Djed Spence sustained a broken jaw after colliding with Liam Delap in the 87th minute of Chelsea’s 2-1 victory on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge, and Tottenham say he is expected to play with a protective mask for the run-in.
The incident came as the pair challenged for the ball late in the match when Delap’s elbow struck Spence in the face. Referee Stuart Attwell showed Delap a yellow card for the challenge. Spurs went on to lose 2-1, a result that leaves them only two points above West Ham in the final relegation spot as the season nears its close.
Spence posted about the collision on social media after the game. The diagnosis — a fracture to his jaw — was confirmed by Tottenham medical staff, who indicated he should be able to play wearing a protective mask. It is a familiar patchwork solution in football, and one that would allow Spence to remain available for Sunday’s home fixture against Everton, a match that will decide Tottenham’s fate if they do not pick up the three points this weekend.
Across the season Spence has been a regular contributor, making 43 appearances for Spurs. Yet before the trip to Stamford Bridge he had started only one of Tottenham’s past five games. Internationally, the 21-year-old broke through last autumn: he made his senior England debut in September and has four England appearances to his name, his most recent coming against Uruguay in March.
Context matters here. Tottenham needed a win at Stamford Bridge to move closer to mathematical safety but instead dropped points and now enter the final round of fixtures nervously placed. A win over Everton on Sunday will guarantee Tottenham’s Premier League survival; a draw would almost certainly suffice because Spurs hold a superior goal difference to West Ham. That makes the fitness and availability of players like Spence crucial in the next 72 hours.
The situation contains a clear friction. Spence is coming off a medium-term injury event — a broken jaw — but the club has publicly judged him fit to continue if protected. At the same time, he had not been a regular starter immediately before the match, which raises a selection question for Tottenham’s manager: whether to insert a player recovering from facial surgery into the side for one of the season’s highest-pressure games. The match officials’ on-field response — a yellow for Delap — will also be noted by supporters and pundits who will judge whether the sanction matched the injury it caused.
If Spence does line up on Sunday with a mask, he will carry more than a mouthguard: he will be carrying Tottenham’s immediate hopes of staying clear of the drop. He has already logged 43 appearances this season and, despite the broken jaw, Spurs expect to use him again before the campaign ends. Whether he starts or comes on from the bench, his availability in protective gear is now part of the calculation that will decide Tottenham’s final position and, for Spence personally, whether he remains in the conversation for England selection after four caps, the last of which came in March.
