Stamford Bridge was the venue where Tottenham Hotspur’s title tilt came to an end last season.
At the same stadium on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino’s men harmed this season’s championship challenge as Chelsea came from behind to secure a seventh successive win in the Premier League.
Tottenham have largely struggled since that ill-tempered 2-2 draw in May, a game in which they threw away a two-goal lead to hand the trophy to Leicester City.
Exiting the Uefa Champions League after a defeat in Monaco on Tuesday was the biggest disappointment of their campaign so far, with confidence consequently low heading into this weekend’s London derby.
There were few signs of a hangover from that loss in the early stages, however, as Tottenham took control. Christian Eriksen’s superb strike to give the visitors the lead in the 11th minute was a reflection of their dominance up to that point, the Dane hammering a left-footed shot past Thibaut Courtois after fine work from Dele Alli.
Antonio Conte’s side had not faced an opponent willing to press them high up the pitch in their recent winning run, but Tottenham did exactly that from the very first whistle.
While Spurs were confident and assured, Chelsea were the opposite. A sizeable section of the Matthew Harding Stand made their frustrations known when Cesar Azpilicueta was caught in possession following a short Courtois goal-kick, with David Luiz immediately turning around and instructing the crowd to remain calm.
Composure was also lacking on the pitch, with Chelsea only managing their first attempt on goal from open play in the 44th minute. They were back on level terms just 60 seconds later, though, Pedro bending a wonderful shot into the far corner to give Conte’s charges an equaliser that their first-half showing did not merit.
With the goal came momentum. Tottenham suddenly looked unsure of themselves, and it was not a major surprise when Victor Moses tucked home Diego Costa’s cross to put Chelsea ahead just six minutes after the restart.
Tottenham had no answer. Tiring legs meant their pressing in advanced areas was no longer as effective, while they were also guilty of several sloppy moments in possession. The home side began to take advantage of the space they were afforded in wide areas, before slowing the tempo and intelligently managing the match as full-time came into sight.
This was far from a complete performance from Chelsea, but Conte will have been delighted to see his team make it seven wins on the bounce despite not being at their best.
For Tottenham, once again, it was a case of what might have been at Stamford Bridge.
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