and then it got a bit heated but nothing big. We both got a red card? I think it was not necessary. But a lot of things were not necessary, so that's another poor decision from the referee today.

"It's emotional. You like it. We don't need comments now, and it being heated up and heated up.

"Just look at it. It's the Premier League, it's the game. You love it, no? We love it. We are emotional coaches."

Asked whether he would seek Conte out to apologise for his role in the confrontation, Tuchel was non-committal, adding: "If we meet, we meet, If not, then not. It's not a problem, it's over a football match.

"Come on guys, it's between two competitors and nothing bad happened."

Tuchel celebrated by racing down the touchline in jubilant fashion when James re-established Chelsea's lead with 13 minutes remaining, and admits his actions may have played some role in causing the scenes witnessed at full-time.

"In the middle of it I thought I should not do this but sometimes a match gets you totally, this match sucked me in," he smiled. 

"It was a brilliant effort after an undeserved equaliser. It was pure joy, and it may offend the opposition but they did the same when they equalised."

London derbies between Chelsea and Tottenham hold special reverence in the eyes of many neutrals because it's so synonymous with controversy, drama and – arguably above all else – aggro.

If Todd Boehly never attends another match at Stamford Bridge, he'll be safe in the knowledge that this contest had more than enough drama than 99 per cent of other Chelsea games.

Chelsea's new owner was attending his first home game since the pre-season takeover, and he was treated to an absolute thriller – though he'll ultimately have been frustrated by the Blues' inability to claim all three points as Spurs somehow stole a draw.

But the result, a 2-2 tie, only tells half the story of a gripping contest.

Of course, reminders of the respective situations of the clubs over the past few months was difficult to avoid in the build-up, with even Thomas Tuchel alluding to it in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

While Spurs made some key signings in January, finished the season well and then quickly went about more impressive transfer business in pre-season, Chelsea have had to contend with rather more uncertainty.

After being impacted by the United Kingdom's sanctions against Russian individuals and companies, which of course included then-owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea couldn't even sell club merchandise to fans.

The £4.25billion takeover by the consortium led by Boehly ushered in a new era, but even then it's difficult to say it's all been plain-sailing since – the American and his partners have ripped up the club's hierarchy and he's made himself interim sporting director, and his movements in the market have attracted ridicule.

From missing out on a host of key targets to spending £62million on Marc Cucurella, they've hardly emitted an aura stability.

Fitting, then, that Chelsea fans welcomed Boehly to the Bridge on Sunday with a Madness-inspired tifo. An adapted display of the band's iconic One Step Beyond album cover – of which the title song is widely associated with the Blues – was unfurled depicting Boehly and his counterparts, and below it a second banner read 'Welcome to the House of Fun'.

Its message rang true as well. While Chelsea may not have beaten their visitors, there was a lot to like about the Blues' performance, and fun it certainly was.

Chelsea were particularly dominant in a first half that saw their intensity and fluidity suffocate Spurs at times. Mason Mount's roaming caused no end of problems, while the movement of Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz helped ensure the visitors' midfield was forced to sit especially deep.

Then, behind them, Jorginho was at the top of his game, pulling the strings and helping to keep the hosts on the front foot with his expertise in such controlling roles.

As a result, Spurs struggled to gain a foothold in midfield and the front three were anonymous, which proved particularly problematic after Chelsea took a 19th-minute lead.

As if it was written, in front of the man responsible for buying them, two new signings combined for the first Stamford Bridge goal of the new era – and what a goal it was.

Cucurella's outswinging corner picked out Kalidou Koulibaly in space at the back of the area and the centre-back met it with an outrageous volley that spun off his foot and flew past the helpless Hugo Lloris.

Chelsea's issue was building on that lead. Dominant they remained until the second half, but another goal proved elusive and Spurs grew in prominence.

First, Edouard Mendy denied Son Heung-min just after the break, and then Harry Kane – without a goal in his previous five Premier League clashes with Chelsea – missed the target with only the goalkeeper to beat.

A pot shot from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg proved just the ticket, however. Jorginho, who until then was exceptional, was guilty of over-playing in his own box, and within seconds Spurs' Danish midfielder drilled into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards.

That seemed to bring everything to life. Immediately Conte's roaring celebration towards the Chelsea bench sparked a furious clash between the two sets of staff, with the Italian and Tuchel – who was angry with the failure to award the Blues a free-kick in the build-up – grappling with each other.

The spirit of the famous 2016 Battle of the Bridge had been mostly absent, but that moment showed it was merely looming in the shadows, waiting, and it made what Chelsea thought was the winner even sweeter for Tuchel.

Evoking memories of Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford while in charge of Porto, Tuchel hurtled down the touchline – right past Conte – after Reece James beat Lloris for his strike in the 77th minute.

Chelsea were in control again and seemed to be heading for the win, but right at the end of stoppage time a glancing Kane header was diverted in by James, rescuing a well-earned – if fortuitous – point.

While the football ceased with the full-time whistle, the action did not. Tuchel refused to let go of Conte as they shook hands, sparking another melee as both bosses were ultimately shown red cards.

This occasion may not have had the 12 yellow cards of the first Battle of the Bridge, but the amusing petulance and antagonising went some way to filling that void, with Boehly truly given a fitting welcome to the House of Fun.

Harry Kane scored a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser as Tottenham twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw in an ill-tempered London derby against Chelsea.

Antonio Conte had twice looked set to finish empty handed on his Stamford Bridge return, with Kalidou Koulibaly opening the scoring with a sumptuous volley on his home debut for Chelsea early on.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg levelled with a long-range strike in the second half, but Chelsea again looked to be on course for the win when Reece James side-footed home after racing onto Raheem Sterling's pass.

But Kane was on hand to head home from a late corner and spark wild celebrations from Conte, who was promptly sent off amid a touchline clash as Spurs claimed a potentially vital point from a trip to a likely rival for Champions League qualification.

Destiny Udogie expects to thrive under Antonio Conte as he closes in on a move to Tottenham.

The wing-back on Sunday flew to London to complete a switch to Spurs for a fee reported to be in the region of £21million (€25.1m).

Tottenham will loan the 19-year-old back to Serie A club Udinese for the 2022-23 season as part of the deal 

Udogie is relishing the opportunity to work with Conte when he eventually links up with the Premier League club.

"I'm very happy. It's a good feeling to go to the Premier League, work with Conte, sign with Tottenham," he told Tuttomercatoweb.

"I am convinced that with Mr. Conte I will be able to grow further. For now, it is also important to return on loan to Udine, I want to have a good season."

Antonio Conte says Tottenham would be "foolish" to spend big in the transfer market and will use "common sense."

Spurs have made six signings during the window, landing Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Djed Spence, Clement Lenglet and Fraser Forster.

The London club have also been linked with Roma attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo and Barcelona forward Memphis Depay, while teenage wing-back Destiny Udogie is expected to arrive form Udinese and return to the Serie A club on loan.

They are also reportedly set to trigger a £41million release clause to make centre-back Cristian Romero's loan move from Atalanta permanent.

Tottenham head coach Conte has vowed there is no chance the club will be reckless before the transfer window closes on September 1.

He said ahead of Sunday's derby at his former club Chelsea: "We improved in this way but I know I can't have everything quickly, it would be foolish to ask for a lot of players and spend a lot of money.

"We're doing the right things with common sense, not to spend the money on many players. Also, this is not the politics of the club, I understand this. We have to go in the right way, doing the right things."

Conte is pleased with the strength of his squad as Spurs look to make further strides after securing fourth place in the Premier League last season to seal a Champions League spot.

The Italian added: "I'm very happy with our squad because, compared to last season, we improved with Richy but we lost [Steven] Bergwijn. [Bryan] Gil went on loan but now he's in the squad of 20 players. I think in midfield we improved with Bissouma and with [Harry] WInks, and then with Lenglet behind.

"We signed players with common sense, to find players with the right characteristics, to help us have the quality. To have reliable players, players ready to have a good impact."

Tottenham will be without defender Lenglet and midfielder Oliver Skipp for their second Premier League game of the season due to an abductor injury and a hairline heel fracture respectively.

Thomas Tuchel never felt Chelsea had a "huge gap" to Tottenham before seven months in which the clubs appeared to travel in opposite directions.

Chelsea won all four meetings with Spurs in all competitions last season without conceding.

Indeed, the Blues are unbeaten in seven against their London rivals in the Premier League, with Tottenham having won only one of their past 37 trips to Stamford Bridge in all competitions.

Spurs coach Antonio Conte said after a 2-0 Chelsea win in the EFL Cup semi-finals that Tuchel's men were "much stronger than us".

"This game confirmed what I thought about the difference between the teams," he added.

However, since then Tottenham have joined Chelsea in qualifying for the Champions League and enjoyed an excellent transfer window.

Having beaten Southampton 4-1 on the opening day of the season, Conte's side head into the second weekend on top of the table; in 2022, they have earned the third-most points in the division (44) behind Liverpool (52) and Manchester City (46), with Chelsea sixth in that regard (35).

Conte's January comments were put to Tuchel on Friday then, before the teams' latest meeting, and the Chelsea coach was asked to reflect on how the situation had changed.

But Tuchel argued his team had only dominated Spurs due to their commitment and performance in those matches – and he suggested Conte's analysis should be taken with a pinch of salt.

"I never felt a huge gap in preparing these matches," Tuchel said before Sunday's game at Stamford Bridge. "They are close matches, and they are a very competitive and very talented squad.

"I know very well what we invested and to what level we played to beat them four times and not concede a goal against this quality team in an emotional game in London that means for everybody so much.

"This was a huge effort and a big performance from us.

"In general, I don't believe everything Antonio Conte says in games like this, before games and after games.

"I admire him a lot and believe strongly that every team he trains competes for everything, no matter which team it is and what club it is. This is what he proves right now.

"They had maybe the opposite last seven months from us, given the situation.

"Everything was clear; they had something very clear to fight for, they put all the energy in to reach Champions League football and they reached Champions League football.

"Their targets were clear, the set-up in the club was clear, and they took advantage of this situation and had a very aggressive transfer period, a very straightforward and excellent transfer period to strengthen their squad in quality and in depth.

"That's why it's one of the toughest opponents. That's what it is always with Antonio Conte's teams."

Tuchel would not reveal his "secret" to keeping Harry Kane and Son Heung-min quiet, but he openly discussed how a heatwave in the United Kingdom might impact the match.

"It is demanding," he said. "It is more demanding – we see clearly from the data that the same training exercise in a different condition has a very different output and a very different effect on how you feel.

"It is maybe also a matter of how much you want it and how much you accept it.

"It will feel at times maybe very, very difficult and very draining. It is also a question of who has the ability, the will to play through the pain."

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