Premier League
ChelseaChelsea1TottenhamTottenham Hotspur3

Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur

By Gary RoseBBC Sport
Dele Alli
Dele Alli scored his first Premier League double since January 2017, which was also against Chelsea

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino praised "fighter" Dele Alli for coming through a "tough period" to score two goals as Spurs won at Chelsea for the first time in 28 years.

After Alvaro Morata headed in Victor Moses' cross to give the hosts the lead, Christian Eriksen hit a stunning equaliser on the stroke of half-time as his dipping effort from 25 yards dropped just under the bar and over a stranded Willy Caballero.

Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino 'very happy' for Spurs fans after Chelsea win

Alli then took centre stage in the second half, putting Tottenham ahead just after the hour mark when he produced a sublime first touch to bring Eric Dier's ball under control before slotting beyond Caballero.

The England midfielder was well-placed four minutes later to stab in following a goalmouth scramble and wrap up a win that moves fourth-placed Tottenham eight points clear of Chelsea, who are fifth.

It was also the perfect response by Alli after a disappointing couple of weeks with England on international duty.

He failed to make an impact in a 22-minute substitute appearance in the 1-0 win against the Netherlands and was then left on the bench for the 1-1 draw with Italy.

"I'm very, very pleased," said Pochettino. "It's been a tough period for him, but for no doubt about his talent, his character. He's a fighter; very competitive.

"If he doesn't play for the international team he needs to fight and win trust and confidence again.

"In the end, he's a great talent, only 21 years old, and sometimes we lose the focus on that.

"Sometimes the expectation is too much. There is too much pressure."

Top four taking shape as Chelsea's troubled 2018 continues

Tottenham winning at Chelsea in 1990
Several of the Tottenham players, including match-winner Alli, were not even born the last time Spurs won at Stamford Bridge in the league

Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso described this London derby as a 'must-win game' beforehand and it was hard to disagree, given the consequences for Champions League qualification.

Antonio Conte's side had won just three of their nine league games in 2018 prior to Tottenham's visit but they did have history in their favour.

Spurs had a torrid record at Stamford Bridge in the league, losing 18 of their 27 games since a late Gary Lineker header secured a 2-1 win in February 1990.

It looked as if their miserable run would continue as, despite dominating possession, they fell behind after an excellent ball by Antonio Rudiger found Moses wide right and the wing-back delivered a perfect cross for Morata to score his seventh headed goal of the season.

Ray Wilkins
Support was shown at Stamford Bridge for former Chelsea player Ray Wilkins, who is in a critical condition in hospital

The balance of play then swung in Chelsea's favour as they went on the hunt for a second and Hugo Lloris did well to push away a strong Alonso strike.

But Tottenham are a team with momentum. They had not lost in the Premier League since 16 December, winning all four of their previous fixtures, and Eriksen, so often capable of creating something from nothing, delivered a sucker punch with his excellent dipping strike.

From then on, the visitors were in control and Alli's quick-fire not only put paid to Chelsea's chances of getting a result but possibly their top-four hopes as well.

They will now need to take at least nine points from the 21 available just to overhaul Tottenham's current total. Given that they have taken just six points from their previous seven games, it would seem a tall task.

"We have to try until the end to catch the teams in the Champions League places and in this case it is Tottenham and Liverpool," Chelsea boss Conte said.

"We have to try."

Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham: Antonio Conte says Spurs were more clinical than Chelsea

Kane return a boost for Spurs and England

Harry Kane
Kane missed Tottenham's win against Swansea and England's friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy with his ankle injury

The sight of Harry Kane grimacing in pain while clutching his ankle at Bournemouth on 11 March will have been a devastating one for both Tottenham and England fans.

The striker has been in scintillating form this season with an incredible 39 goals in just 43 games in all competitions, so the prospect of him being out for a lengthy spell had threatened to upset Tottenham's top-four hopes and England's World Cup preparations.

However, having avoided any significant damage to his ankle, he has made a recovery quicker than anticipated and was fit enough to be on the Tottenham bench at Chelsea. He was introduced with 16 minutes remaining, as Alli's two goals allowed him to be eased back into action.

With Tottenham just four points behind second-placed Manchester United and an FA Cup semi-final against Jose Mourinho's men on the horizon, Spurs would appear to have their form - and their key players back - at just the right time.

Man of the match - Dele Alli

Dele Alli
Dele Alli has blown hot and cold this season but this was at him at his best. A game-changing performance

Conte getting the most from his squad? What they said

Chelsea boss Conte, asked if he had achieved the maximum possible return with Chelsea's current squad this term, said: "Yeah, I'm sure, because we are working, we are working very well, we are working very hard and the commitment of the players is top.

Tottenham boss Pochettino said: "It's a fantastic weekend for us, a massive three points, and we are in the best way to achieve the top four at end of the season. That is our challenge.

"We are so happy for our fans after 28 years to win again at Stamford Bridge."

More derby delight for Tottenham - the stats

  • Tottenham ended a run of 27 league visits to Chelsea without a victory (D9 L18), winning there for the first time since February 1990.
  • Chelsea scored the first goal in a Premier League home game and went on to lose for the first time since 1 April 2017 against Crystal Palace (1-2).
  • Tottenham have won more points in Premier League London derbies this season than any other side (16 - W5 D1 L2).
  • Seven of Alvaro Morata's 11 Premier League goals this season have been headers, more than any other player has managed.
  • Morata's seven headed goal haul is also the most ever by a Chelsea player in a Premier League season.
  • Chelsea have scored a league-high 14 headed goals this season.
  • Christian Eriksen has scored 16 goals from outside the box since his Premier League debut in September 2013; the most of any current player in that time in the competition.
  • Eriksen has been directly involved in five goals in his last five Premier League appearances against Chelsea, scoring two and assisting three.
  • Dele Alli marked his 100th Premier League game by scoring two in a top-flight game for the first time since January 2017 (also against Chelsea).

What next?

Chelsea host West Ham on Sunday, 8 April (16:30 BST), the day after Tottenham travel to Stoke (15:00 BST)

Line-ups

Chelsea

Formation 3-4-2-1

  • 1Caballero
  • 28Azpilicueta
  • 27Christensen
  • 2Rüdiger
  • 15MosesSubstituted forGiroudat 81'minutes
  • 4Fàbregas
  • 7Kanté
  • 3AlonsoSubstituted forEmersonat 83'minutes
  • 22Willian
  • 10E Hazard
  • 9MorataSubstituted forHudson-Odoiat 88'minutes

Substitutes

  • 6Drinkwater
  • 14Bakayoko
  • 18Giroud
  • 24Cahill
  • 33Emerson
  • 37dos Reis Carvalho
  • 70Hudson-Odoi

Tottenham

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1Lloris
  • 2Trippier
  • 6D Sánchez
  • 5Vertonghen
  • 33DaviesBooked at 70mins
  • 15DierSubstituted forWanyamaat 81'minutes
  • 19Dembélé
  • 11LamelaSubstituted forSissokoat 88'minutes
  • 20Alli
  • 23Eriksen
  • 7Son Heung-minSubstituted forKaneat 74'minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Rose
  • 10Kane
  • 12Wanyama
  • 13Vorm
  • 17Sissoko
  • 24Aurier
  • 27Lucas Moura
Referee:
Andre Marriner
Attendance:
41,364

Match Stats

Home TeamChelseaAway TeamTottenham
Possession
Home49%
Away51%
Shots
Home14
Away12
Shots on Target
Home4
Away6
Corners
Home5
Away5
Fouls
Home4
Away11

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Chelsea 1, Tottenham Hotspur 3.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Chelsea 1, Tottenham Hotspur 3.

  3. Post update

    Attempt missed. César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left following a corner.

  4. Post update

    Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Victor Wanyama.

  5. Post update

    Foul by Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur).

  6. Post update

    N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  7. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Callum Hudson-Odoi replaces Álvaro Morata.

  8. Substitution

    Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Moussa Sissoko replaces Erik Lamela.

  9. Post update

    Delay over. They are ready to continue.

  10. Post update

    Delay in match Eden Hazard (Chelsea) because of an injury.

  11. Post update

    Foul by Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham Hotspur).

  12. Post update

    Eden Hazard (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  13. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Davies.

  14. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Emerson replaces Marcos Alonso.

  15. Post update

    Foul by Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur).

  16. Post update

    Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  17. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Olivier Giroud replaces Victor Moses.

  18. Substitution

    Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Victor Wanyama replaces Eric Dier.

  19. Post update

    Foul by Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur).

  20. Post update

    Victor Moses (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

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As It Stood

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Man City31273188216784
2Man Utd31215560233768
3Liverpool32199475354066
4Tottenham31197562263664
5Chelsea31175953302356
6Arsenal311561058411751
7Burnley31121092927246
8Leicester311110104743443
9Everton32117143853-1540
10Bournemouth32910133951-1237
11Watford32107154157-1637
12Newcastle3198143140-935
13Brighton31810132842-1434
14West Ham3189143957-1833
15Swansea3187162544-1931
16Huddersfield3287172553-2831
17Crystal Palace3279163150-1930
18Southampton31513132947-1828
19Stoke3269172961-3227
20West Brom32311182551-2620
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