Read Dominic Fifield’s match report from Stamford Bridge:
Chelsea must have thought that their proud record in this fixture was going to remain intact when Alvaro Morata gave them the lead, but it’s turned into a painful day for Antonio Conte’s side. Christian Eriksen’s stunner on the stroke of half-time changed the game and built the foundations for an inspired Dele Alli to win it with two goals in the second half. Alli’s first was a brilliant and his second confirmed Tottenham’s first win here since February 1990 and made sure they moved eight points clear of Chelsea and 13 clear of Arsenal. The race for the top four could be over. This MBM definitely is. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
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Full-time: Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham
Tottenham have won at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 10 February 1990!
90 min+4: Azpilicueta belts a volley wide. It’s over.
90 min: There will be four added minutes. The Chelsea fans are leaving.
89 min: Lloris plucks Emerson’s cross-shot out of the air.
88 min: Moussa Sissoko replaces Erik Lamela and Callum Hudson-Odoi replaces Alvaro Morata.
86 min: Vertonghen slides and studs Hazard, his Belgium team-mate, on his calf. A free-kick isn’t given, but Hazard is down and receiving treatment.
85 min: Eriksen threads a pass through to Lamela. He turns, but his shot is blocked.
83 min: Emerson Palmieri replaces Marcos Alonso.
82 min: Olivier Giroud replaces Victor Moses. It’s all hands to the pump now for Chelsea.
81 min: Victor Wanyama replaces Eric Dier.
78 min: Sanchez misses a bouncing cross from Azpilicueta, letting the ball slither through to Kante, who’s too surprised to take advantage of the mistake.
76 min: Hazard teases Tottenham on the left and feeds a pass to Azpilicueta. It comes to Morata, but he can’t control properly and the ball runs through to Lloris.
74 min: Tottenham make their first change. Harry Kane replaces Son Heung-min.
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72 min: Willian slides a pass through to Fabregas on the right. He hammers a low ball into the six-yard box and Vertonghen turns it over his own bar. This isn’t over yet. A Chelsea goal would make this very interesting. And both sides know it.
71 min: The ball breaks to Willian in the Tottenham area. He hangs a cross into the middle. It’s headed to Alonso, who snatches his volley and bounces it wide. That was an excellent chance.
70 min: Davies is booked for catching Moses on the right.
69 min: The corner’s taken and eventually Fabregas has an opening. But he slashes wide.
68 min: The Tottenham fans are jubilant. They’re enjoying this. They haven’t seen their team win here since 1990. But there’s time left for Chelsea to salvage something. Morata wins a corner. Tottenham will be tested.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham (Alli, 66 min)
A brilliant, instant reverse pass from Eriksen sends Son steaming through on the right. Eriksen has eyes in the back of his head and Son has the pace to run away from Alonso. Son has Alli in support in the middle, but he wants to go it alone. He bears down on Caballero, but he overruns it and can’t poke it past the goalkeeper. It looks like the chance has gone. But the ball breaks loose and Son gets control of it. He should tee up Lamela. Instead he tries another shot. It’s blocked again, but Chelsea can’t scramble it away and eventually Alli finds the composure to take command and turn in his second of the afternoon!
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64 min: Chelsea look for an instant response, Hazard dribbling at Tottenham on the right. His cross is put behind for a corner. Tottenham sort of clear their lines and the ball comes to Willian, who shoots high and wide from 25 yards. Meanwhile Cesc Fabregas is annoyed with Erik Lamela for a saucy challenge on him. Lamela went over the ball and is lucky not to be booked for catching Fabregas.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham (Alli, 62 min)
Eric Dier picks up possession on the halfway line. There’s no pressure on him. He looks up and spots Dele Alli running between two Chelsea defenders. Dier sends a Gerrard-esque pass over the Chelsea defence and Alli, watching the ball drop over his right shoulder, brings it down with Bergkamp-esque control before flicking a superb finish past the onrushing Caballero! What skill! What an assist! What a goal! England are going to win the World Cup!
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60 min: Tottenham move the ball smartly and with purpose, Dembele and Alli combining to find Son on the right. He cuts inside and bends one towards the far corner from 20 yards, forcing Caballero to leap to his right and push the ball wide for a corner, which comes to nothing.
59 min: Willian slips a pass through to Alonso on the left. Dier deflects his cross behind for a corner. Chelsea take it short, working the ball back to Fabregas, whose cross is glanced wide by Christensen.
58 min: Eriksen chips a cross into the middle, looking for Alli, but it’s too high for him.
57 min: Moses’s cross is easy for Lloris to claim this time.
55 min: A couple of corners to Tottenham, over on the left. Nothing comes from Eriksen’s deliveries, though.
53 min: Tottenham construct their first coherent attack of the second half, making headway down the right. Trippier crosses and when Lamela can’t rise high enough, Moses attempts to deal with the danger results in him falling on the ball and handling it. It was accidental, though, and Tottenham’s appeals for a penalty go unanswered.
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52 min: Son has started the second half on the right, with Lamela playing more centrally. It might not be long until we see Harry Kane.
50 min: It’s been a scrappy start to the second half.
47 min: Chelsea are on the front foot, Moses looking to make up for his part in Tottenham’s equaliser, driving down the right and seeing a shot blocked. Then Azpilicueta steps in to win the ball off the dawdling Alli and bursts past Davies, only for Tottenham to clear his cutback. “If David De Gea could somehow play in goal for both teams (and i wouldn’t put it past him) it would still be nil all,” says Niall Mullen. “Are keepers getting worse or is DDG too good to judge others by?”
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46 min: Tottenham get the second half underway. “That Eriksen shot had a trajectory which reminded me of that Bentley volley against Arsenal,” says Jeremy Dresner. “Knuckling, Dipping and Screaming - kissing the bar on the way in. A thing of beauty - muah!”
Half-time: Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham
Tottenham looked like they were begging for half-time - then up popped Christian Eriksen, who produced a spectacular equaliser to cancel out Alvaro Morata’s goal. See you in 15 minutes.
45 min+2: One last attack for Chelsea, Hazard hurtling behind Sanchez, who does enough to force him wide. It ends with Alonso firing over from 18 yards.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham (Eriksen, 45 min+1)
Tottenham put together one last attack before half-time. A deep cross from Dier doesn’t go anywhere. Alli races off after it, doing enough to keep it from going out for a throw, but all he can do is backheel it to Moses. He tries to chip it to Willian, but the pass is cut out by Davies. Alli plays the ball to Eriksen, 25 yards from goal, and his right-footed shot dips and swerves and soars through the air, completely confounding Caballero, who can only stand and watch as it flies over him and under the bar! What a goal from the Danish genius!
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45 min: There will be two added minutes.
44 min: Tottenham are rocking. Chelsea smell blood. Alonso pops up on the left again, flashing in another ball, Willian, Hazard and Morata all waiting. The cross is blocked and the ball breaks to the edge of the area. Kante flies on to it, but his thumping shot, which looks destined for the top corner, hits a white shirt.
42 min: Chelsea look dangerous whenever they counter. They burst forward again and the ball comes to Alonso on the left. His first cross is blocked, but the ball comes back to him and he decides to take aim with a low drive. Lloris gets down to parry the Spaniard’s shot and the ball’s hacked clear before Morata can turn in the rebound. Tottenham could do with waking up.
40 min: Eriksen drops a shoulder to make space for a shot and shoots from 30 yards. It’s straight at Caballero and he’s able to gather the loose ball after spilling it at first.
38 min: The Chelsea fans are letting Dele Alli know that they don’t like him. It’s all set up for him to be England’s No1 villain this summer, isn’t it?
36 min: Morata does fall over a lot. Still, he’s feeling good at the moment. This might be simplistic, but you can’t help but think that Tottenham need Harry Kane on.
32 min: We can add a photo of Lloris grasping at thin air there to the Big Book of Spursiness. It was dismal from the goalkeeper. But his team-mates look determined to respond impressively. All of a sudden Eriksen’s racing through on goal after Chelsea fail to react to a long ball, but the Dane seems to stop as Caballero comes hurtling off his line, allowing the goalkeeper to clear. Caballero needs some treatment, but he’s fine.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham (Morata, 30 min)
There’s a sense that Chelsea are slowly building some momentum. Moses had just gone on a fine run and he does so again, surging into space on the right. His cross is inviting and it tempts Lloris off his line. Unfortunately for Tottenham, the goalkeeper makes a wretched mess of his attempt to claim the ball. He flaps at it comically and Morata, that goal machine, rises highest to head into the unguarded bottom right corner!
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28 min: This is fairly tepid. Don’t you just adore the race for the top four? This is better, though. Hazard sends Moses steaming away down the right, but his deflected shot is held by Lloris.
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25 min: Chelsea lose the ball midway inside their half, Dembele stepping in assertively. He passes to Alli, who shifts it to Eriksen on the left. Azpilicueta comes across to concede a corner. It’s an outswinger from Lamela. Rudiger’s clearing hander drops to Trippier, who skews a shot over.
23 min: You feel that everything needs to run at maximum smoothness for Tottenham’s attack when Harry Kane isn’t there, especially against this good a defence. It isn’t at the moment. There are too many loose touches, rushed decisions and misunderstandings.
22 min: Trippier, who was the one who let Alonso go, dithers again and allows the ball to run through to Morata. He’s relieved to see the flag up.
19 min: Chelsea continue to press, Kante receiving possession on the inside-right channel, looking up and sending a cross towards the left. Alonso breaks behind Tottenham’s high line and cushions a volley past Lloris, but the flag’s up for offside and the goal’s ruled out. Alonso was off by half a yard.
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18 min: Chelsea mount one of those flowing counterattacks, Morata scrapping and finding Hazard. The Belgian’s held up by Sanchez, but he’s strong enough to shield the ball, turn and find Willian, who cuts inside before shooting low and hard from 18 yards. A deflection makes it award for Lloris, but he pushes the ball away.
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16 min: Morata seizes on a loose ball in the Tottenham area, but his cutback from the left isn’t good enough. Tottenham break again, although the momentum of their attack stalls when Kante trips the surging Alli. They continue to probe, but eventually Alli’s pass goes out of play.
13 min: Tottenham have started with more confidence than Chelsea. They’re dominating possession. Chelsea are being forced to play on the break. Mind you, they’re pretty good at that.
10 min: Hazard has his first meaningful touch, darting through the middle and playing a clever pass to Willian on the left. The Brazilian cuts inside, on to that right foot, but his shot is blocked and Lamela is able to bring the ball away for Tottenham. The visitors probe inventively and Eriksen, over on the right, drives a brilliant cross towards Alli at the far post. Azpilicueta’s struggling, but Moses exerts enough pressure on Alli to force him to head wide.
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9 min: Eriksen’s delivery is poor, but he gets another chance. The ball ends up on the edge of the area, dropping to Vertonghen, who sends a tame shot bobbling wide.
8 min: Trippier finds space on the right and crosses dangerously, forcing Christensen to head behind for the first corner.
7 min: Moses is back on and quickly into the thick of it, ferociously closing down Davies in Tottenham’s half.
5 min: Victor Moses is down after being accidentally trodden on by Mousa Dembele, who inadvertently took a walk down the prone Chelsea man’s chest after trying to tackle him deep on the right. Moses is receiving treatment.
3 min: There’s a vibrant atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge. It’s arguably better than the one we heard at the Emirates Stadium during Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Stoke earlier.
Peep! Chelsea, in the blue, kick off from right to left. Tottenham are in white shirts and navy shorts.
Here come the teams! Kick-off is moments away.
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Chelsea are without Thibaut Courtois, their No1 goalkeeper, but Conte has faith in his team. “If we want a place in the Champions League we have to try to take three points today,” he says.
Antonio Conte uses his pre-match interview to wish Ray Wilkins well in his recovery from a cardiac arrest. “I’d like to start saying we are very close to Ray Wilkins and his family. Ray is a legend in the history of this club and our players are with them.”
Mauricio Pochettino speaks! He’s asked about Harry Kane’s return and Tottenham’s record at Stamford Bridge. “I think it is important he is back again. We are happy because it is a very important game for us. This is one option more. We will see what happens in the game. He is ready to play. Maybe not 90 minutes but if we need him in the second half he is ready. Every game is different. The past is not today. It is a tough stadium for Tottenham. We will see what happens. We are very motivated. It is an important game, but the battle for the top four is not over if we win today.”
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Chelsea make one change to the side that beat Leicester in the FA Cup two weeks ago. Out goes Tiemoue Bakayoko, in comes Cesc Fabregas. Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz, Ross Barkley and Pedro are missing.
Tottenham make two changes to the side that beat Swansea in the FA Cup two weeks ago. Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli are in, Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura are out, but the big news is that Harry Kane is fit enough to be named as a substitute after recovering from an ankle injury. There’s no space for Toby Alderweireld, though. He appears to be getting the Kyle Walker treatment.
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The teams
Chelsea: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso; Willian, Morata, Hazard. Subs: Eduardo, Cahill, Palmieri, Bakayoko, Drinkwater, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud.
Tottenham: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Lamela; Son. Subs: Vorm, Aurier, Rose, Wanyama, Sissoko, Lucas, Kane.
Referee: Andre Marriner.
Preamble
Would you look at Tottenham Hotspur? There they are, sitting pretty at the top of London’s football tree, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham United all gazing up at them. It’s been a long time coming. Tottenham haven’t finished as the capital’s top club since the 1994-95 season - when they finished seventh, two points above QPR, six above Wimbledon and eight above Arsenal and Chelsea - and since then they’ve seen Arsenal lord it over them by winning league and cup doubles, Chelsea speed off into the distance thanks to Russian billions and West Ham ... okay, best we leave that one here.
But there’s been a shift in the balance of power and Tottenham can take a significant step towards establishing supremacy over their neighbours this afternoon. All they have to do is ... let me check my notes ... hmm ... win at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 10 February 1990. Maybe they shouldn’t get too carried away just yet. Their record in west London in the Premier League era is wretched. History isn’t on their side. Tottenham are a highly enjoyable team, but how much do you trust them?
We are, after all, still waiting for them to take the next step in their progression under Mauricio Pochettino. Their momentum might be on an upward trajectory, but they’ve not built on their 2016 and 2017 title challenges, blew their Champions League tie with Juventus and haven’t won a trophy since 2008. That’s why hard-nosed Chelsea will look at them here and fancy that they’ll get their reward if they squeeze hard on the right pressure points at the right moments in the match. The champions have had a disappointing campaign - the one that they deserve according to demob happiness’s Antonio Cote - and defeat would leave them eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with seven games left.
But while Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona deepened the gloom, they have plenty of positive memories to fall back on when they face Pochettino’s men. They’ll remember how Tottenham lost their heads in the Battle of the Bridge in 2016. They’ll remember being outplayed in last season’s FA Cup semi-final and winning it 4-2. They’ll remember being written off before visiting Tottenham and winning 2-1. Chelsea are the masters of the lethal sucker-punch and they’ll know that Tottenham haven’t won away to a Big Six rival since February 2016. Be careful with those predictions.
Kick-off: 4pm BST.
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