Tottenham Hotspur 2-1

Independent :

Chelsea 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Pedro and Victor Moses spoil Spurs' unbeaten record
Mauricio Pochettino's men were good value for their lead after Christian Eriksen's early strike but the tables turned after the hosts equalised

Glenn Moore at Stamford Bridge

The year 2016 has brought shock after seismic shock, but not a Tottenham win at Stamford Bridge. Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, Nelson Mandela in prison, and football fans still behind fences when Gary Lineker secured their last win here.

On Saturday, they looked on course to finally break the 26-year hoodoo, toying with Chelsea for 40 minutes and taking a lead through Christian Eriksen’s superb 10th-minute goal. Then, in a six-minute spell either side of half-time, Chelsea struck twice, through Pedro and Victor Moses. This restored the Blues to the Premier League summit, a position briefly surrendered to Liverpool in late afternoon, and inflicted Spurs’ first top flight defeat of the season.

It was a match which answered some questions about Chelsea, who had not previously had to come from behind since moving to a three-man defence with wing-backs, but raised further doubts about Spurs. They did not fall apart as badly as they did here last year, but they again looked short of gamecraft when under pressure.

Not that this seemed likely to be a concern in the opening period. The old line about form going out of the window in derby matches is not usually backed up by results but it was the case for the first half. Tottenham arrived off the back of a midweek misadventure in Monaco and with one win in nine games. Chelsea had not conceded in six Premier League matches, all of them won. Yet it was Tottenham who made the confident start, knocking the ball around with arrogant ease as Chelsea chased shadows. 

The home club were offering 25 per cent off in the megastore to mark Black Friday weekend but the concessions were not supposed to extend to the pitch. But with ten minutes gone Dele Alli was allowed to drive forward to the fringe of the Chelsea penalty box before being challenged. When David Luiz did engage Alli popped the ball off to Eriksen who had drifted, untracked, off the right flank. The Dane took full advantage of the space granted him, unleashing a 20-yard shot which swerved away from Thibaut Courtois and inside the left-hand post.

It was the first goal Chelsea had conceded in 600 Premier League minutes, and the first in seven matches since switching to a three-man defence. Bolstered by it Spurs became even more dominant. Uncharacteristically Chelsea struggled to gain, or retain, the ball. Diego Costa was isolated, Eden Hazard anonymous, a frustrated Luiz was booked for a hack at Harry Kane. On the touchline Antonio Conte was in turns furious and bewildered.

For all Spurs’ control, however, clear-cut chances were few. Victor Wanyama, Eriksen and Moussa Dembele shot over from range, from a similar distance Kane at least tested Courtois, but not enough to concern him. And, as so often, the superior team paid for their failure to convert possession into goals. Shortly before the break Pedro was picked out on the edge of the box. He created space by dummying to pass inside, then outside, then used that space to curl an exquisite shot past Hugo Lloris.

Spurs still looked shocked when they went into half-time. Whatever Mauricio Pochettino said to them failed to restore their equilibrium for they conceded again early in the second period. Caught in possession in midfield they were then drawn to Costa’s run down the inside left channel. This left Moses completely unmarked to run in from the right and onto Costa’s cut-back and drill the ball in via the legs of Lloris and Jan Vertonghen.

The reversal of fortunes brought back bitter memories for the visitors of the tempestuous match here in May, their last visit, when they lost a two-goal lead, their heads, and title hopes. Had Marcos Alonso put the match beyond them, as he should have before the hour, they may have lost their discipline again. 

Instead they regrouped, and gradually began to press. After Kane carved out a half-chance for Eriksen Conte decided it was time to dig in. Willian came on for Hazard, Branislav Ivanovic for Moses. Chelsea circled the wagons. Spurs did not lack for desire but they had neither the nous nor, after a draining week, the energy, to pierce the blue blanket.

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses (Ivanovic, 79), Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro (Oscar, 83), Hazard (Willian, 76); Costa.
Subs not used: Begovic, Fabregas, Batshuayi, Chalobah.

Tottenham (3-5-2): Lloris; Walker, Vertonghen, Dier, Wimmer; Wanyama, Dembele (Janssen, 83); Eriksen, Alli (Nkoudou, 73), Son (Winks, 65), Kane.
Subs not used: Vorm, Trippier, Onomah, Carter-Vickers.

Referee: M Olive

======================

Guardian:

Victor Moses seals Chelsea comeback as Tottenham lose unbeaten record

Chelsea 2 - 1

Amy Lawrence at Stamford Bridge

The team who are already developing an air of Antonio Conte’s Undroppables cruise on. After fielding the same Premier League selection for the sixth successive – and successful – time, Chelsea continued their revival as they saw off Tottenham, showing the mettle to muster a comeback after going a goal behind in the first half. Two of the players who have thrived most from the Conte redesign, Pedro and Victor Moses, supplied the goals to settle a riveting local tussle. After Manchester City and Liverpool had plundered points earlier in the day, nothing less than three would suffice to return to the top of the table. Chelsea reacted ruthlessly.

It left Conte with the air of a contented manager. He acknowledged the evolution that makes his team a different proposition in the high-intensity games to the side who capitulated against Liverpool and Arsenal. “Now we are another team compared to the Liverpool and Arsenal games,” he said. “If we were the same team we would lose this game, for sure. Now we have another type of confidence. I liked our reaction a lot. We won and I am pleased because it wasn’t easy.”

For Tottenham, defeat here to a long-term bogey side is nothing new but what must hurt is that for a spell their performance showed them at their best, with a refreshed appetite for the style that had them unbeaten in the Premier League until the winter chill had set in. History suggested that Stamford Bridge might be a test too far and what felt like a week of reckoning duly delivered two heavyweight blows. After tumbling out of the Champions League in midweek, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were punctured in the league.

The Tottenham manager managed to be frustrated and philosophical at the same time: “If you want to analyse the result, Chelsea win, congratulations. If you want to analyse the 94 minutes, Tottenham had a lot of positives. But in football you need to score. In football sometimes it’s difficult to explain but this is not difficult. They were clinical in front of the goal and we weren’t.”

After the smouldering volcano of this fixture last season, he had called upon his team to be “brave” and his players began as if that instruction was still ringing in their ears.

Keeping a semblance of self-control was imperative and they started by exerting important authority in midfield, pegging Chelsea back and keeping confident possession. Ten minutes in they soared in front. Mousa Dembélé worked the ball up the left and it was moved via Dele Alli to Christian Eriksen. The Dane saw a chink of goal to aim at. His thunderous shot was laced with curl and flew into the net. It was the first time Chelsea’s defence had been beaten in 600 minutes.

Conte looked exasperated as his team could not get a foothold. The muscle in Tottenham’s midriff, with Dembélé and Victor Wanyama patrolling in front of Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen, proved a meaty barrier. David Luiz mustered Chelsea’s first shot just before the half-hour mark, a whack of a free-kick that Hugo Lloris caught comfortably.

Tottenham’s dominance was such that they continued to create strong chances. After efforts from Kyle Walker, Harry Kane and Eriksen the visitors wondered how they were not even further in front as half-time approached.

What more devastating time for Chelsea to summon some inspiration. A minute before half-time all Tottenham’s hard work was speared by a moment of glorious individual skill. Pedro picked up possession 20 yards out and wrong-footed the Tottenham defence with a touch that had a dash of Cruyff turn about it. The Spaniard bent his shot into the top corner with a flourish.

Off the hook after a pretty uncomfortable first 44 minutes, Conte delivered some choice words at half-time. Chelsea came out with enhanced determination and were soon ahead. They pressed the ball off Tottenham and broke with intent. Eden Hazard invited Diego Costa to drive forwards and he capped a bullish and clever run with a killer pass to Moses, whose shot squirted off Lloris and Vertonghen on the way in. The pendulum had swung. Chelsea’s energy levels suddenly made Tottenham look ponderous. It spoke volumes about how the balance of the game shifted that both Chelsea’s wing-backs had so much more room to get involved.

Although Tottenham tried to manufacture a comeback of their own, Chelsea’s second-half solidity was a far tougher nut to crack. Conte’s Undroppables cherished their win. Tottenham’s pain was palpable.

Conte tried hard to deflect any title talk at this stage. “It is not right to talk about this,” he said. “We have a long way in front of us. It’s important to stay humble and continue to trust in our work. Today we won a game against a really strong team. Tomorrow it’s important to think about the next game, against City, another very strong team. We have to continue to work. We don’t forget that against Arsenal and Liverpool we lost.”

In attitude and application, Conte’s Chelsea are a force to be reckoned with.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Spurs 1: Moses puts Blues top of the table as Conte's men fight back from early Eriksen goal

Sam Wallace

They are back at the top of the Premier League and it should be said that Chelsea’s most-capable manager, Antonio Conte, burnished his reputation for tactical mastery a little further with a half-time fix that proved decisive in his team’s seventh straight league victory.

Dreadful for long periods of the first half, Chelsea came roaring back after the break to win a match that Tottenham Hotspur’s players had previously come to regard as payback for the way in which their hopes of the title last season were finally extinguished at Stamford Bridge in May. No payback, just more pain and the first league defeat of the season for the club that have not won in the league at Stamford Bridge since February 1990.

Conte acknowledged that Pedro’s late first-half equaliser unexpectedly changed the complexion of the game but it was notable that his side were sent out for the second half re-energised and in hot pursuit of a second goal, which came from Victor Moses within six minutes.

They were a different side after half-time. As for Spurs, the second half was the kind of performance that got them knocked out of the Champions League group stages within five games, with a bad reaction to the Chelsea equaliser after Christian Eriksen had given his side the lead.

There was no staying power from a side who had the game in their grip but allowed it to slip away. It seemed to get to their manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who allowed himself to be riled by the constant appeals and demands of Conte’s staff and ended up deep in conference with his opposite number with a few minutes left, making his complaints known. He was defiant afterwards but it felt like a manager trying to stick up for his players, no matter what.

“If you analyse the whole game then we deserved, at a minimum, the draw,” he said. “In football it can be difficult to explain when you conceded two goals and you play better than your opponent. They were clinical in front of goal and we were not. I am not concerned about anything. After a game like that you only have to feel proud.”

He stuck to his guns that his side had been the better team in spite of the result. Conte was prepared to concede that Spurs had begun the game with much greater intensity and then after that he said he “liked the reaction” of his players.

“In the second half we exploited the situations we didn’t exploit in the first half,” he said.
Those previously unexploited situations? For a start he got his wing-backs into the game after the break, Moses scoring the winner and Marcos Alonso missing a chance for the third. He also seemed to reset the balance in midfield where Spurs outnumbered the home side at all times in the first half and when the chances came, Chelsea took two of their three.

“They needed fewer chances than us to score twice,” Pochettino said. “We created many and only scored one. Maybe we were a little bit better but on the result, they were better. When we conceded the goals it is true we lost a lot of control of the game.”

It was all Pochettino’s boys before the first Chelsea goal and for the first time since his team lost to Arsenal on Sept 24, Conte had looked out of his depth at times in the first half, in charge of a team that could not get on the ball, could not threaten their opponents, and did not know how to change it. In the centre of midfield, Dele Alli was active at all times, and effective in the goal that Eriksen scored after 11 minutes.

It was not the first time that Alli had bowled forward, straight at the Spurs defence and on this occasion there was a collision of sorts with David Luiz and the ball broke to the Dane.  His goal was struck ferociously with the left foot and beat Thibaut Courtois inside his near post. It had been coming, with Spurs in control of the match and nothing of any note from key figures like N’Golo Kanté, Eden Hazard and the two wing-backs.

As for the Chelsea defence, it was the first time they had conceded in the league since the Arsenal game and the first time in 600 minutes and more than six games of league football. The team were trapped in their own half with Mousa Dembélé and Victor Wanyama particularly strong at closing the home team down high up the pitch.

Chelsea had barely created a chance until late in the half when Pedro found himself in an extraordinary amount of space in the left channel just outside Spurs’ area. The winger was at first unaware how much time he had and instinctively looked wide but he detected the space, span inside and curled the ball past Hugo Lloris.

It was a wonderful finish, albeit assisted by some poor defending, but it takes a very a good footballer indeed to punish an opponent as clinically as that. The goal gave Chelsea a parity they barely deserved and also the opportunity for their manager to reorganise at half-time which he did well.

Chelsea moved the ball more quickly from the start of the second half and Alonso and Moses were back in the game at last. Moses scored the second on 51 minutes and Alonso should have got the third shortly after that but blew a great chance laid on to him by Diego Costa’s cut-back into the area.

Before then, Chelsea had turned over possession quickly for their second, Dembélé losing out in midfield and then the ball going from Pedro to Costa down the left wing. His ball into the area went through a group of players to Moses, coming in late on the far side and with no one near him.

His shot clipped Lloris and struck Jan Vertonghen on the line but was moving so quickly that the defender was unable to react in time to keep the ball out.

Pochettino sent on Harry Winks and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou whose one insurgence down the left past Branislav Ivanovic left the poor old Serb, himself a substitute, with his hands in the air in supplication. As it was, Chelsea saw this one out comfortably. 

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Mail:

Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham: Victor Moses fires Antonio Conte's side top of Premier League in comeback at Stamford Bridge

Christian Eriksen opened scoring with thunderous drive as Chelsea conceded for first time in over ten hours
The hosts drew level just before half-time as Pedro fired in a curling effort from outside the box
Victor Moses ghosted in at the back post to smash his side into the lead via a deflection on the line
His goal proved to be the winner as Antonio Conte's side made it seven wins on the trot
Spurs haven't won at Stamford Bridge since 1990, extending the dismal run to 30 games

By ROB DRAPER

Right now, no team surpasses Antonio Conte and this Chelsea side. They can win with a swagger, as they did against Manchester United and Everton; they can tough it out on inhospitable away trips, as they did at Middlesbrough; and they can come from behind, redressing the balance of play when asked serious questions, as they did yesterday.

Where the floundered a year ago, now they blossom; where egos were crushed in the past, now they flourish. Pedro wilted last season amidst the heat of dysfunctional Chelsea, seemingly unable to bloom out of Catalan soil; Victor Moses was in exile, condemned to another loan spell, unwanted by the previous manager.

Yet both goal-scorers were excellent, reborn by the warm embrace of Conte’s love and nurture.

And Chelsea, right now, appear to have it all. In Diego Costa, who was outstanding in the second half, and David Luiz, they have a worldliness that secures victories, even after wholly indifferent first halves, which is what they produced yesterday.

Luiz lingered yesterday on the pitch, mixing with fans, receiving their embrace, giving back not just a shirt to a fan, but a repaired relationship between players and crowd. Not only is he defending well; he brings charisma and a character to a side that was beginning to look short of both.
It is seven successive wins since the 3-0 calamity at Arsenal and just one goal conceded since Conte’s back three was introduced. The early-season loss here to Liverpool is also forgotten. In a competitive Premier League, this is some run.

Antonio Conte was fired up by Pedro's strike and joined in the celebratory scenes on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge

‘Now we are another team compared to Liverpool and Arsenal games, for sure,’ said Conte. ‘If we were the same team we would lose the game for sure. Now we are another team. And I am pleased for the players. We have another type of confidence. We are working a lot and enjoy this type of football. Today we won and I am pleased because it wasn't easy.

‘It was a big test for sure. Spurs is a really good team. Today they started better than us but I liked a lot our reaction. It wasn't easy. After the first half we spoke. I always speak with my players and we found together the right solution to try to win the game. In the second half we exploited the situations we didn't exploit in the first game.’

For Tottenham, twenty-nine fruitless visits to Stamford Bridge becomes thirty; 1990 remains the benchmark performance here for a Tottenham side, the last time they won. They scored and, in current form, that counts as a small victory against Chelsea.

But it was hard to shake off the memory of meltdown Tottenham had when they lost both the league and their heads here last season. It felt that the hard lessons learnt that night were underscored yesterday evening: that this Tottenham side remains a little short of know-how and quality.

Not far short; they have it in moments and in the first half they demonstrated that the quality which exists in the side. But re-enforcements look necessary if they are to be the side that becomes a regular Champions League participant.

Mauricio Pochettino chose to dwell on the positives, of which there were plenty. ‘There is no worry,’ he said. ‘After that game, I feel proud; the effort was brilliant. We come from Monaco and it was tough to be out of the Champions League, but the answer of the players was clear. The right mentality, good performance, we were better. But we lost. If you want to analyse the result, Chelsea win, so congratulations. If you want to analyse the 94 minutes, Tottenham had a lot of positives.’

Tottenham were undoubtedly better early on. Where there had been inertia in Monaco, there was energy unbounded here, with Victor Wanyama muscling his way to domination in the midfield, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli making darting, creative runs, Harry Kane a constant nuisance and Kyle Walker indefatigable.

They confirmed their momentum in the 11th minute, when Eriksen picked the ball out 20 yards out from a Dele Alli pass. It seemed harmless but Eriksen saw a gap which Chelsea hadn’t covered. He unleashed a ferocious strike, off the edge of his boot, spinning away from Thibaut Courtois, to open the scoring.

Chelsea couldn’t wrest back control of the game. They were confined to a David Luiz free kick on 30 minutes and Eden Hazard cleverly intercepting a Lloris clearance and almost embarrassing the keeper on 42 minutes. Still, when their equaliser came, it was exceptional; wholly against the run of play, but a joy to watch nonetheless.

Pochettino will be agitated at the amount of space Pedro was afforded, but the control, little drag back, turn and exquisite strike, curling into the top corner from 20 yards out, was outstanding.

Pochettino would have been even more concerned about Chelsea took the lead early in the second half. With Tottenham losing the ball cheaply in midfield, Chelsea swept up-field with Costa charging down the left and cutting the ball back to Moses.

In their dash to defend, Spurs ignored the spacious gaps on the opposite flank, so Moses had time and space to make his strike and though Lloris got a foot to it, he could only deflect into Jan Vetonghen, who in turn could only help the ball over the line on 54 minutes.

Chelsea were suddenly ascendant and with Costa now a bundle of trouble, they should have extended their lead. Costa burst down the right this time and pulled the ball back for Marcos Alonso, who lifted his clear striker from close range wastefully over on 54 minutes.

Tottenham, as last season, looked a little stunned but responded, Harry Kane picking up a loose ball on 64 minutes and managing to pull it back into the path of Eriksen, but he could only volley into the arms of Courtois. And they rallied somewhat at the end; the roar which greeted victory was an indication of certain degree of relief.

But, for now Chelsea remain their master; Tottenham will have to find something more before this particular bridge can be crossed.

Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses (Ivanovic), Kante, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Pedro (Oscar), Costa, Hazard (Willian) Subs not used: Begovic, Fabregas, Batshuayi, Chalobah
Goals: Pedro, Moses
Bookings: Luiz

Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Wimmer, Wanyama, Dembele (Janssen) , Eriksen, Alli (Nkoudou), Son (Winks), Kane Subs not used: Vorm, Trippier, Onomah, Carter-Vickers
Goals: Eriksen
Bookings: Dembele

Referee: Michael Oliver
Attendance: 41,515

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham: Blues come from behind to return to the top of the Premier League
5 things we learned

Spurs started strongly with Eriksen firing them into the lead, but the Blues proved they're the real deal with a win that takes them back to the summit

BY JOHN CROSS

Victor Moses completed a memorable fightback to put Chelsea back on top of the Premier League.
Chelsea scored twice in six minutes either side of half time as Tottenham’s wretched run at Stamford Bridge continued.

Tottenham have not won at Chelsea since February 1990, a run which stretches back 30 games and yet they looked as if they might end that jinx.

Christian Eriksen fired the visitors into an 11th minute lead with a stunning 25 yard shot which flew past Thibaut Courtois and Tottenham were in complete control right up until just before the break.
But Chelsea’s Spanish winger Pedro scored a stunning equaliser in the 45th minute before Moses completed the win by winning a 51st minute winner.

Here are five things we learned at Stamford Bridge this evening:

1. Moussa Sissoko has been a disaster

He was Tottenham’s big money summer buy, a £30m deadline day panic purchase without a hint of Black Friday value for money.
Sissoko has yet to produce a single memorable or half decent performance. After questioning whether they should carry on playing at Wembley in midweek, Sissoko did not even make the bench at Stamford Bridge.
Maybe, just maybe, Mauricio Pochettino is making a point here.

2. Pre-match lights show

Chelsea put on a pre-match lights and music show just before kick off to try and turn up the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
They did it before the Everton game, they won well, and so maybe it was done out of superstition.
But I quite like it. For years, Stamford Bridge and the atmosphere has been a major issue. At least they’re trying to improve it. But, ultimately, only results and wins really help…

3. Chelsea’s defence breached - and their tactical code cracked

Chelsea conceded their first goal in the Premier League in exactly 600 minutes.
So much for Antonio Conte’s tactical genius. The defence breached and the 3-4-3 system being found out by Mauricio Pochettino.
The Tottenham boss, somehow, found a way to completely outfox Chelsea in midfield. Dele Alli was central, Moussa Dembele dominant and powerful while Victor Wanyama controlled from deep.
It was a fabulous tactical battle by two of the Premier League’s best managers and tacticians.

4. Chelsea curse continues

Tottenham have now not won at Stamford Bridge in their last 30 visits, a stretch that runs back to since February 1990.
They were in such complete control in the first half that it looked as if that run was coming to an end.
But the way Chelsea came back in the second half says much about Antonio Conte’s ability as a coach to inspire his players, reshuffle and get them going again.
Make no mistake, Chelsea are title contenders and they have that wonderful knack of digging in to get a result.

5. Tottenham found wanting again

They set such high standards last season that we expected Mauricio Pochettino to spearhead another title challenge.
Tottenham were great first half but when things went wrong the squad was horribly exposed.
And just a look at the bench tells you where the problem lies. Vincent Janssen, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Kieran Trippier, Josh Onomah, Harry Winks and Cameron Carter-Winks. Plus sub keeper Michel Vorm.

Good young talent in there, but not big game changers. Tottenham’s squad looks wafer thin and short of title-winning depth.


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Star:

Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1: Victor Moses makes it seven straight wins for brilliant Blues

IT was torture for Tottenham again as Chelsea made it a magnificent seven wins in succession to climb back to the Premier League summit.

By Paul Hetherington at Stamford Bridge

Last season, a draw here in the Battle of the Bridge cost Spurs their chance of winning the title.
And tonight, after leading through an early Christian Eriksen strike, they lost the only unbeaten record in the top flight.
Chelsea, inspired by Diego Costa, hit back to win with goals from Pedro and Victor Moses.

That was enough to see Chelsea overtake Liverpool, who had briefly gone top with their win a few hours earlier against Sunderland.

The bitter rivalry between the clubs, and explosive nature of their last meeting in May, saw both managers make pre-match calls for calm.
But Chelsea were too calm for manager Antonio Conte’s liking at the start.

Tottenham dominated possession and had the ball in the net after only five minutes.
Harry Kane applied the finishing touch to Eriksen’s free-kick but his effort was disallowed for offside.

But Spurs did take the lead six minutes later, when Eriksen hammered the ball home with a left-foot strike after Dele Alli’s run and pass, to end Chelsea’s run of 611 minutes without conceding a goal.
Chelsea didn’t have a shot until the 29th minute, when David Luiz’s free-kick was comfortably saved by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.

In contrast, Spurs took every opportunity to fire at goal.

One effort from Kane had to be turned over the bar by Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois.
Tottenham might also have had a case for a penalty when Marcos Alonso caught Alli inside the box.
Spurs, though, made surprisingly little of that in terms of an appeal.

Chelsea, however, finally came to life in the closing stages of a first half which brought only two yellow cards for fouls by Luiz and Mousa Dembele.
A poor clearance by Lloris offered Chelsea hope when it travelled only as far as Eden Hazard.
But the Belgian star’s shot was neatly held by Lloris.
Chelsea, though, came again to equalise in the final minute of the opening half.

Nemanja Matic found Pedro, who turned well when given space by the Spurs defence and then superbly curled home a right-foot equaliser from the edge of the box.

It was galling for Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who had seen his side dominate the first half.
And he was feeling even worse six minutes into the second half when Chelsea took the lead.
Costa produced a fine run and cross from and Moses was in the clear to strike an on-target shot which hit Jan Vertonghen on the line before ending up in the net.

Chelsea should have scored again two minutes later, after more good work by Costa, but from 12 yards the unmarked Alonso shot high over the bar.
And in what was always a close contest, Courtois had to save sharply from Eriksen to prevent a Tottenham equaliser.


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Sun:

CAPITAL GAINS Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1

Victor Moses strike sends Blues top after tense London derby
Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs lose unbeaten record days after crashing out of the Champions League

BY MIKE MCGRATH

CHELSEA looked like chumps for 45 minutes. By full-time they looked like champs.
It is the mark of potential Premier League winners that they could get played off the park for a half and STILL end up winning.

Tottenham had the whiff of a first win at Stamford Bridge for almost 27 years.

Fans were ready to party like it was 1990 when Christian Eriksen smashed into the top corner early on.
They were branded The Unconvincibles for playing poorly and staying unbeaten but this was Spurs best spell since beating Manchester City at the start of October – and there looked like no danger of a first league defeat of the season.

Then came the sucker punch on the stroke of half-time from Pedro and the miracle completed by Moses.

Within six minutes Spurs had gone from total control to staring at another defeat at Chelsea thanks to Victor Moses’ goal.
It was nothing like the thumpings Chelsea dished out against Leicester, Manchester United and Everton here when they scored 12 without reply.

But winning in this fashion – and returning to the top of the table – is every bit as impressive.
It was billed as Grudgement Day after last season’s brutal battle.

By the final whistle, the two teams looked a world away from that end-of-season clash in May.
Spurs were chasing the title on that night of bitterness – when Mousa Dembele scratched Diego Costa– but a top-four place now appears to be a battle.

Chelsea are completely different too. Antonio Conte’s three-man defence, unchanged for a sixth game, came through their toughest test since he changed system.

That meant no Cesc Fabregas, who was accused of slapping Spurs players in the nuts in the last encounter. And Danny Rose, who went nuts himself during that game, missed out through suspension so Kevin Wimmer stepped in at left-back.

Jan Vertonghen was a more natural fit but the thinking was to make sure the Belgian could keep Costa quiet. And it worked a treat for 45 minutes.
They offered a warning early on when Harry Kane had the ball in the net, latching into Eriksen’s free-kick before getting pulled back for offside.

But Spurs fans were not made to wait long before they were celebrating – and dreaming of finally winning at Stamford Bridge.

Dele Alli made the goal with a typical lung-busting run forward, drawing David Luiz into a tackle before slipping the ball past the big-haired Brazilian.

There didn’t look like much danger to Chelsea’s goal from 25 yards out but Eriksen tried his luck. And the Dane’s half-volley was a beauty, arrowing into the top corner and giving Thibaut Courtois no chance.
Mauricio Pochettino punched the air in delight after his side’s stunning start.

Conte, though, was kicking every ball in the technical area and appealing every offside, waving his arms manically after conceding a first goal after 601 minutes of Premier League football.
Instead of allowing Conte’s lads to play, Spurs pushed right up and gave them no time. Even in the full-back areas, Spurs were all over them like a rash.

It was Courtois doing the hard work. The Belgian tipped around the post when Kyle Walker raided into the penalty area, then tipped over from Kane.

They were made to rue the miss as Pedro curled in a stunner of his own before the break.
The Spaniard looked odds-on to lay the ball out wide when he picked up the ball on the edge of the area. But he produced a Cruyff-turn instead before taking aim and finding the top corner.

He celebrated by kissing his hand and touching his right boot – it was an absolute peach from the Chelsea winger.
It was also against the run of play and Spurs players looked totally deflated going into the break.
After such a devastating blow, Cheslea were inevitably on top after the break.

Costa created the winner with a surging run that saw him breeze past his old nemesis Dembele.
His cross found Moses at the far post with time to unleash his finish, which flew in off Vertonghen on the line.

Kane teed up Eriksen for a chance that Courtois did well to save, but the stuffing had been knocked out of Spurs already.
It was not as devastating as losing the title like they did last May but it was another deflating experience, especially with Conte whipping up the crowd like he loves to do.
It could have been a bigger win when Costa teed up Marcos Costa but the wing-back blazed over the bar.

WHAT THEY SAID

Chelsea forward Pedro: “It was a very difficult game for us but we are happy for the win. This is the way, game by game. There’s good feelings. I scored and it’s good. The team has a good mentality and stability. We are high on confidence.”

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: “If we analyse the game we were better. We competed very well and we were a bit unlucky to concede.

“The second half we conceded a goal very early. We are disappointed but we need to be pleased for the performance and the way we competed against a very good team.”

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Express:

Chelsea 2 - Tottenham 1: Moses winner ends Pochettino's unbeaten league run to go top

THE ecstasy for Chelsea was plain to see and hear as they leapt instantly back to the top of the Premier League table. The agony for Spurs was even more vivid as their Stamford Bridge jinx haunted them once again.

By JIM HOLDEN

When will Tottenham ever break free of the hoodoo that has seen them fail to win away to Chelsea since 1990?
Defeat yesterday in a demanding and compelling London derby also ended their unbeaten run in the League this season.

Spurs are now eight points adrift of the leaders in fifth place --- yet in the first half here they were the team who played like potential champions, taking the lead with a stupendous goal from Christian Eriksen.

It is a measure of the revolution instigated by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte that his side fought back with brilliant verve and claim victory thanks to strikes from Pedro and Victor Moses.

For a few hours Manchester City and Liverpool had claimed top spot. But this Chelsea will take some budging.

The intensity of the match was never-ending, but only in a sporting sense. Thankfully, there was no hangover from the furies of the match at the end of last season that ended Tottenham’s title challenge then.

This time it was all football --- and in the opening period Chelsea were severely discomforted by the intense pressing tactics of Spurs, who refused to allow them easy possession at the back.
An early free-kick almost brought a goal for Kane, but he was flagged offside. No matter, the visitors took the lead in the 10th minute with a blistering left-foot drive from Christian Eriksen.

It had been exactly 600 minutes, or ten hours if you prefer, since the previous Premier League goal conceded by Chelsea in their rise to the top.

All good things come to an end, and it had taken a magnificent goal.
There was nearly another when Kane ran with menace at the Chelsea defence only to see his powerful shot was pushed over the bar by Thibaut Courtois.

The passing of Spurs was crisp and precise --- as vital to their control as the high energy closing down of their opponents.

Chelsea took half an hour to make any impression on this game, when David Luiz sent in a free-kick saved by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.

It’s impossible, of course, for any team to maintain a constant pressing tempo for a whole game, and gradually the home side began to create a threat themselves.

Just before the break Lloris sent a goal-kick straight to Eden Hazard, and redeemed himself by saving the subsequent shot from the Belgian.

But there was nothing the Spurs keeper could do about the stunning equaliser from Pedro right on half time. The little Spanish ace received the ball on the edge of the box, made space with an exquisite trick, and curled a gorgeous shot perfectly into the top corner.
The mood of the stadium was transformed; the library now a raucous concert hall.

Chelsea were ahead six minutes into the second half. They won the ball pressing in midfield and Diego Costa went on a superb driving run down the left flank before crossing low for Victor Moses to shoot home at the far post.

Suddenly, the home side were rampant, and Spurs trying to cling on.
Another cross from Costa swiftly followed; this time Marcos Alonso launched a wonderful chance into orbit high over bar.

In the end it didn’t matter for Chelsea as they captured a sixth straight victory.

CHELSEA: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses (Ivanovic 80th), Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro (Oscar 83rd), Costa, Hazard (Willian 76th).

TOTTENHAM: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Wimmer; Wanyama, Dembele (Janssen 83rd); Son (Winks 65th), Alli (N’Koudou 73rd), Eriksen; Kane.

Man of the match: PEDRO --- His magnificent goal turned the match, and the skills on the ball of the former Barcelona star were a delight to watch.